Residents Welcome New Durham County Manager, Protest Police Facility

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Thank you to this week’s sponsor the North Carolina Museum of Art: Experience two not-to-miss exhibitions, Venice and the Ottoman Empire and Samurai: The Making of a Warrior, at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Open now through January 5, 2025, explore works of art and culture spanning six centuries across three global empires, including salvaged shipwreck objects from a Venetian merchant ship to samurai arms and armor from an exceptional private collection.

Good morning, readers.

Claudia O. Hager was officially sworn in as the new Durham county manager on Tuesday evening. She was promoted to the position on November 4 after the previous manager, Kimberly Sowell, resigned under mysterious circumstances following two months of leave. 

The county commissioners beamed with excitement when giving their remarks welcoming Hager to the position. They described her as compassionate, creative, and collaborative. Commissioner Wendy Jacobs credits Hager as the architect behind the recent education bonds and for keeping the county financially stable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hager has stepped in as interim county manager twice in the last four years after the dismissal of former managers Wendell Davis and Sowell; the community is still in the dark about Sowell’s dismissal. 

But it comes as no surprise that the board of county commissioners chose Hager, who has decades of experience working for Durham county, to fill the position. She will have the responsibility of rebuilding trust within the Durham community during her tenure as the county’s top executive.

And, unfortunately for Hager, she didn’t have to wait long to start. After the ceremony, the meeting shifted from celebratory to confrontational as the board deliberated over a new facility for the Durham sheriff’s department.

Read more about Hager and the potential sheriff’s facility here.

—Justin

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