Incumbent Bill Bell has won a seventh term as the mayor of Durham.
The general election for Mayor of Durham and City Council took place Tuesday night, showing a 18,299 voter turnout. After 98.36 percent of percent of precincts reported, Bell won against opponent Sylvester Williams with 86.54 percent of the vote.
“I take the role of being mayor seriously and I try to provide support to move the city forward,” Bell said of his coming term, noting progress made in developing neighborhoods in the downtown area. “We have challenges, but that’s to be expected in growing a city such as Durham.”
He said he would not compare this year to any of his past races, now totaling seven elections, as he always does what is necessary to hopefully emerge victorious.
The race for the Durham City Council Council Ward I was unopposed, and Cora Cole-McFadden received 14,764 votes and conceded 258 to write-in candidates. In Ward II, Eddie Davis placed first over Omar Beasley with 65.08 percent of the 17,537 votes cast. The Ward III race saw Don Moffitt defeat Pam Karriker with 56.60 percent, a 2,289-vote margin.
18,299 ballots were cast out of 174,361 registered voters in Durham County, a turnout less than 11 percent.
Bell said he was “somewhat disappointed” with the amount of voters who came to the polls, but respected their decision as a right given by democracy.
“I would always like to see a large turnout,” he said. “[But] that’s our system. People have a right to vote and not to vote.”
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