Durham City Hall was unusually packed for Monday’s city council meeting. Hundreds of residents and visitors filled the chamber anxiously anticipating a changing of the guard in Durham politics.
Mayor Elaine O’Neal officially retired from the city’s top seat at the beginning of Monday’s meeting. She was joined by her colleagues Monique Holsey-Hyman and Jillian Johnson as the three outgoing members of city council.
“We come now to a simple and sacred moment in our democracy, and that is the peaceful and orderly transition of power, not at the end of a rifle but at the end of a promise,” Councilor Mark-Anthony Middleton said.
O’Neal and Johnson chose not to run for re-election back in the summer. O’Neal served only one term after taking over from former mayor Steve Schewel in 2021. Johnson was the most senior member of council, having been elected to her at-large seat for the first time back in 2015. Holsey-Hyman, who was serving out the remainder of a term she took over in May 2022 for former council member Charlie Reece, ran unsuccessfully this fall to keep her at-large seat.
All three outgoing members were aligned in their gratitude towards their families, colleagues, city staff, and the residents of Durham.
“I thank God for the council, my colleagues here tonight,” O’Neal said during her final remarks. “We’ve had our times but I know one thing, the people that you see sitting in front of you, they love this city. And so I thank them for the lessons they’ve taught me both now and going forth, and I also know they’re going to do an absolute great job.”
Relations between members of the city council have been contentious for most of 2023 due to a number of well-documented incidents, not to mention actual policy disagreements. At the previous work session on November 21, old wounds were still being agitated, leading O’Neal to end the meeting by saying that choosing Middleton as her mayor pro tem was her “only regret.”
But attitudes were mostly cordial on Monday night as O’Neal, Holsey-Hyman, and Johnson addressed the audience one last time.
“To the residents of Durham, I appreciate being from a hometown that would take a little girl from the West End of Durham, North Carolina and raise her up to be a mayor. We are always Bull City strong,” O’Neal said.
The three outgoing council members left the chamber to a standing ovation, and a new chapter in Durham politics began.
After a brief recess to swap out the name plates that are placed in front of each seat, the remaining members of council welcomed two new colleagues to the dais, and welcomed back two more. Carl Rist and Nate Baker, who both won at-large seats during elections this fall, were officially sworn into their positions. The two were joined by current council member Javiera Caballero, who won her second term. She first took office in 2018 to replace incoming mayor Steve Schewel.
The energy in city hall remained palpable as Leonardo Williams stepped to the podium to officially become the 41st mayor of Durham, sworn in by NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls. The newly-elected mayor was swarmed by family, friends, and a bevy of his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers donning black and gold suits.
“We have work to do,” Williams said. “But I say to Durham, we won’t do it alone. We are officially writing our new story together because we are greater together.”
Former mayors Wib Gulley, Steve Schewel, and Nick Tennyson were in attendance to give their support to the transition of power. Former council member and state Rep. Vernetta Alston and NC Congresswoman Valerie Foushee also attended the ceremony.
Follow Reporter Justin Laidlaw on Twitter or send an email to jlaidlaw@indyweek.com. Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com.
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