Full name: Pablo Friedmann
Party affiliation: Unaffiliated
Campaign website: www.pablofriedmann.com
1) In 300 words or less, please give our readers your elevator pitch: Why are you running? Why should voters entrust you with this position? What prior experience will make you an effective mayor?
Many people can no longer afford to live in the City of Durham. Residents feel as if development is happening to them instead of with them. The people of the Bull City feel as if their voices are not being heard. This election is about choices. A choice between a Mayor who hides behind “Dillon’s Rule” or a candidate who will prioritize community voice in development decisions. A choice between a Mayor who is silent on whether or not billion-dollar corporations should provide affordable health care to state employees and pay their fair share of taxes or a candidate who is not. A choice between a candidate who will listen to the people or a Mayor who will not. I have a broad base of relationships and experience working to provide public goods. If elected, I will ensure the City of Durham works for everyone.
2) What would your priorities be as mayor? Please identify three of the most pressing issues Durham currently faces and how you believe the city should address them.
If elected, my top priorities would be ensuring that development decisions incorporate community voice, impact to public schools and sustainability, billion-dollar corporations provide affordable health care to state employees and pay their fair share of taxes and a housing system that works for everyone. (I will go into more detail regarding housing in my answer to question ten.)
3) What’s the best or most important thing the Durham City Council has done in the past year? Additionally, name a decision you believe the city should have handled differently. Please explain your answers.
One of the most consequential decisions this City Council has made occurred during its meeting on August 18, 2025 when the Walltown Small Area Plan was created. It was an excellent decision because it was a unanimous vote and it demonstrated how community voice and development can co-exist. (Amidst divisive 4 to 3 and 5 to 2 votes, I believe small area plans are the path forward.) The decision by the City Council during its meeting on August 4, 2025 to accept the request by Sterling Bay to withdraw its development proposal was a poor decision. The opponents (i.e. community) were denied an opportunity to speak on the request. Process matters as much as the outcome.
4) President Trump is working to ramp up deportations and curtail visas. At the same time, the state legislature has passed laws requiring cooperation with ICE. What do you think Durham officials can or should do to ensure safe, welcoming communities for immigrants in light of these policies?
There are three specific measures. One. The Durham Police Department should align its U-visa policy to the Town of Chapel Hill’s Police Department. Two. The City of Durham should create a Privacy Advisory Commission similar to what the City of Oakland has instituted. Three. The Durham Police Department should prioritize investigating claims of wage theft.
5) Federal funding cuts this year have hit the Triangle particularly hard, from canceled grants to layoffs, and local government officials are having to make difficult decisions about what to fund and how. What are your ideas for how the city can prioritize competing funding needs, close funding gaps, and balance the financial burden on residents?
I would aggressively explore all sources of revenue, including ensuring billion-dollar entities pay their fair share and revisiting the decision to divert a portion of the occupancy tax to Discover Durham. The City of Durham is bleeding tax revenue to politically connected entities. Meanwhile, the working and middle classes are bearing the brunt of the tax burden.
6) As climate change leads to more intense rainfall, communities are at greater risk of inland flooding, such as the historic floods in parts of the Triangle caused by Tropical Storm Chantal in July. How would you like Durham to address climate resilience, particularly flooding?
One of the greatest powers the City Council wields is over the planning process and development decisions. The City of Durham needs to prioritize sustainability from beginning to end. For example, as we evaluate rezoning requests and rewrite the Unified Development Ordinance, what are the possible impacts to the local watershed, tree canopy and greenspaces? Will the proposed development or rewrite of the UDO create walkability or more car dependent sprawl? If elected, I will fight to ensure the development process incorporates sustainability. With regards to flooding, when a rezoning request is before City Council, I will ask about the percent of impervious surface and how the developer will address concerns related to water run-off. Lastly, I commend the City of Durham’s composting pilot program. It’s a great start. If elected, I will request that the program be expanded and made more accessible. (Orange County has a great model we can replicate.)
7) Describe what sustainable growth and development mean to you. Additionally, what is another municipality you believe has made smart decisions related to growth and development that could be similarly implemented in Durham?
From the Durham City-County Planning Department to the Comprehensive Plan to rezoning requests, it is imperative that sustainability be included in all processes. Through small area plans and thorough community engagement, the City of Durham can identify areas for sustainable development. I wouldn’t necessarily use the phrase “smart decisions” but I believe Cary and Davidson offer an alternative option when it comes to the ongoing debate around preemption. (Cary and Davidson exercise greater oversight over land use and planning than Durham. Developers pay for greenspaces and sidewalks in Cary.)
8) Downtown Durham continues to see growth, with large commercial developments and hundreds of new housing units, yet businesses say they’re still suffering. How would you reinvigorate this major business district?
There are three specific measures. One. The City of Durham needs to offer free parking in downtown Durham. Two. There is a difference between asking for money and threatening the well-being of others. I acknowledge some of the concerns that have been raised around a handful of people threatening and/or physically assaulting others. Accordingly, I will request that the Durham Police Department have more presence in downtown Durham. Three. The permitting process can be more coordinated, streamlined and friendlier to small business owners. (Exhibit A is the process to obtain a permit for outdoor dining.)
9) The City of Durham is realigning its homelessness services. What can or should the city be doing to support this growing population, especially in light of recent changes to state law governing encampments and financial pressures on service providers?
The City of Durham has got to do better in this area. The City Manager’s reorganization is a step in the right direction. Additionally, the City of Durham could leverage its existing real estate holdings to make real the promise of housing for our most vulnerable. It’s unacceptable for a City with such wealth to have the number of encampments that we do.
10) According to the Triangle Community Foundation, there’s a mismatch between the price point of housing units available in Durham and what Durham renters can afford, amounting to a nearly 25,000-unit deficit for low-income renters. What can the city do to ensure Durham housing is affordable for current and future residents?
There are four specific measures. One. As part of the planning process, developers should make contributions for affordable housing. (This should be an expectation of doing business in the City of Durham.) Two. Modify the Area Median Income rules that govern loans to homeowners who elect to make affordable housing commitments. Three. The City of Durham needs to leverage its own real estate holdings and partnerships with local organizations to make real the promise of housing for our most vulnerable. Four. Conduct greater oversight over the Durham Housing Authority.
11) For some residents, gun violence remains a persistent issue even though shootings and other violent crimes are currently down from last year. How would you rate the progress the city has made and what are your ideas for improving public safety?
If elected, I will, primarily, focus on prevention. There are four specific measures. One. Proactively work with gun owners to ensure firearms are safely stored. Two. Provide opportunities for youth to be engaged after school. Three. Ensure calls to the Durham Emergency Communications Center are promptly answered. Four. Host a community-wide conversation with the Chief of Police, Sheriff and District Attorney to discuss solutions to ongoing challenges with youth and gun violence.
12) If there are other issues you want to discuss, please do so here.
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