In the tightly contested city council race Tuesday, rookie politician Diane Catotti unexpectedly grabbed 20 percent of the votes to place first. Newcomer Eugene Brown came in second while incumbent Thomas Stith narrowly placed third. The three will fill the at-large city council positions for the next four years.
In the mayoral race, incumbent Bill Bell easily won reelection with an 83 percent margin against Jonathan Alston, winning 22,202 votes over 4,318. The overwhelming margin, though, was smaller than Bell's 85 percent lead in the October primary.
Bell's victory remained the only certainty amid a handful of surprising results.
"I think everyone worked hard to get the message out there," said Diane Wright, a formal two-time council member who lost the election by 139 votes. "It was democracy at its best."
First-time runners Catotti and Brown won 15,458 and 13,856 votes respectively. Stith finished third with 13,474 votes closely followed by Wright with 13,335. Wright said she would have to sleep on whether or not she would challenge the vote.
Another formal council member Matthew Yarbrough placed fifth with 11,335 votes and Warren Herndon finished last with 8,935. Lewis Cheek, outgoing mayor pro temp, said the election was the closest he has seen.
"The election was interesting and somewhat different," said Milton Jordan, a Durham native who works as an entrepreneur. In Durham, incumbency typically is a major advantage, but Stith only won by a small margin.
"It was the second time in history, for as long as I can remember, that a newcomer has led the ticket," Jordan added. Endorsements have traditionally played a significant role in Durham elections as they add credibility to the candidate and differentiates them from the group. Three major political committees---the People's Alliance, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Friends of Durham--have been the determining factors in elections. All three elected candidates have at least one endorsement from the three organizations.
"I was surprised, but pleased," said Catotti who had finished first in the primary but lost an important endorsement from the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People shortly before the election. Many had speculated a complete shake-up of the close race. "It shows that there are a lot of independent minded people in Durham."
The general membership of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People Oct. 25 overturned the political committee's recommendation to transfer the endorsement from Catotti to Stith. Some have questioned the crucial votes made by three of Stith's supporters who had switched party affiliation at the last minute to be eligible to vote.
"I am not analyzing the numbers, it was a broad coalition and I don't know where the votes came from," said Stith. "I am blessed to be able to serve."
Brown said the election results showed that people are ready for some positive changes in Durham. He said he was thrilled to have moved up from fourth place in the primary. "It shows that my message resonated with the voters."
The vote tally Tuesday is incomplete and unofficial, pending a Friday canvass to confirm the results. The totals did not include the so-called provisional and other ballots. Given the tight numbers, the uncounted votes could change the final election outcome.
Aside from the elections, Durham residents voted overwhelmingly to lengthen county commissioner terms from two years to four, effective next year. Durham, Mecklenburg and Yancey are the only counties to elect commissioners to two-year terms.
In addition, a $124 million school bond to finance Durham Public Schools, Durham Technical Community College, Durham Public Library and the Museum of Life and Science was voted favorably by at least a two to one ratio.
"I am pleased to see that [all the referendums were passed]," said mayor-elect Bell, who plans to focus his next term on reducing crime, revitalizing downtown Durham and tearing down dilapidated housing.
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