William V. "Bill" Bell: Durham is moving forward

Op-Ed in Sunday's Herald-Sun

When I was first elected Durham's mayor six years ago, I set out to make Durham a safer place to raise a family, a stronger place to grow a business, and a better place to build a life.

Since then I've worked day and night to lead this city, at times through situations that threatened the very fabric of our community.

I'm running for re-election because I want to continue serving the people of Durham. I want to continue creating and exploring opportunities for making our city greater. I believe strongly that I'm the only candidate with the commitment and experience to lead responsibly.

As a husband and father, there is no more important issue to me than fighting crime, and I'm proud to say that crime in Durham is down more than 10 percent since I took office. Robbery is down 19 percent. Murder is down 11 percent. Property crime is down 11 percent.

I believe strongly that in order to combat any problem, we must first get a true grasp for the scope of the problem. And so when it came to fighting gangs, we decided to build a database of known gang members that we now use to identify and monitor gang-related activity.

It's a good program and it's making a difference on the Durham front of the nationwide war on gangs, so it disturbs me and many others who have fought hard in this war to hear my opponent misconstrue the data gathered through this database. The only reason we even know how many gang members exist here is because we started keeping track, which most agree was a critical first step.

We now fight gangs from three angles: intervention, prevention, and enforcement.

I created the "Mayor's Summer Youth Program" to get 400 middle and high school teens, some of them at-risk teens, off the streets and into jobs, personally recruiting local business owners to get involved.

We've put more police on the streets and have prosecuted gang crimes using every appropriate legal channel and tactic to obtain the strongest possible sentences. That's why Durham County Sheriff Worth L. Hill and the North Carolina Sheriff Police Alliance have endorsed me.

The results of our work have been recognized nationally, with the City of Durham receiving a host of honors during my terms as mayor.

Forbes magazine ranked Durham as one of the top 10 cities for business and careers. Black Enterprise ranked Durham as one of the top 10 cities for African-Americans. The National Center for Civic Innovation honored Durham with a Trailblazer award for government transparency and accountability. America's Promise named Durham one of the 100 best communities for young people.

We've done great work these last six years, and I'm eager to continue it and see how much further we can go.

Though this is a non-partisan race, I am a proud Democrat. That means I believe government can be an instrument of good in the lives of its citizens. I am committed to ensuring Durham's government serves its citizens as best as possible.

That's why the Triangle Labor Council and the North Carolina AFL-CIO have endorsed me.

My job at UDI Community Development Corporation focuses on working to create job opportunities and training for many of our citizens principally in our low wealth communities. I spend many of my days, evenings and weekends at City Hall working to protect our children and lead our city.

I've devoted my life to improving the lives of the people in our community.

We need a mayor who will serve the people, not his clients and not special interests. We need a mayor who will work with the council, not against it. We need a mayor who will work day and night for Durham, not one who will skip meetings and miss important votes. We need a mayor who will fight tooth-and-nail to keep this city together, not one who tries to divide it for political gain.

I am the only candidate with the experience, commitment and vision necessary to lead this city, and so I ask for your support and your vote.

I would appreciate your support and your vote for Mayor during early voting, which begins October 22, or on Election Day on November 6. You can visit my web site www.billbellformayor.com, to learn more.

William V. Bell Campaign Committee
P.O. Box 12535
Durham, NC 27709
(919) 768-2398