In Durham, the winners of the Durham County Board of County Commissioners race is a foregone conclusion after the March primary. But that didn’t make this week’s swearing-in ceremony any less emotional for the incoming board members.
Inside the county meeting room early Monday morning, family, friends, city council members, school board members, and other elected officials filled the aisles to recognize three new commissioners—Michelle Burton, Stephen Valentine, and Mike Lee—and two incumbents, current board chair Nida Allam and longtime commissioner Wendy Jacobs, who were all officially sworn into their positions. Sharon A. Davis was also re-elected to a third term as Durham County Register of Deeds.
Jacobs is now the senior county commissioner with the departure of Brenda Howerton. During her remarks, she paid homage to Ellen Reckhow who was the senior member of the board when Jacobs was first elected 12 years ago. Jacobs was emotional as she reflected on her time within county government, saying she has grown as a listener and plans to keep learning from her colleagues and constituents.
“I will continue to strive to be the best leader that I can be for the people of Durham and this community that I love so deeply,” Jacobs said, choking up as she spoke.
In recent years, Jacobs has governed through the unceremonious ousting of two county managers, Wendell Davis and Kimberly Sowell, and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that hasn’t deterred her from embracing the responsibilities of county government. With uncertainty ahead at the federal level, Jacobs is looking inward toward the Durham community for solidarity.
“This fight may be harder in the days ahead … I believe that here in Durham we are up to the challenge, and I know I still have the fire in my belly for this fight,” Jacobs said.
Stephen Valentine brought his own fiery disposition to the ceremony, speaking with vigor, perhaps a byproduct of his military background as a U.S. Army veteran. He now works as a social worker and teaches Veterans Law at North Carolina Central University. During his campaign, Valentine said he wants to use his experience as a social worker and veteran to curb gun violence in Durham and support the county’s health service outcomes.
“I treasure this awesome responsibility and the trust that you have reposed in me,” Valentine said. “I still believe that government is a vehicle for positive change in our community when we put people first.”
Lee and Burton come with years of experience working in local education. Lee served on the school board from 2012 to 2020, serving as chair for four years. Burton spent her career in education working as a school librarian for decades. She also has been a member of the North Carolina Association of Educators since 1995 and served as president of the Durham Association of Educators from 2019 to 2023.
Durham County plays an integral part in funding local education. Last year, the county awarded Durham Public Schools an additional $27 million funding supplement, the largest in county history. Lee and Burton will bring valuable insight to the board’s negotiations with DPS for future funding. At the swearing-in ceremony, Burton called out the North Carolina General Assembly for what she described as an erosion of resources for public schools.
“We are dealing with a [state] legislature that is bent on destroying public education,” Burton said.
Education was not the only pressing issue for Burton.
“We know that housing costs are unaffordable and out of reach for many of our residents, and many of our residents’ mental health is suffering due to these economic pressures. But I remain hopeful,” Burton said. “As Durhamites, we have always come together to figure out how to solve these complex issues, to continue to make Durham one of the best places to live in our state and in our country.”
Lee, whose colleagues elected him vice chair of the board, followed Burton. After thanking his family and friends, Lee shared the news that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in June. Lee said that doctors caught the cancer in time to leave him cancer-free after surgery. He implored the audience to check in with older males in their lives to get screened for prostate cancer, a common cancer for men over 40.
“I want Durham to be the most PSA [prostate-specific antigen]-tested county in the nation,” Lee said through a grin.
Allam was the last to give remarks. She gave a heartfelt tribute to her friends Deah, Yusor, and Razan, three Muslim American students from UNC Chapel-Hill and NC State who were murdered in 2015 in Chapel Hill.
“Their legacy is a constant reminder of what it means to be a proud Muslim American,” Allam said. “Their lives embodied love, service and community and I carry that legacy and their memory with me in everything I do. They inspire me to lead with purpose and to dedicate my service in honoring their light.”
Allam, who was reelected as chair of the board of commissioners, was the first Muslim woman in North Carolina elected to public office in 2020. Allam said she is ready to offer guidance to the new elected officials in the way that Jacobs and other commissioners helped mentor her. She welcomed the new commissioners into the Durham County “family,” an organization which consists of more than 2,000 people, as she held her daughter in her lap.
“I know they will accept you and love you as their own family,” Allam said. “Lean on them, support them and show them the love and gratitude that they so rightfully deserve.”
The board will hold its last regular session on December 9 before going on break until the new year.
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