Voters will make their way to the polls today to choose three of the six city council candidates who emerged from primaries last month to fill the contested positions and will decide whether to re-elect Mayor Bill Bell to a second term. Durham County residents will also cast their ballots on a school bond referendum and a proposal to lengthen the terms of county commissioners.
Diane Catotti, a Democratic candidate who has enjoyed diverse racial backing from the community, won 20 percent of the vote in municipal primaries. Catotti was dealt a serious blow Oct. 25, however, by the loss of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People's endorsement for general elections. The Committee dropped Catotti, their only white candidate, in favor of incumbent Republican Thomas Stith, a black candidate who the Committee has supported in the past.
The drop came after three precinct chairs switched party affiliation shortly before the endorsement meeting, a move which frustrated Catotti supporters. The Committee initially slated Warren Herndon, Catotti and Stith, with Diane Wright being excluded by a narrow margin. The general body rejected the recommendation, however, and bumped second pick Catotti instead of bumping Stith, who was slated third, to make room for Wright.
"Diane Catotti, who appears to have run a very strong campaign, as far as I can tell, has become nonexistent [after she lost the endorsement]," said Rick Adams, Friends of Durham chairperson. "The question is, was all the hard work she did before enough to pull her through?"
Adams said Stith assured himself a seat on the council by gaining the Committee's endorsement, and the outlook for candidate Eugene Brown--who has the endorsement of Friends of Durham, the Independent and the Durham Voters Alliance--is extremely favorable.
Candidate Matt Yarbrough and Catotti are strong contenders, as is Wright, who has bagged endorsements from the Alliance and the Independent along with her endorsement from the Committee.
In the mayoral race, Bell will defend his position against challenger Jonathan Alston. Bell carried 85 percent of the vote in the primary.
Turnout was up for municipal primaries from 12 percent in 2001 to 16 percent last month.
"I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout for the primary," said Mike Ashe, director of the Durham County Board of Elections. "I am guardedly optimistic that we will do better in general elections." Ashe expects a voter turnout of approximately 30 percent at the polls today.
Aside from elections, county voters will also consider a $124 million school bond referendum to finance Durham Public Schools, Durham Technical Community College, Durham Public Library and the Museum of Life and Science.
Although there is little question that the revenue from the referendum is needed, some view it as only a short-term fix. "We've got to find some way to begin to be more efficient in this town, to use our resources better," Adams said. Support for the referendum has been comprehensive. Durham NAACP, which declined to back a school bond referendum in 2001 because it overlooked inner city schools, has endorsed this measure.
The other referendum on the ballot would lengthen the county commissioner terms from two years to four, effective next year. Durham is one of only three counties in the state that has two-year terms for county commissioners. Friends of Durham voted to endorse both of the referendums.
The polls will be open in 52 voting districts throughout Durham from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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