In 2000, after 26 years in Durham politics, Bill Bell decided he was ready for some time off. The long-time county commissioner chose not to run again last November, disappointing many of his loyal supporters. But their mourning period proved brief: A year later, Bell is back and this time has his eye on the mayor's seat.
The 60-year-old father of four announced his candidacy in July after numerous supporters urged him to run. Three areas emerged where Bell--who is executive vice president of the Urban Development, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps low-income citizens--said his supporters felt he could make a difference: leadership, growth and development and crime.
During much of his tenure as county commissioner, Bell demonstrated strong support for Durham development projects. But during his last four years in office, his views began to change.
"I traveled a lot, so flying in and out, you begin to see places that were green are clear-cut now," he said. "One of the attractions to this area has been the physical presence of trees and greenery. I've seen some of that slowly destroyed."
When Bell moved to Durham in 1968, he said he noticed a conspicuous absence of housing, as developers lacked the infrastructure necessary for growth and development. But over time, that infrastructure was put in place and growth flourished, such that Bell now says Durham can be more selective.
He stresses that he is not against all development in Durham. "Where it takes vision is going into the inner city and trying to see how you can redevelop that," he said.
Becky Heron, a Durham county commissioner who worked alongside Bell, expressed her support for Bell's position on growth, contrasting him with current Mayor Nick Tennyson, who is also executive director of the developers' group, Homebuilder's Association of Durham and Orange counties.
"The city has such an aggressive annexation policy," she said. "[Growth demands have] been an extreme burden.... [Bell] would be in a much better position to manage growth."
Bell said he will also focus on improving race relations and establishing better cooperation between the city and county governments.
Many of Bell's supporters have said that based on his experience as a county commissioner, he is in a prime position to foster cooperation between the city and county on growth and other issues.
"He brings a unique ability to make our overall government more effective and more efficient," said Carl Rist, co-president of the People's Alliance, a citizen's group that is endorsing Bell.
In 1992, Bell spearheaded the merger of the city and county school systems, which he deemed a success. But the controversial move may have cost him the 1994 county commissioner seat--the only time in his political career in Durham that he lost an election.
Bell said a cooperative effort between the county and city police departments could make a profound difference in Durham crime and law enforcement. But some feel that on the issue of crime, the current mayor has the edge. The Friends of Durham, a more conservative citizens group, is supporting Tennyson over Bell for this reason.
"Since [Tennyson] was elected in 1997, crime has gone down. He has a good track record on that very important issue and we think it's good to support him on that," said Friends of Durham Chair Patrick Byker.
Additionally, Bell's position on growth may cause some rancor among those who feel that it is important for Durham to keep expanding its commercial tax base, as Byker said the Friends of Durham do.
Bell and Tennyson are considered to be the decided front-runners in the mayoral primary.
"This race... is about who can best provide leadership for Durham," Bell said. "That's what I'm focusing on."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.