VOTE411 Voter Guide

My years of civil justice litigation have provided me with not only a clear understanding of how law is promulgated and applied, but also the skills needed to quickly comprehend and accurately convey complicated topics. My knowledge of housing and tenants’ rights laws have made me well suited to address and create policy to influence the top concerns faced by Durham residents, who rank housing, affordability, and community safety as the most pressing issues in our city. Finally, in my time on council, I have brought a community-centered lens to every work session, meeting, and constituent interaction, and I will continue being thorough, transparent, and caring if elected this November.

My top 3 priorities are: 1) a Durham where all people have a place to live; 2) a Durham where everyone is safe; and 3) a Durham that is sustainable and green.

To further my priority of no one being without shelter, I plan to work with the County to provide both a day shelter, so unhoused neighbors have a safe place to store belongings, receive mail, charge devices, and receive resources, and more nighttime shelter options, creating spaces for safe parking / tents. Because, statistically, remaining in your home gives you a much higher chance of finding new housing, being employed, and staying out of the criminal legal system, I would prioritize coupling these shelter options with continued eviction diversion funding. To make housing more affordable, I plan to focus on incentivizing or funding 100% affordable housing developments, as opposed to relying solely on market-rate housing proffers.

To further my priority of no gun-related deaths, I plan to increase youth programming during after-school hours and over the summer. I also hope to work with DTCC and private-sector organizations to create true pathways to employment. This programming will be holistic in approach, giving our young people the skills, training, support, and hope they need to live fully here in Durham. I am encouraged watching other cities greatly reduce their violent crime by tackling the root causes – investing in young people and ensuring the community is housed, fed, and cared for.

Finally, I will prioritize protecting Durham’s natural resources in the rewrite of the UDO. Not only are our green spaces good for mental health, tourism, and the ecosystem, but also maintaining our tree canopy and natural waterways allows us to mitigate the impacts of climate change, making our city safer and more resilient in the long term.

Durham is growing. Rather than fight the inevitable, I want to help shape the growth to protect our long-term residents, our green spaces and provide economic opportunity for everyone. Durham is a wealthy city, but we aren’t sharing the prosperity. We have too many people who are struggling with the basics, and it doesn’t have to be this way. I want to be a relentless problem-solver, building coalitions, and recruiting mission driven businesses to move to Durham and invest in Durham. By leveraging our relationships, we can offer economic mobility to our residents. We also need to invest in our parks and recreation so our children will have affordable and accessible opportunities to find community and belonging.

As a camp counselor, third grade teacher, now mom of three, I know a little something about bringing people together. I’ve spent my career consistently working to build consensus by fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. Durham doesn’t need idealists who make perfect the enemy of good. We need people who can find real solutions for real, everyday people. Right now, City Council is consistently divided. As a leader, I believe in engaging stakeholders in conversations that will impact their communities. I’m running to be a coalition-builder for our city council because we need to prioritize open communication, ensuring each voice is heard and valued in our decision-making processes.

More housing. More jobs. And improved public safety.

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge facing Durham is housing. Housing would be my top priority on City Council. I am committed to working with stakeholders to initiate developments that invest in Durham, are sustainably built, and prioritize housing for low and middle incomes.

I will work to bring jobs here to Durham, support businesses already here, and prioritize economic mobility for Durham residents.

To increase our safety here in Durham, I will fight for investments in youth programming and opportunities to prevent violent crime before it happens. I also want to see our first responders fully staffed by prioritizing competitive wages to allow them to live where they work.

Candidate has not yet responded.