Safety, Affordability, and Infrastructure: Big Takeaways from the Durham Mayor’s State of the City Address

For the second year in a row, mayor Leonardo Williams invited the public to the Carolina Theatre for his State of the City speech.

The program followed a similar format to 2024’s address. Anthony Wilson, recently retired former anchor at ABC11, introduced Williams’ resume as a teacher and restaurateur before his time in public office. At a social hour before the event local art was displayed and Durham’s poet laureate Chris Vitiello, aka the Poetry Fox, click-clacked away on his typewriter offering his signature poems.

Inspired by the “Durham is Dope” catchphrase from last year’s address, Durham hip-hop artist DJ Nabs, along with his crewmates Mr. Twip and Bobby Baggumz, known collectively as The Southern Brothas, debuted a new song titled “Durham Is Dope.” Adding to the growing collection of Durham anthems, the song was packed full of Durham landmark references like “I’m speaking ‘bout Black Wall Street, Mechanics & Farmer’s, and Mutual, ask about it, old heads’ll tell you that Hayti was the crucible.”

Williams gave special recognition to the legacy of Chester Jenkins, who was elected as Durham’s first Black mayor in 1989 after serving eight years on city council. Jenkins’s wife, Leola, joined the mayor, who proclaimed the day as Chester Jenkins Day.

“Mayor Jenkins was a fearless leader and pioneer in this City that we are privileged to call our home,” Williams said. “His decisions while in office shaped our community and reflect his lifelong effort to impact civic and social life in Durham for the better.”

Williams took the audience through his vision for Durham, celebrating the city’s wins and reflecting on where the city could do more to support its residents. Here are some of the big questions coming out of the mayor’s SOTC address.

What resources are being provided to support Durham’s youth and promote community safety?

Williams gave an update on the Bull City Future Fund, a collaborative announced last August between United Way of the Triangle and Triangle Community Foundation that gives community members the opportunity to donate directly to youth initiatives. He said the initiative is halfway to its goal of raising $1 million in grant funding, which organizations can apply for. The night before, at the city council’s Monday meeting, Williams invited representatives from such youth organizations, like POOF Teen Center and Purpose Learning Lab, to speak about their need for resources.

He also highlighted in his speech the city’s Office on Youth, which created over 100 jobs and leadership roles for youth in the community.

But Williams says he recognizes that more needs to be done. 

“Trust me, I know: In moments of need, thoughts and prayers are not enough,” Williams said. “It was clear, after conversations with community members, that our originally planned Taskforce on Black Men and Boys wasn’t enough either—Durham doesn’t need another 30-page report to tell us what you all already knew. Durham needs action! Durham needs implementation! And more important than all, Durham needs results!”

Williams announced a new initiative with Duke Health called Durham Impact Program, which looks to treat gun violence as a public health concern and “improve social drivers of health in our most vulnerable communities,” he said.

Is the city creating opportunities for what Williams calls “affordable living?”

Housing affordability remains a substantial challenge for Durham. Thousands of new housing units have been proposed in the last several years, including those spurred on by the city and county, but not enough are ready to open their doors. Residents are facing tighter budgets due to inflation and higher cost-of-living in the Triangle, and without a mix of housing options that include more affordable units, some Durham residents are finding it difficult to maintain a stable living situation.

Williams says that the city’s Forever Home, Durham program has worked with nonprofits and developers to house over a thousand Durham residents. But an uptick in homelessness, particularly around downtown, has put added pressure on the city to find short- and long-term solutions.

Williams says that, while housing is essential, it’s only one aspect of achieving economic prosperity: “I recognize that supporting historically marginalized residents isn’t just about investing in the places that surround them; it’s also about investing in them directly,” he said.

In October, the mayor’s office created the Personal Finance Playbook, a series of programs for residents to learn more about financial literacy including what it takes to buy a home or start a business.

“Our programming has catalyzed conversations on overcoming historical prejudice in land valuations; preparation for first time homebuyers; resources for small businesses to scale and grow; and other topics essential to your capacity to achieve generational wealth and prosperity,” Williams said.

Some of Durham’s most vulnerable communities also coincide with its historically Black neighborhoods. This includes the historic Hayti District and the Fayetteville Street Corridor, where residents are concerned that much-needed investment in the neighborhood won’t come soon enough. Williams says the city has begun investing $10 million through partnerships with local organizations like Hayti Promise in an effort to meet the needs of the neighborhood residents and “ensure cultural preservation.”

“These activities mark the sowing of seeds which, as they blossom, will allow the Fayetteville Street Corridor to flourish and continue to serve as a beacon of economic resiliency in such a historic area,” Williams said.

What major improvements are on the horizon for Durham’s infrastructure?

It wouldn’t be a public address without Williams taking time to champion his holy grail: a new convention center, or as he’s branded it, an “innovation center,” which is being spearheaded by Discover Durham, the city’s tourism agency, and a new companion 501(c)3 called Durham Next. These types of bold capital improvement projects are what Williams believes will bring about transformative change to Durham’s downtown and beyond.

“You keep hearing me talk about these bright ideas,” Williams said. “We can’t be afraid to dream big, we cannot be afraid to do big things. It’s time for Durham’s next renaissance.”

Durham is set to invest over $200 million in the city’s streets, sidewalks and parks through bonds that were passed last November. But some folks have raised concerns about how long capital projects are already taking in Durham, suggesting that the city refocus its energy on completing meaningful projects with a shorter project cycle that could help to improve the look and feel of Durham for residents and out-of-town visitors.

Williams says the city plans to install “bright, vibrant signs,” echoing an idea proposed by Fullsteam’s Sean Wilson at the INDY’s Durham 2030 event last month that featured Williams as a panelist. Williams cited the need for better signage at major entrances to the city and county, including at RDU Airport, where he said Durham isn’t getting the representation it deserves.

“Whenever I get on the plane,” Williams said, “before I sit down, I tell the flight attendants, ‘this is RDU. Durham owns more real estate in the three letters than Raleigh does, so make sure you say RDU, Raleigh-Durham.’”

How will the new Trump administration impact Durham residents?

Missing from this year’s speech was any mention of national politics. In 2024, at the height of election season, Williams was regularly spotted on the tarmac at RDU greeting federal officials who he courted for funding to invest in Durham’s infrastructure and small businesses.

During a press event before his speech, Williams says that he is preparing for a new reality at the federal level and aims to inspire his constituents to do the same by coming together as a community.

“While I’m on that stage, part of the reason why I want to inspire our community to look inward to each other and really control how we react to one another and how we engage with one another, it’s because we’re going to have to rely on each other, simply because there is a ripple effect to what’s happening out of Washington,” Williams says.

Williams also says the city is auditing its federal funding to better understand how cuts to federal health programs, education, and infrastructure could impact Durham, and how the city will need to readjust its budget to be less dependent on federal spending.

Public-private partnerships will likely play an even bigger role in the city’s plans moving forward. Local residents have already called for Duke University, one of the region’s largest employers, to invest more in the community. But it will take more than just one organization to support the mayor’s vision for Durham.

“This is an opportunity for us to build a better relationship with our state leaders, as well as reprioritizing how we spend here locally,” Williams says. “We just went through our first budget retreat. There are a lot of big ideas. And I encourage big ideas, but not every idea is going to be appropriate for this time.”

Even with the change in national leadership, Williams says that he will do what is necessary to bring resources to Durham without compromising on values.

“I’ll speak the lingo to get the resources for our people,” Williams said. “So I’m not afraid to work with this administration. I plan to work with this administration in the ways that it benefits Durham, but we won’t be a victim to any government. We’re going to take care of each other.”

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