Lisa Sorg ·
3 Nov 2009, 9:56 PM ·
Comment
The incumbents for Durham City Council and mayor swept the challengers in four races that barely raised the pulse of voters. The closest race, which was still decided by a 71-26 margin was in Ward II, where longtime Councilman Howard Clement faced Libertarian Matt Drew. Clement received 7,258 votes to Drew’s 2,729.
According to unofficial results from the Durham County Board of Elections,with all but the provisional ballots counted, Mayor Bill Bell will return for a fifth term after defeating Steven Williams 8,233 votes to 2,345 votes.
Cora Cole-McFadden, who was first elected to Council in 2001, will continue to represent Ward I, beating upstart Donald Hughes 7,941 votes to 2,449 votes. And in Ward III, Mike Woodard has claimed his third second term by rolling over Allan Polak 8,704 to 1,307.
Voter turnout has been dismal, even for city elections. The 2007 race was enlivened by a colorful contest between Bell and an aggressive challenger, Republican Councilman Thomas Stith, and by the meals tax referendum, which voters soundly defeated. In that general election, 25 percent of registered voters turned out; the 2007 primary drew 10.6 percent of registered voters.
This year, little more than 4 percent of registered voters in Durham showed up at the polls for the primary. The turnout for the general election has not yet been announced on the Durham Board of Elections Web site.
Durham, politics allan polak, Bill Bell, Cora Cole-McFadden, donald hughes, Howard Clement, Matt Drew, Mike Woodard, Steven Williams
Lisa Sorg ·
3 Nov 2009, 9:22 PM ·
Comment
With 25 of the 58 precincts reporting, incumbents Bill Bell, Cora Cole-McFadden, Howard Clement and Mike Woodard hold commanding leads. Mayor Bell is ahead of Steven Williams 75 percent to 24 percent. In Ward I Cole-McFadden leads 75-24 over Donald Hughes; Howard Clement has the tightest race in Ward II, but maintains a 69-29 margin over Libertarian Matt Drew; and Mike Woodard has the largest gap, 86-12, over Allan Polak.
Durham, politics allan polak, Bill Bell, Cora Cole-McFadden, donald hughes, Howard Clement, Matt Drew, Mike Woodard, Steven Williams
Samiha Khanna ·
27 Oct 2009, 5:18 PM ·
Comment
Five Durham candidates filed pre-election campaign finance reports this week, and the lists of contributors didn’t include many surprises, but were interesting nonetheless. Candidates raising or spending more than $3,000 in their campaigns this fall were required to file pre-election reports.
Among the highlights: Mayor Bill Bell received contributions from Charles Wilson, of C.T. Wilson Construction, and long-time former Sheriff Roland Leary.
Bell contributed $100 to incumbent Mayor Pro-Tem Cora Cole-McFadden, who is running for City Council in Ward I against newcomer Donald Hughes. Cole-McFadden is seeking her third term on the Council. Her roll of contributors also included retired school board Chairwoman Kathryn Meyers, Steve Toler, a frequent consultant to city and county boards, and Virginia Bowman, CEO of Northgate Mall, and Steve Schewel, primary owner of the Independent Weekly newspaper. She also took contributions from Phail Wynn, an executive vice president at Duke University, and Charles Wilson Jr., CEO of C.T. Wilson Construction. Continue reading »
Durham, Durham County, news 2009 Elections, allan polak, Bill Bell, Cora Cole-McFadden, darius little, donald hughes, Durham, Durham City Council, Howard Clement, Matt Drew, Mike Woodard, Steven Williams
Lisa Sorg ·
2 Sep 2009, 9:06 AM ·
Comment
Mayor Bill Bell and incumbent Council members Cora Cole-McFadden, Howard Clement and Mike Woodard received the endorsement of the Durham People’s Alliance, a progressive political action committee.
According to PA spokesman Milo Pyne, about 60 people attended its meeting Tuesday night.
The Indy will issue its endorsements for the Durham primary Sept. 16, the day before early voting begins. The primary will be held Oct. 6, with the general election to follow Nov. 3.
Durham, politics Bill Bell, Cora Cole-McFadden, Howard Clement, Mike Woodard, People's Alliance
Matt Saldaña ·
15 Jul 2009, 12:31 PM ·
Comment
Donald Hughes has made good on his promise to run for Durham City Council, filing today to challenge incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden in the Ward 1 race.
In addition, Ward 3 Councilman Mike Woodard picked up a challenger on the 2009 ballot: Allan Pollak, president of Chapel Hill-based IT company Noah IT.
All Durham incumbents up for re-election–including Mayor Bill Bell and Ward 2 Councilman Howard Clement–now face challengers in the 2009 election.
Durham, politics allan polak, Cora Cole-McFadden, donald hughes, elections, Mike Woodard
Lisa Sorg ·
8 Jul 2009, 1:20 PM ·
Comment
Two days down, eight to go: Candidate filing for the 2009 election opened Monday, with candidates seeking the top spot as Chapel Hill mayor and duels brewing in Durham Ward 2 and on the Wake County school board.
In Raleigh Council District D, incumbent Thomas Crowder is expected to run against architect Ted Van Dyk, who had not filed as of press time, but has announced he will soon. Two at-large seats are up for grabs Bill Shakespeare, Ricky Lee Sartain and Robert Claris hope to dethrone incumbents Russ Stephenson and Mary-Ann Baldwin, who plan to run as well.
The board of education candidate list is packed. (See “Wake school board race takes shape,” June 27.) Deborah Vair and Rita Rakestraw will spar in District 1, while John Tedesco, Horace Tart and Cathy Truitt go head-to-head-to-head in District 2. Karen Simon has filed in District 7 and Ray Martin has staked his claim for District 9.
In Cary, incumbent Julie Robison is seeking re-election to an at-large seat, with Cynthia Sinkez and incumbent Jack Smith filing for District A and C, respectively.
So much for rumors that Mike Woodard would run for Durham mayor: The councilman is seeking a second term in Ward 3, which includes parts of north and west Durham. Meanwhile, in southern Durham, Ward 2 voters can choose, so far, between incumbent Howard Clement III, who’s running for a seventh term, and Durham County Libertarian Party Chairman Matt Drew.
Early voting for these races (Durham’s is a primary) begins Sept. 17. Election Day is Oct. 6, with runoffs, if necessary, on Nov. 3. The Indy’s endorsements issue will be published Sept. 16. Wake Board of Elections and the Durham Board of Elections have additional information.
This is the first year for voter-owned election funding in Chapel Hill, which adds to the intrigue, since Mayor Kevin Foy is not running for re-election. Under the pilot program, mayoral and town candidates can qualify for public funds maximum $9,000 for mayoral candidates, $3,000 for council candidates.
To be eligible, mayoral candidates must declare they haven’t collected more than $1,500 in seed money since Jan. 1; that limit for participating town council candidates is $750. Subsequently, mayoral and council hopefuls can raise and spend $4,500 and $2,250 in qualified contributions, respectively. Qualified contributions are those made by Chapel Hill residents in amounts from $5-$20. Once those requirements are met, the candidates qualify for public funds.
Vying for the top job is Town Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt, who works as an attorney at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, is expected to run, although he has yet to file. First-term Town Councilman Matt Czajkowski, who had not attended a town council meeting before he was elected in 2007, hasn’t yet filed but will reportedly try to out-conservative Augustus Cho, a bigwig in Orange County’s small GOP circles who lost in the Congressional District 4 Republican primary to Cary’s B.J. Lawson.
For Town Council, Gene Pease has said he will run, while Penny Rich, who was unsuccessful in her last bid, has filed and will take advantage of the voter-owned election funding. A new group, Citizens For Responsible Government, composed of some top developers and longtime players in Chapel Hill—Omar Zinn, Phil Post and Bruce Ballentine—has stated it “expects to play a significant role” in Chapel Hill’s elections.
In Carrboro, incumbents Jacquie Gist and Randee Haven-O’Donnell are running for another term on the Board of Aldermen, while activist Sammy Slade is looking to occupy the seat of John Herrera, who is not running for re-election. All these candidates have pledged to raise no more than $3,000.
Just one person has filed so far for the three vacant seats on Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board: Michelle Brownstein. She has taken the $3,000 pledge.
Tom Stevens is running for his third term as Hillsborough mayor. He has pledged to accept the $3,000 limit on campaign contributions. Likewise, Mike Gering plans to run his campaign on the cheap, less than $3,000, as he for runs for re-election to Hillsborough’s town commission.
In Chatham County, no one has yet taken the plunge for Town Council, although incumbent Mayor Randy Voller is running; he will face at least one challenger, William Crawford.
Durham, Orange and Chatham counties hold early voting Oct. 15-31, with Election Day Nov. 3. The Indy will endorse in those races, and any Wake County runoffs, in the Oct. 14 edition.
The Orange County Board of Elections and Chatham County Board of Elections have additional information. Look for daily updates as candidates continue to file.
Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Orange County, Raleigh, Wake County, politics Augustus Cho, Bill Shakespeare, Citizens for Responsible Government, Cynthia Sinkez, elections, Gene Pease, Howard Clement III, Jack Smith, Jacquie Gist, Julie Robison, Mark Kleinschmidt, Mary-Ann Baldwin, Matt Czajkowski, Matt Drew, Michelle Brownstein, Mike Gering, Mike Woodard, Penny Rich, Randee Haven-O'Donnell, Ricky Lee Sartain, Robert Claris, Russ Stephenson, Sammy Slade, Ted Van Dyk, Thomas Crowder, Tom Stevens
