Durham City Council voted to continue working with two government lobbyist firms tasked with advocating Durham’s political priorities to the North Carolina General Assembly and U.S. Congress.
On Monday, the city council voted 4-3 to extend contracts for both The Ferguson Group, a national lobbying firm, and Checkmate Government Relations, a statewide lobbying group based in Winston-Salem. Council members who voted against the measure raised concerns about the effectiveness of Checkmate’s state lobbying efforts and the firm’s ties to the Trump administration.
At the time of the initial contract agreement in 2024, Durham was one of two major municipalities in the state without lobbyists. The city entered into agreements with both firms at the recommendation of current and former state legislators representing Durham. The Ferguson Group has over 40 years of experience representing local governments’ interests in Congress. Checkmate, founded in 2023 by Charles F. ‘Ches’ McDowell IV, has strong connections with Republican lawmakers at the state and national levels. At the time, each firm received a two-year contract. The extension takes the contracts through 2028 with total expenses up to $346,000 for Ferguson Group and up to $480,000 for Checkmate for the four years.
Concerns surrounding the contracts were largely levied at Checkmate’s work within state government. Some council members felt that the firm had not achieved enough to warrant a contract extension, particularly in comparison with The Ferguson Group.
“We have seen incredible appropriations almost to the tune of $3 million last year alone, [which] far and away outstrips the money that we’re spending on those federal lobbyists,” city councilmember Chelsea Cook said at Monday’s meeting. “And that investment I can stand by and support.”
But Cook and others said they didn’t have the same level of confidence in what Checkmate had accomplished on the city’s behalf. In addition to Cook, council members Shanetta Burris and Nate Baker voted against extending the contracts.
“I can’t understand the return on investment substantiating the great expenditure that we’re making for this specific firm,” Cook said.
When asked about their work, McDowell told the INDY via email that his firm has “worked on behalf of the City to protect critical infrastructure dollars, prioritize and enhance safety measures in downtown, and build lasting relationships between the City and leaders across North Carolina.”
“As native North Carolinians, we are proud of the work we have accomplished,” he continued. “Our team will continue to collaborate with Mayor Williams, Council, and staff to ensure that we keep delivering for the City and the Durham taxpayers.”
Councilmember Carl Rist said that some of the firm’s work can be “hard to quantify.” For instance, Durham is now the only North Carolina city that can set its own speed limits, which Rist said could save lives. He attributed that new local authority to the efforts of Checkmate.
Checkmate’s association with Republican operatives has caused some councilors and members of the public, including former mayoral candidate Pablo Friedmann, who spoke at Monday’s meeting, to question whether the city was living up to its progressive values by working with a lobbying firm with ties to the Trump family.
McDowell, Checkmate’s founder, has a close relationship with Donald Trump Jr.; the two are avid hunting buddies, as The Assembly previously reported. Chris LaCivita, father of Checkmate Public Affairs Director Chris LaCivita Jr., was also a senior advisor and co-campaign manager for President Trump’s 2024 campaign, according to The 9th Street Journal.
The Republican Party has held a majority in North Carolina since 2013, and a supermajority until last year. Building relationships with Republicans who can speak to Durham’s issues and priorities is useful, said Mayor Pro Tem Javiera Caballero and others during Monday’s meeting.
“Checkmate was picked partly because of their relationships,” Caballero said. “There are certain legislators who don’t love them either. It was a mixed bag, and we understood why that was necessary in this moment.”
Those relationships have also helped protect Durham from what Caballero and Rist called bad legislation.
“There has been stuff that we were able to know was happening, and had we not had those people with those relationships, we would have been caught off guard, and Durham would be in a worse place,” Caballero said.
City council considered three firms during the hiring process in 2024 for state lobbying firms. The two firms that weren’t chosen offered a significantly lower price point—about $6,000 per month compared to $10,000 for Checkmate—and comparable experience, according to Cook. But ultimately, they chose Checkmate for its Rolodex of relationships.
“Quite frankly, in Raleigh, we are not in a positive position in any way,” Caballero said. “And so at this point, I’m going to take what I can get.”
During the work session and Monday’s meeting, council members asked the city attorney’s office to include more measurable outcomes in the renewed agreements so council has the information it needs to better evaluate its relationship with The Ferguson Group and Checkmate. No specific metrics were discussed at the meeting, but Aarin Miles, senior assistant city attorney for the City of Durham, said they could include additional ways to track the lobbying firm’s success, though she cautioned that ultimately, the outcome for any advocacy rests with the state and federal legislatures, not the lobbyists.
“Anything that we’re asking for through our lobbyists, through our delegation, has to be voted on by a majority of each chamber,” said Miles. “So even if bills are being filed or appropriations are being asked for, there’s no guarantee that those things will come to fruition unless there is a vote at the state level or the federal level to move those things forward.”
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