PHOTO BY BETH MANN
far back as the 1990s, the city was going beyond required public hearings to hear from residents about budgetary priorities. Face-to-face meetings in the community with residents known as “Coffee with Council” were an annual opportunity for city staff and elected officials to meet to share information and listen to residents. Over the years, these and other strategies have helped better align available resources with community needs and wants. I have [also] learned that communication can always be improved. Transparency and accountability are achieved through effective communication, and the need to communicate is always growing and changing. At the end of this interim period, what do you hope to have accomplished? In the coming days and weeks, the mayor and Durham
City Council will decide on their next steps and process for selecting the next city manager. Because this assignment is temporary, regardless of the duration, I hope to have provided the operational stability an organization in transition needs. I hope to have carried out the policies established by elected officials efficiently, effectively and equitably. As a
well-managed city, Durham is consistently developing long-range plans covering many areas, including general capital facility improvements, transportation systems and assets, infrastructure expansion, land use and community development. Plans being developed and updated now will certainly be shaped by equitable engagement priorities and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. These and other considerations will lead to a community designed for the future. What do you hope Durham will look like in 5 years? In 10 years?
Futuristic statements are always interesting to think about and are usually developed through a community visioning process. Durham’s current vision statement was developed this way. I believe [the] statement, “Durham is the leading city in providing an excellent and sustainable quality of life,” will still be relevant at these future markers. Implementing strategies today to close the quality-of-life gaps that currently exist among residents will permit us to arrive in 2025 and beyond in a city where economic prosperity is shared by all [and] our residents live in safer communities that are connected, engaged and diverse. october/november 2020
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