Durham City Council Makes Unannounced, Permanent Appointment of New City Manager

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Good morning, readers.

The Durham City Council took a surprise vote on Monday night to appoint Bo Ferguson the new city manager. 

Ferguson has an impressive resumé and seems poised to ensure a smooth transition. The council’s appointment process, though, was technically legal at best and truly screwy at worst.

Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton, part of a slim four-member majority, called the unannounced vote “perhaps one of the most important decisions we can make as a council.” He didn’t clarify why such an important vote was tacked on to the tail end of a two-and-a-half-hour meeting instead of being added to the meeting agenda in advance.

The other three members did not vote at all, saying that they were not made aware of the vote beforehand. They were also annoyed by the lack of a public search before handing Ferguson (who all agree is ultra-qualified for the job) a three-year contract with a starting salary of $297,000 a year and referenced several of the council’s closed-door meetings.

The majority moved swiftly through the vote and claimed to have made a good faith effort to communicate with the minority. But no council member came out looking good from what seemed like a game of “who got a voicemail from whom” on the dais.

When the role was vacant in 2021, the council gave outgoing city manager Wanda Page an interim contract. Then they decided to keep her permanently and cut short their planned six-month search.

This time, the council didn’t even pretend to search. 

Check out Justin Laidlaw’s full report from city hall. 

—Chase

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