Last week's re-election of Mayor Bill Bell and incumbent City Council members Diane Catotti and Eugene Brown in Durham's municipal races leaves the City Council almost unchanged from 2006.
The departure of conservative Thomas Stith, who vacated his council seat to run for the mayor's office, and the election of newcomer Farad Ali, however, may have significant consequences for the city's major governing and policy-making board.
"[Ali] is a bit of a wild card," said Kevin Davis, a close follower of Durham politics and the author of the blog "Bull City Rising." "[He] has many of the same sensibilities that Stith brought to the Council... but he comes from a place where he has much more knowledge in the community."
Some council members said they hope Ali will be able to work with the rest of the council more effectively than his predecessor.
"Farad is going to bring a lot of energy and a lot of good ideas... and I hope he'll work well with others and participate," said Catotti, "Frankly, Thomas didn't do that."
Stith often cast lone opposition votes and publicly criticized his colleagues on contentious issues in his eight years on the council.
"Thomas liked the role that he played as the sole dissenting voice," Brown said. "But what we need now are people who communicate with each other and people who are work horses and not just show horses... This is serious business."
Ali first demonstrated his crossover appeal in the elections. While the contest between Bell and Stith divided much of Durham along partisan lines, Ali ran with no party affiliation, drawing support from both liberals and conservatives to win his seat, Davis said.
In addition, the Durham native has extensive connections within the business community, has long advocated for the advancement of minorities and has worked for multiple nonprofits in the community. He is also the vice president of the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development.
"I have more business and community experience than anyone currently on the council," Ali said. "I want to ensure that everyone gets a chance to share in prosperity in Durham."
Despite his heavy community involvement, Ali faces a sharp learning curve, as he has never previously held office or worked for city government. Many council members, however, said they do not believe his inexperience will have a negative impact on his performance.
"Being smart and energetic is all you need," said Cattoti. "I expect he'll, just like all of us, read a lot of reports and get up to speed."
She added that most of the current council members did not have prior government experience before being elected to office.
"We've been very lucky to see people who are civically engaged get involved in local politics," Davis said. "This is a person with the kind of leadership experience that [is] going to bring some good thinking to the council."
Stith, who served as the vice president of the John W. Pope Civitas Institute, a conservative think tank, was placed at a disadvantage on the council by of his strong partisan ties, Davis said.
"Ali will be able to make more connections," he said. "It is not a drastic shift... but probably an improvement for the overall function of the council."
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