PA members --

Join us in congratulating each Durham county commissioner sworn in on Monday: Commissioner Nida Allam, Commissioner Nimasheena Burns, Commissioner Heidi Carter, Chair Brenda Howerton, and Vice Chair Wendy Jacobs. This board is historic, being comprised of all women, with the first Muslim woman elected to public office in North Carolina. There is an opportunity for this board to bring historic change to Durham over the next four years.

We extend our congratulations, more specifically, to Chair Brenda Howerton on her re-election to the Board of County Commission (BOCC) and selection as Board Chair during the December 7 work session. PA has a long history of working with Commissioner Howerton, and we look forward to continuing that relationship. We remain grateful for the leadership of Commissioner Jacobs, and applaud her for her willingness to be included in multi-racial leadership of the BOCC as the Vice Chair. It is our hope to see these two leaders work together for a Durham that supports a just, equitable, and inclusive community where all people thrive.

Ultimately, the community looks to the county commissioners to make wise policy decisions that make Durham a more just and prosperous community for all. With that in mind, we look forward to working with this new leadership in support of progressive action such as:

• Providing property tax relief to all longtime, low-income homeowners in Durham
• Continuing investments into programs and practices that reduce Durham’s dependency on incarceration to address crime, including the Safety and Wellness Task Force
• Expanding the county’s racial equity work and partnerships
• Fully and equitably funding Durham Public Schools (DPS)
• Ensuring all public employees are paid a living wage, including all DPS classified employees
• Providing continued funding to ensure DPS is able to provide competitive teacher salary supplements that are congruent with or exceed those of the surrounding counties
• Supporting workers’ rights to organize for their collective interests
• Increasing housing funds for low income renters, prioritize funds to prevent eviction, and support tenant organizing.
• Improving transit accessibility
• Prioritizing environmental and climate justice through energy, land use, housing, transit, workforce development and economic development policy
• Strengthening Durham Tech so that, under its new leadership, it becomes a first-class institution at the core of a strong school-to-work pipeline in Durham

To realize this vision, everyone in our community must be able to follow the leadership of the elected Board of County Commissioners. We are excited to see our commissioners demonstrate how shared leadership across all racial and demographic lines can lead to a healthier, stronger Durham.

You can reach all the commissioners at: [email protected].

In solidarity,

People's Alliance Board of Directors and Action Teams