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INDY Week's 2022 Primary Endorsements BY INDY WEEK STAFF
from 4.27 Indy Week
by Indy Week
Senate & House
Welcome the INDY's 2022 primary endorsements! Here you'll find our recommendtions in 29 races covering the US House and Senate, the state legislature, sheriffs, judges, district attorneys, town council and county board of commissioners candidates, and more. It's a lot, and for some of these races, we couldn't pick just one candidate—so we endorsed two.
We're also including a tear-out voting guide to take with you to the polls that lists our picks. Early voting starts tomorrow and Election Day is May 17. Be sure to cast your ballot and make your voice heard.
THE INDY ENDORSEMENT ISSUE
U.S. SENATE Cheri Beasley (D)
Other Candidates: James Carr Jr., Robert Colon, Alyssia Rose Hammond, Constance Johnson, Tobias LaGrone, BK Maginnis, Rett Newton, Marcus Williams, Greg Antoine, Chrelle Booker,
Thirty-four US Senate seats are up for grabs in November’s general election; fewer than 10 are considered competitive. One is the seat left open with the pending retirement of Republican Senator Richard Burr, which makes the question of which candidate to choose in the Democratic primary all the more pressing since that person might actually get to Washington. The good news is you don’t have to think too hard.
Ahead of the May primary, we endorsed candidates in 29 races, and this one was by far the easiest: Cheri Beasley. Check the box, return in November, and check it again.
From public defender to chief justice of the state Supreme Court, Beasley is not only eminently qualified but outspoken in all the best ways. Reform-minded, she used her judicial pulpit to raise awareness of the systemic racial inequity that has long plagued the criminal justice system and spearheaded the creation of a commission tasked with studying ways to bring more equity and fairness to the courtroom.
Now running for Senate, Beasley’s priorities have broadened to include expanding affordable healthcare, improving housing affordability, and protecting reproductive rights. We join Planned Parenthood, the National Education Association, NC AFL-CIO, and many others with a wholehearted endorsement.
R Primary: No endorsement US HOUSE: CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 4 Nida Allam (D)
Other Candidates: Valerie Foushee, Clay Aiken, Crystal Cavalier, Matt Grooms, Stephen Valentine, Ashley Ward, Richard Watkins
Longtime US Rep. David Price will be a hard act to follow, but two of the frontrunners in the race to fill his seat—Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam and State Senator Valerie Foushee—are both exceptionally qualified public servants who would make history if elected: Allam as the first Muslim woman to represent the district, and Foushee as the first African American woman.
As a county commissioner, Allam successfully implemented an Immigrant and Refugee Services Coordinator position and spearheaded a movement to provide property tax relief for low-income residents.
She previously worked as a political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign and served as Third Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Allam says she would be an “unapologetic progressive fighter in Congress” and champions Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and a $23 federal minimum wage.
Foushee has more than two decades of experience in elected office. She has served on the school board, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, and in the state House and Senate. But Foushee, whether fairly or not, has recently come under fire for accepting more than half of her campaign funding from AIPAC, a right-leaning, pro-Israel organization that has endorsed more than 37 Republicans who believe Donald Trump to be the lawful winner of the 2020 presidential election.
While both candidates would make excellent representatives in the US House—and there’s maybe a case to be made for a vote for American Idol star Clay Aiken (see our story on page 7)—ultimately, Allam’s commitment to running a grassroots campaign, and the fact that she makes young people in her district excited about voting and gets them engaged with political issues—makes her the best choice to represent the progressive district.
R Primary: No endorsement
Other Candidates: Wiley Nickel, Nathan Click, Denton Lee, Jamie Bowles
All 435 voting members of the US House are up for reelection. But in our gerrymandered country, fewer than 30 seats are projected to be true toss-up races in November between the eventual Democratic and Republican primary winners. This is one of them.
So, if you’re pragmatic (and we are this year), the question comes down to this: which candidate is most likely to win over centrists, unaffiliated, and swing voters in southern Wake County and a whole lot of rural Johnston, Harnett, Wayne counties. For us, that’s Sam Searcy.
Also, we like the guy: a vodka distiller turned politician, he fought to expand Medicaid and increase school funding as a state senator in District 17, or southern Wake County (as mentioned earlier). Like other Democrats in the race, he’s also an advocate for voting and reproductive rights. But unlike his opponents, Searcy is the only Democrat to flip a state district from red to blue, which he did in 2018 by defeating a three-term Republican incumbent. Unlike presumptive favorite (and money frontrunner) Wiley Nickel, Searcy also lives in the district (and presumably knows some folks there by name). Democrats are going to lose seats in November. This one, we believe, Searcy can get.
Senate & House THE INDY ENDORSEMENT ISSUE
NC SENATE DISTRICT 13 Lisa Grafstein (D)
Other Candidates: Patrick Buffkin
Buffkin and Grafstein are both qualified candidates and agree on many of the big-ticket progressive priorities championed by Democrats in the NC General Assembly: expanding Medicaid, funding the Leandro mandate, investing in renewable energy and public transit, and combating a growing affordable housing crisis that affects not only constituents of this North Raleigh district but residents statewide. We believe Grafstein is the best candidate to tackle them.
A civil rights attorney with a history of representing North Carolinians facing various types of discrimination, Grafstein is an advocate of justice in all its forms. Currently, she works for Disability Rights North Carolina, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of those with disabilities. Her world experience working closely with the mistreated and underserved speaks to a selfless passion to improve the lives of others. It’s a great recipe for a state senator and offsets any concern about her lack of political experience.
As a member of Raleigh’s city council, Buffkin no doubt understands the minutiae of governing and has a deep knowledge of the issues plaguing the city, and state, from housing affordability to infrastructure demands to unaddressed public safety reform. He’s not a bad choice, but we’re swayed by Grafstein’s idealism and force of will.
R Primary: No endorsement
NC HOUSE DISTRICT 33 Rosa Gill (D)
Other Candidates: Nate Blanton
Rosa Gill has served in the General Assembly since 2009, when she was appointed to her seat by then-Gov. Bev Perdue. A reliable advocate for public education (and a former educator herself), Gill has championed higher pay for teachers, funding for Pre-K through post-secondary education, and professional development for teachers in order to best serve a diverse student population. Additionally, Gill served on Wake County’s school board, and in the legislature, served as the Democratic Minority Whip and chaired the Democratic House Education Workgroup.
We don’t know much about Gill’s challenger, Nate Blanton, except for what’s on his website. Admittedly, Blanton has an interesting background as a Navy veteran who studied nuclear waste policy and nonproliferation at NC State. Currently, Blanton works as an operator with Duke Energy at Harris Nuclear Plant. Blanton has worked as a precinct chair but is otherwise a political newcomer; we’re going with Gill for her experience. NC SENATE DISTRICT 23 Graig Meyer (D)
Other Candidates: Jamie DeMent Holcomb
Encompassing all of Orange County (plus Person and Caswell), North Carolina’s newly drawn Senate District 23 will be fairly blue and the state at large needs as many proven progressives within its legislative ranks as possible.
That’s why we’re endorsing Graig Meyer. Meyer has served as a state representative since 2013 and first ran while working in the state’s public schools on a pro-public education platform. And Meyer has solid accomplishments to show for his time in Raleigh, including leading on legislation that would promote social equity through cannabis legalization, create universal paid family leave for those who have a child or need to care for a family member, and provide voter registration services and other assistance to would-be voters should a voter ID requirement become law. That’s not to mention the important work Meyer has done to pressure the legislature to support the Leandro mandate and to strengthen the Democratic caucus through service as Recruitment, Finance, and Campaign chairs.
Meyer’s opponent, Jamie DeMent Holcomb, has an impressively diverse life experience as a Capitol Hill aide, restaurant owner, farmer, cookbook author, and the director of Chapel Hill’s Kidzu Museum, but she lacks the proven track record and legislative experience that Meyer has. We hope to see Holcomb run for office again in the future.
R Primary: No endorsement
NC HOUSE DISTRICT 37 Elizabeth Parent (D)
Other Candidates: Mary Bethel, Christine Kelly
Elizabeth Parent, a server and host at a local restaurant, is 28 years old and makes $2.50 an hour, plus tips. In a state legislature dominated by geriatric white lawyers and business owners, we need more people like her.
If elected, Parent will represent the younger generation, millennials who are eager for change and ready for more progressive policies. In the most conservative district in Wake County, Parent offers a refreshing take on issues of affordable housing, the environment, and rights for women and LGBTQ people.
Parent supports Medicaid expansion, increased pay for teachers, and investment in renewable energy. She is also in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, independent redistricting, and raising the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. Parent’s working-class background could make her a solid foil for Republican Erin Parè in the fall.
Christine Kelly, a former member of the Holly Springs Town Council, championed slow growth policies during her four-year tenure. Last fall, Kelly lost her race for mayor by a wide margin to a Republican opponent—that’s concerning. But Kelly is a solid candidate and she would be a reliable vote in the state House.
Mary Bethel, a former AARP lobbyist, is an advocate for seniors and those with disabilities and is running on a health care-focused platform. Like Kelly, Bethel is also a perfectly good candidate, but neither are as compelling as Parent.
NC HOUSE DISTRICT 40 Joe John (D)
Other Candidates: Marguerite Creel
Again, we’re going with incumbent experience in our endorsement of Joe John, and John has a long record of service to North Carolina. A state representative first elected in 2016, John has also served as a judge on state district and superior courts as well as as an associate justice on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Additionally, John served as the director of the State Crime Laboratory from 2010 to 2014 after he was appointed by then-attorney general Roy Cooper. Formerly, John headed the NC DMV. In the House, John has made the fight to end partisan gerrymandering a signature issue, the topic of the first bill he sponsored. John has also worked on bipartisan legislation that allows inmates to work toward community college degrees and job training before release. John’s platform is straightforward: advocating to fund the Leandro mandate, ending gerrymandering, pushing for Medicaid expansion, and preserving the independence of the judiciary.
John’s opponent, Marguerite Creel, who owns a tutoring company, looks to have a fairly detailed platform around strengthening education, ensuring reliable energy services, and caring for the elderly in the wake of COVID-19. But Creel has no political experience that we can discern. John is the stronger candidate in this race. NC HOUSE DISTRICT 50 Renee Price (D)
Other Candidates: Matt Hughes
This was a tough choice between two hard-working, experienced candidates. In the end, we decided to endorse Renee Price because what we heard most from the people who know and work with her is that Price really cares about other people.
From early on in her career, Price has worked for nonprofits and government organizations in the realms of housing and neighborhood revitalization, environmental justice, farmworkers’ rights, and natural resource conservation. Price has served on the Orange County Board of Commissioners since 2012, and in 2020, her colleagues on the board elected her to serve as chair. Price is also active with the NC Association of County Commissioners, and she received an award for her work as an outstanding county commissioner in 2020.
Matt Hughes would also make an excellent state representative. Appointed chair of the Orange County Democratic Party in 2011 and having served as Second Vice Chair of the NC Democratic Party since 2017, Hughes also serves on the Hillsborough town board after he was appointed following a vacancy in 2018 and then elected in 2019.
Both Hughes and Price are solid candidates. We’re going with Price for her deep connections to, and engagement with, the people of her district. NC HOUSE DISTRICT 66 Sarah Crawford (D)
Other Candidates: Wesley Knott, Jeremiah Pierce
A one-term state senator (whose senate district boundaries changed after redistricting), Crawford is now running for the NC House to represent the residents of eastern Wake County. Currently the CEO of the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities, Crawford worked previously to serve constituents in the congressional offices of US Reps. Bob Etheridge and David Price. Crawford also has significant nonprofit and community leadership experience, including serving on the board of directors for a domestic violence support group. In the legislature, Crawford cites her bipartisan achievements in lowering taxes for families by increasing the child tax deduction, raising the minimum wage to $15 for workers under Medicaid, and investing $1 billion for broadband access.
One of Crawford’s challengers, Jeremiah Pierce, is an 8th-grade teacher at Wake County public schools and a strong advocate for public education. The other challenger, Wesley Knott, is a former precinct chair and district coordinator. While both Pierce and Knott are no doubt strong progressive candidates, Crawford has a record of getting elected—and getting things done—in an area of Wake County that can lean conservative.
NC HOUSE DISTRICT 56 Jonah Garson, Allen Buansi (D)
This was truly an impossible choice to make and while it’s somewhat of a cop-out, we didn’t feel we could choose between Jonah Garson and Allen Buansi. And so, as with a few other races, we’re endorsing both candidates.
Buansi, a civil rights lawyer, served on Chapel Hill’s town council from 2017 to 2021 where he helped create and pass the town’s Criminal Justice Debt Fund (see our story on page 3), assist in increasing funding for Chapel Hill’s Emergency Housing Assistance program, and pass the town’s $10 million affordable housing bond and a non-discrimination ordinance.
On top of that, everyone says Buansi is just a really nice guy.
But ditto for Garson, who is popular among college students on UNC’s campus.
Though Garson hasn’t held elected office, he is described by people who know him as a workhorse and his contributions to the Democratic Party are innumerable.
Currently the chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, Garson has traveled all across the state in the past decade as a field organizer working to get Democrats elected to the legislature. Garson’s tenacity and dedication will serve Democrats—who have been sidelined by gerrymandering over the past decade—well if they are to continue to organize, push a progressive agenda, and win many more future elections with the potential to secure a majority this decade. Garson has a vision for that path forward.
NC DISTRICT COURT 14, SEAT 1 Dave Hall
Other Candidates: Jessica Major
Incumbent Dave Hall brings first-hand experience to a city in the throes of a gun violence epidemic: in 2013 he was an innocent bystander when he was struck by gunfire. The NC Central Law School graduate says he left private practice to determine what safety looked like for his family and community. He concluded that it begins with accountability and opportunity for individuals who come into contact with the legal system.
First elected as district court judge in 2018, Hall previously worked to end mass incarceration as a civil rights attorney with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, along with working to expunge criminal records for more than 5,000 clients, and helping them restore their driver’s licenses.
While working with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Hall was involved with the lobbying efforts of the Raleigh-based NC Second Chance Alliance, a nonpartisan agency that advocates on behalf of justice-involved individuals.
“That lobbying work led to dismissed charges being automatically expunged,” Hall told the INDY this week. “Now that I’m on the bench it’s exciting to see the work we did come to fruition with automatic expungements.”
Jessica Major would likely make a fine judge, too. But Hall is more experienced.
NC DISTRICT COURT 14, SEAT 3 Kevin Jones
Other Candidates: Pat Evans
First elected in 2002, incumbent Pat Evans did not garner endorsements from the city’s two leading political action committees, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, or the People’s Alliance. However, the veteran judge is endorsed by the nonpartisan Friends of Durham PAC who describes her as an experienced and caring judge who demonstrates a “tough love approach” to young offenders who have made poor choices, but need a second chance to become productive citizens.
Her challenger, Kevin Jones, a former elementary school teacher who has practiced law in the Bull City for more than two decades, did win Durham Committee and People Alliance’s influential PACs’ endorsements. The INDY, too, is impressed with Jones’ progressive vision and shares his concern about a judicial disconnect from ordinary people’s lives often leading to unfair prison sentences and unrealistic court fines. The INDY also agrees with Jones’ assertion that “in an effort to avoid being labeled 'soft on crime' those who are tasked with the responsibility of administering justice are 'hard on people.'”
We endorse Jones.
Other Races:
NC Court of Appeals, Seat 9 NC Court of Appeals, Seat 11 Supreme Court, Seat 5
NC Senate District 18
R Primaries: No endorsements NC Senate District 22
NC House District 34
NC House District 35
Wake County
THE INDY ENDORSEMENT ISSUE
WAKE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Damon Chetson
Other Candidates: Lorrin Freeman
We like incumbent Lorrin Freeman. She is an honest, even-tempered, forthright public servant who takes the work of her office seriously. She is transparent with the media and is clearly guided by a worldview that shapes her moral and ethical approach to the job. Additionally, we applaud the criminal justice policies she worked to implement with other court officials, including lowering bail bond minimums and enhancing pretrial services.
But a progressive, reform-minded DA Freeman is not. Freeman prosecutes low-level drug possession and opposes a bill that would prohibit juveniles from receiving life sentences. In the past, she has sought the death penalty, which she says “should be reserved for the most egregious cases.”
As a progressive publication, we don’t feel we can endorse a prosecutor who will seek the death penalty. And although Freeman notes that her office has not declared a case capital since 2017, she has tried six capital cases before a jury during her tenure as DA, resulting in one death sentence for a man convicted of a double murder at a Raleigh hotel.
Chetson, Freeman’s challenger, is reform-minded—if not, as a former Republican-turnedBernie volunteer, terribly exciting. But he’s sound on reform and opposes capital punishment. That makes Chetson the clear choice. WAKE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DISTRICT 1 Donald Mial, Shaun Pollenz
Incumbent commissioner Sig Hutchinson is vacating his seat, leaving it open to a newcomer. And two strong challengers are vying to take Hutchinson’s place.
Wake County voters may know District 1, covering the far eastern part of the county, as Wake’s conservative district and the subject of grumbles from Republicans as it’s usually held by a Democrat (county commissioners are elected at large).
Democrats swept the board of commissioners in 2014 and, to our knowledge, a Republican hasn’t served on the board since.
This election cycle sees two types of Democrats running for the District 1 seat: Donald Mial, in the more traditional mold, and Shaun Pollenz, a staunch progressive.
Mial, who has the endorsement of Hutchinson, is retired from the NC Department of Public Safety and has a platform focusing on the county’s explosive growth and sustainability, and supporting and funding the county’s public schools.
Pollenz, the son of an English teacher who grew up in Wake and is now an attorney who has represented Black Lives Matter protesters in court, ran for the county school board in 2018 to be “a voice for teachers.” His platform is focused on education, affordable housing, and economic development.
Both solid candidates, Pollenz and Mial would likely vote the same way on most issues that come before the Board of Commissioners. While Wake voters at-large—younger, more liberal—might prefer Pollenz, district voters may prefer Mial.
We’re endorsing both.
WAKE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DISTRICT 3 Cindy Sinkez Other Candidates: Cheryl Stallings, Lisa Mead
At the very western end of Wake County sits District 3, which Commissioner Maria Cervania is vacating to run for the state House. That has opened the race to three qualified Democratic women—Cindy Sinkez, Cheryl Stallings, and Lisa Mead.
If only two candidates were running in this race, we would endorse them both. But since there are three, in order to give voters a little bit of guidance, we’ve decided to endorse Sinkez.
A former PTA leader and public schools champion, local Democratic party volunteer, and state Equal Rights Amendment advocate, Sinkez is the most progressive candidate in the race—endorsements from the Progressive Caucus of the NC Democratic Party and Progressive Democrats of Wake County make that clear. A longtime advocate for public education, this Cary-based mother and grandmother seems best-positioned to lead on issues ranging from education, to transit, to the environment.
Mead and Stallings would also make excellent commissioners.
Mead is a substitute teacher in Wake County schools and a former grant writer and fundraiser for nonprofits with a strong growth-oriented platform. Stallings is a psychologist, small business owner, and member of the Apex Town Council, the only candidate of the three with experience as a local elected official.
Wake County
WAKE COUNTY SHERIFF Willie Rowe
Other Candidates: Cedric Herring, Randolph Baity, Gerald M. Baker, Joe Coley, Tommy Matthews, Willie Rowe, Roy Taylor
Incumbent Sheriff Gerald Baker was a good pick in 2018 when Democrats were coming out in numbers to end Republican Donnie Harrison’s 16-year reign. But after Baker’s mishandling of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, when sheriff’s deputies fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protestors, we’re not endorsing him for another term.
Baker’s victory brought seven other Democrats out of the woodwork, all vying to take the sheriff’s office in a progressive direction. Two in particular stand out—Willie Rowe, a former major in the sheriff's office with decades of law enforcement experience, and Cedric Herring, a former sergeant in the State Highway Patrol with a passion for social justice.
Rowe, 62, has a long record of community service, advocating for at-risk youth and treatment of substance abuse. He’s a deacon at First Baptist Church and currently serves as the chairman of the Wake County ABC Board and Raleigh Inter-Church Housing, where he works to increase affordable housing. Law enforcement, Rowe says, is a matter of preventing crime by engaging with the community, rather than making more arrests.
Rowe supports reform of the school resource officer program (to reduce criminalization of minority students), pretrial release programs, and education programs for people in jail. Rowe has also said he would not reinstate the 287(g) program nor honor detainer requests from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Another good candidate is Cedric Herring, 53. He has less experience as a manager in law enforcement but is determined to reform the sheriff’s office by demilitarizing the force, investing in de-escalation training, and releasing body camera footage to the public. Herring wants to reduce arrests and eliminate bonds for low-level crimes, he says. He also opposes the 287(g) program.
Still, we endorse Rowe.
R Primary: No endorsement
Other Races:
We're not endorsing in Cary's municipal election as we don't feel informed enough on the issues that the town is facing to make a decision.
That said, we find two candidates running this cycle to be pretty exciting: Carissa Johnson, who is running at large, and Amanda Murphy, who is running in District C, would both bring fresh ideas to a council that's traditionally been dominated by wealthy conservatives. Both have been endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party—we trust the party's judgement.
Cary Town Council At-Large, Cary Town Council District A, Cary Town Council District C Not endorsing
Defend the Eno
A Message from the Nygard Family
Speak out against the development planned next to West Point on the Eno City Park, the most intrusive development ever proposed beside Eno parkland. Let Mayor O’Neal and the Durham City Council know that you oppose this. Ask them to do everything in their power to stop it, and let them know you have their back. Send a letter to the Mayor and City Council. Or have your group, club, team, or organization issue a resolution advocating the preservation of Black Meadow Ridge with the request that there be no development. Stand up for the preservation of the unspoiled forest on the ridge and for protecting the historic Holman Cemetery at the top of the ridge. Ask the City to add Black Meadow Ridge, which embodies African American history at West Point, to the Cultural Heritage Park by the Eno.
The Eno River will no longer be a wild river in Durham if this development is built. It would cover almost a mile in the river valley on the park’s south border. People will not want to swim or wade in the river with run-off from 376 housing units that will cause pollution and sedimentation. Act now to protect the watershed and the nationally significant aquatic habitat and wildlife corridor at West Point. The federally threatened Neuse River Waterdog and the other rare species the Eno still harbors cannot endure if their habitat is degraded. The quality of the drinking water in Raleigh’s Falls Lake and the future Teer Quarry in Durham is also at stake. Durham and the Triangle region must not accept this environmental travesty.
You can help keep the Eno a wild river by telling the City how much
you care and urging the City to take action! Go to enoriver.org or blackmeadowridge.org These sites have posted the list ~ “Reasons to Save Black Meadow Ridge,” the contact emails, and more.
~ paid for by Erik, Kerstin & Jenny Nygard, family of the late Holger & Margaret Nygard, who did not falter from 1969-1975 in the battle to save West Point on Eno
Durham County THE INDY ENDORSEMENT ISSUE
DURHAM DISTRICT ATTORNEY Satana Deberry
Other Candidates: Daniel Meier, Jonathan Wilson
When Durham voters first elected Satana Deberry in 2019, she was often cited as part of a group of reformist DAs from across the country, including Rachael Rollins in Boston and Larry Krasner in Philadelphia. Deberry cited Krasner as a model, someone who argued that a system born from reactionary zero-tolerance, tough-on-crime policies was intrinsically racist and counterproductive, producing a carceral state that had ripped apart communities of color.
“We’re looking at different ways we can protect children in Durham County,” Deberry said two years ago after announcing her office would no longer accept court referrals for school-based incidents and would stop threatening criminal charges against parents of students who miss school. “We want to focus on getting kids what they need instead of locking them up.”
Six months into her tenure as the county’s top prosecutor, Deberry made public nearly 20 policies designed to limit county residents’ involvement with the justice system while freeing it up to focus on serious crimes that harm community members. Along with partnering with the Durham Expunction and Restoration (DEAR) program that has led to the dismissal of thousands of old traffic charges and the restoration of driver’s licenses, Deberry’s office partnered with defense attorneys and judges to safely reduce the jail population to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Deberry’s work has not gone unnoticed. Last month, Deberry told members of the US House Judiciary subcommittee there is no evidence that the rise in gun violence across the country is linked to criminal justice reforms.
We endorse Deberry for another term.
Other Races:
NC Superior Court District 15B, Seat 1 No endorsement
DURHAM CLERK OF COURT Archie Smith, Aminah Thompson
Other Candidates: LiBria Stephens
The INDY endorses incumbent Archie Smith, but also endorses challenger Aminah Thompson, who has secured endorsements from the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the People’s Alliance.
Smith, who was first elected in 2002, told the INDY recently that since being elected, his office has deposited over $311 million received by the court system.
“People forgive you for a lot of things,” Smith said at the time, “but they don’t forgive you for messing with the money.”
Smith, who has been endorsed by the Friends of Durham, said that his overarching mission has been to create a diverse workplace with qualified people who are responsive to the needs of people on the other side of the counter.
Thompson is a formidable opponent. She works as a magistrate judge, and her previous political experience includes serving as vice-chair of legal redress with the Durham Committee and co-leading the People’s Alliance Racial Equity Action Team. Thompson says she wants to improve people’s ability to navigate the county’s complicated court system and advocate for more accountability throughout the judiciary. She also wants to create a community-based law library and resource center, and partner with the sheriff’s office, along with superior and district court judges, to create more remote court hearings and night court to “alleviate some of the barriers to access that comes with job, school, and childcare constraints.”
DURHAM SHERIFF Clarence Birkhead
Other Candidates: Paul Martin
The INDY endorses incumbent Clarence Birkhead, but with several caveats.
Birkhead was first elected in 2018 among a wave of Black candidates elected to serve as sheriff in seven of the state’s largest counties. He says the highlights of his first term includes navigating the county through the pandemic and mandating that all sheriff’s office employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine, providing leadership during a period of civil unrest following the police murder of George Floyd, and partnering with the nonpartisan “You Can Vote” initiative in order to educate and assist pre-trial detainees and residents serving misdemeanor sentences with the opportunity to register to vote, along with opposing the 2019 NC House Bill 370, which would have required sheriffs to comply with immigration detainers for residents accused of being in the country illegally.
But there have been several misfires. The most recent was this month when the INDY reported that the sheriff’s office has a mutual aid agreement with Alamance County that enables the patrolling of Bull City streets with deputies from one of the most conservative counties in the state and led by a sheriff who is known for his anti-immigration trash talk and pro-Confederate monument values. There are also questions of transparency after the mysterious death of J’Mauri Bumpass, the 18-year-old who died in late 2019 during a sheriff’s deputy's traffic stop. The deputies first said he died as a result of crashing his car into a power pole, but later said he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The teen’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that accuses the two deputies who pulled over Bumpass of killing him and conspiring to cover it up. Birkhead was among those named in the complaint for his role in the alleged conspiracy.
On the other hand, Birkhead’s opponent, Paul Martin, does not appear to be a serious contender for the office.
Other Candidates: Jasper Fleming, Curtis Hrischuk
The INDY endorses Emily Chávez, who is director of DREAM, a UNC-Chapel Hill School of education program that was created in partnership with Durham Public Schools (DPS) “to recruit and retain teachers of color and those from underrepresented backgrounds” on behalf of DPS. Chávez cites racial equity, greater support for LGBTQ students, and teacher working conditions and wellness as her highest priorities. Chávez is running for the seat left vacant by school board member and former chair Mike Lee. She has won an endorsement from the Durham Association of Educators and the People’s Alliance. Her opponent, Jasper Fleming, has been endorsed by the Durham Committee and the Friends of Durham, who described him as “a young father with children” who attend DPS, and “a relentless researcher” who will find “cost-effective ways to improve student achievement.” DURHAM BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT 2 Bettina Umstead
Other Candidates: Donald Hughes, Christopher Burns
Bettina Umstead, who works as an associate with the Equity Collaborative, a group that supports school systems in promoting equity in schools across the country, was appointed to the DPS Board in 2016. Umstead won election to the board in 2018 and was appointed vice chair. She was then appointed to chair the board in 2020, a role she still holds.
A career-long educator, Umstead successfully helped the DPS system navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, helped develop the Racial and Educational Equity policy for the district, and worked with the City of Durham and Duke University to expand internet access to the Durham Housing Authority communities.
Umstead, described as an adept listener and communicator by those who know and work with her, takes a collaborative approach to policy-making, and maintains a focus on improving equity in the district.
Umstead’s opponent, Donald Hughes, has some interesting ideas around extending learning times for students who have fallen behind during the pandemic and addressing mental health in schools. But Umstead has proven herself to be effective on the board and her work and experience have earned her another term.
Christopher Burns has no public presence and is one of the ostensibly conservative Better Board, Better Schools slate of candidates.
DURHAM BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT 3 Matt Sears
Other Candidates: Gayathri Rajaraman
Former Hillside High School math teacher, and current director of education programs with Duke University’s Talent Identification Program, incumbent Matt Sears told the INDY in 2018 that he was most proud of his record of challenging the Durham Public Schools' “status quo that has produced unacceptable outcomes for students over the last 25 years despite the amazing work of teachers and some school leaders.” He also took aim at legislation that lifted the cap to limit the number of charter schools as having a “devastating” impact on public education, adding that “communities can now pop up charter schools on a whim” and that, far from charters being “petri dishes of innovation,” they are “places of institutionalized racism in our community." He's also no fan of SROs in schools.
Sears’s challenger Rajaraman has no political experience and is running with the conservative Better Board, Better Schools slate of candidates. DURHAM BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT B Millicent Rogers
Other Candidates: Frederick Ravin III
The INDY endorses newcomer and former People’s Alliance co-president Millicent Rogers. In February, while announcing her intent to run for a school board seat, Rogers denounced state legislators who called for the banning of books in public schools and Lt. Mark Robinson’s assertion that teachers should be punished for being “culturally responsive.”
Rogers also criticized “years of underfunding” by the state and county education administrators, with the end result being “a dearth of nurses, school counselors, and social workers and unequally resourced neighborhood schools.”
Rogers, who serves as advocacy committee chair of the NC Parent Teacher Association, has been endorsed by the People’s Alliance and the Durham Association of Educators. The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Friends of Durham both endorsed Ravin. The FOD describes Ravin as a “calming influence” whose strong background in technology and fiscal accountability, two of the most important issues facing our schools, will serve our county well.” But we think some of Ravin's votes on COVID measures, including one to prematurely end the masking requirement for students and staff, were ill-advised. DURHAM BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT 4 Natalie Beyer
Other Candidates: Valarie Jarvis, Myca Jeter
In what will probably shape up to be a highly contested race, the INDY endorses incumbent Natalie Beyer. In our 2018 endorsement of Beyer, we noted that she “has long demonstrated a commitment to Durham Public Schools and an ability to stand on her principles.”
That commitment has been readily evident in recent months. Beyer and her fellow board members unanimously approved a $1,000 retention bonus for DPS's 4,900 full-time employees and permanent part-time employees.
And in November, when more than a quarter of DPS employees were not in compliance with a DPS vaccination mandate two months before, Beyer took the school employees to task.
“This board set a mandate and this is the expectation for our employees,” she said. “We are charged in an amazing way with caring for children. Some of them are as young as four. Some of them are medically fragile and unable to be vaccinated. And some of our co-workers and colleagues cannot be vaccinated for immunocompromised reasons. … This is to save and protect yourself and your family, and your work with Durham Public Schools.”
Beyer will face a stiff challenge from Myca Jeter, who has been endorsed by the Durham Committee for the Affairs of Black People. Jeter is a longtime social worker and DPS parent who says that “education can be a vehicle for equity, healing, opportunity, and a thriving future for every student that attends DPS,” according to her website.
Beyer, endorsed by the Durham Association of Educators, the People’s Alliance, and the Friends of Durham, took state legislators to the woodshed last year for the GOP-led House Bill 324 that sought to make white people feel less uncomfortable with the negative aspects of this country’s history.
“It’s important for teachers to be able to teach children to think critically from primary sources,” Beyer told the INDY. “And as we are more honest about our history we can learn from the past. We don’t censor teachers. We don’t ban books. We teach children to be anti-racist.”
