As Durham Mayor Bill Bell campaigns for his third straight term in office, the Washington, D.C. native faces a number of tough issues, from economic development to crime. Unlike his opponents, however, Bell has already had the opportunity to show citizens what he's made of in the mayoral seat.
"I think people are going to judge me on my performance, and I have a record of performance they can look at," Bell said. "I'm not an unknown. I've been here almost 30 years."
Throughout this year's campaign, Bell has focused his attention on the city's continuing revitalization: a process he has guided in his last two terms.
Bell has been at the helm of the Bull City and its economic development for four years, all the while reiterating his promise to preserve Durham's unique character. "I think the city's moving in the right direction," Bell said. "The important thing is that we have a plan we're trying to execute."
Bell has been particularly concerned with Downtown Durham.
In one project, he oversaw the transformation of a 50-year-old tobacco warehouse into a new commercial and industrial hotspot-the American Tobacco Complex.
"The American Tobacco Project is an example of public-private partnership," Bell said. "It has been successful in being able to attract very good tenants... and has served as a catalyst for further downtown efforts."
In addition, Bell has supported a progress report for local government called the Community-Wide Results Based Accountability Initiative. The project has sought to increase accountability for City Council and the municipal government in order to encourage the most efficient use of tax dollars. Local government has used the initiative to investigate, among other things, its response to Durham's crime problem.
Although overall crime numbers have dropped since Bell took office, some city polls suggest that local citizens do not feel safer.
As a result of the initiative's findings, city law enforcement has sought to promote a broader sense of public security.
Despite these efforts, crime in Durham has been a central point of criticism throughout Bell's tenure.
The Durham Police Department reported in September that the murder rate rose 20 percent during the first six months of 2005 as compared to the first six months of 2004. Shortly after, Court TV released the documentary "Menace on Main Street," in which Durham was used to highlight the nation's rise in street gangs.
"I'm not someone with my head in the sand, not realizing that when you hear about a homicide [it] doesn't present the best images," Bell said.
He emphasized, however, that Durham's gang problem is no more severe than comparable cities-like Winston-Salem or Charlotte. After the documentary, city officials have worked to better publicize the Bull City's various efforts to combat the gang issue.
One such effort, the Mayor's Youth Works Summer Program, has frequently been provided as an example of Bell's commitment to keep youth off the streets. The mayor partnered with local businesses to offer employment opportunities for Durham's young adults.
"We brought over 300 young people, high school students," Bell said. "It's been very successful. In fact, we've had more applications than we've had jobs."
The mayor has also been a fixture on Duke's campus and a vocal proponent of Duke-Durham initiatives. Bell was on hand at the kick-off of this year's annual Into the City community service event, which had its highest turnout ever.
He also came to show his support at last weekend's grand opening of the Nasher Museum of Art.
Bell has served on the Durham County Board of Commissioners from 1972 to 2000-excluding the 1994 to 1996 term-and was chair of the Board from 1982 to 1994. An alumnus of Howard University and New York University, Bell left his job as a senior engineer at IBM for a life in politics.
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