Municipal elections in Durham, North Carolina (2015)
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The city of Durham, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary took place on October 6, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015. Three of the six city council seats were up for election.[1][2]
The mayoral and city council races were without major issues generating divisions among candidates. Mayor William V. Bell sought and won an eighth term in office after winning more than 75 percent of the vote in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Bell held a 66-to-1 cash advantage on challenger James Lyons through the August 2015 reporting period.[3][4][5]
Two of three city council seats up for election were open to newcomers after 12-year incumbents Diane Catotti and Eugene A. Brown declined to seek re-election.[6] A forum held at Duke University on October 15, 2015, attracted three of the six council candidates but drew few distinctions between the candidates in attendance.[7] Despite the fact that city council candidates had raised $104,991.16 through August 2015, candidates largely agreed on financial issues facing the city, including poverty, living wages and affordable housing.[7] Learn more about recent elections for these offices and campaign finance statistics here.
Mayor
Candidate list
October 6 Primary election candidates:
- William V. Bell
- Incumbent Bell was first elected in 2001.
- James Lyons
- Tammy Lightfoot
- John Everett
November 3 General election candidates:
Mayoral election results
| Mayor of Durham, General election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 William V. Bell Incumbent |
86.7% | 16,296 |
| James Lyons | 12.9% | 2,422 |
| Write-in votes | 0.41% | 78 |
| Total Votes | 18,796 | |
| Source: "North Carolina State Board of Elections", "Official Municipal Election Results - Durham," accessed November 16, 2015 | ||
| Durham Mayor Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| William V. Bell Incumbent |
86.4% | 11,415 | |
| James Lyons |
8.1% | 1,072 | |
| Tammy Lightfoot | 3% | 401 | |
| John Everett | 2.5% | 324 | |
| Total Votes | 13,212 | ||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed November 16, 2015 | |||
City council
Candidate list
Note: Incumbents Diane Catotti and Eugene A. Brown did not run for re-election.
October 6 Primary election candidates:
- Charlie Reece
- Ricky L. Hart
- Juan Jose Alva
- Michael Shiflett
- Philip Azar
- Sandra Davis
- Jillian Johnson
- Steve Schewel
- Robert T. Stephens
- John Tarantino
November 3 General election candidates:
Council election results
| Durham City Council, General election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Steve Schewel Incumbent |
28.1% | 15,011 |
| Jillian Johnson |
23.4% | 12,497 |
| Charlie Reece |
18.1% | 9,680 |
| Michael Shiflett | 13.8% | 7,376 |
| Ricky L. Hart | 10.9% | 5,844 |
| Robert T. Stephens | 5.5% | 2,925 |
| Write-in votes | 0.27% | 146 |
| Total Votes | 53,479 | |
| Source: "North Carolina State Board of Elections", "Official Municipal Election Results - Durham," accessed November 16, 2015 | ||
| Durham City Council Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Steve Schewel Incumbent |
25% | 9,460 | |
| Jillian Johnson |
21.8% | 8,275 | |
| Charlie Reece |
16% | 6,079 | |
| Michael Shiflett |
10.3% | 3,891 | |
| Ricky L. Hart |
6.8% | 2,592 | |
| Robert T. Stephens |
6.7% | 2,537 | |
| Sandra Davis | 6.1% | 2,300 | |
| Philip Azar | 3.6% | 1,347 | |
| Juan Jose Alva | 2% | 771 | |
| John Tarantino | 1.7% | 660 | |
| Total Votes | 30,297 | ||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed November 16, 2015 | |||
Issues
Campaign finance
General election candidates for mayor and city council reported a total of $106,149.73 in contributions, $36,739.71 in expenditures and $83,823.86 in cash on hand through August 25, 2015. Mayor Bell led challenger James Lyons in all three categories with Bell holding $7,470.13 in cash on hand compared to Lyons' $112.41.[3]
Six city council candidates reported most of the money raised in this election, including $104,991.16 in contributions, $35,042.08 in expenditures and $76,241.32 in cash on hand. Charlie Reece led the pack in all three categories, including cash on hand with $25,666.19. Steve Schewel, the lone incumbent to seek re-election in 2015, raised $14,508.00, spent $3,663.00 and held $15,040.24 in cash.[3]
Mayor
City Council
Competitiveness in municipal elections
Mayoral and city council elections in 2011 and 2013 did not feature a single race with a margin of victory less than 13 percent. Mayor William V. Bell won re-election with 81.8 percent and 86.4 percent of the vote in 2011 and 2013, respectively.[4][5] The last election for at-large seats on the city council was 2011, when six candidates sought election and the margin of victory for the third-place candidate over the fourth-place candidate was 11 percent. The 2013 race for three city council races featured five candidates with all of the races decided by a margin of victory exceeding 13 percent.[4][5]
Past mayoral results
| Mayor of Durham, General Election, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Bill Bell Incumbent |
86.8% | 15,595 | |
| Sylvester Williams | 13.2% | 2,378 | |
| Total Votes | 17,973 | ||
| Source: Durham County Board of Elections, "2013 General Election Results," accessed October 16, 2015 | |||
| Mayor of Durham, General Election, 2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Bill Bell Incumbent |
82.2% | 18,829 | |
| Sylvester Williams | 17.8% | 4,066 | |
| Total Votes | 22,895 | ||
| Source: Durham County Board of Elections, "2011 General Election Results," accessed October 16, 2015 | |||
Past city council results
| Durham City Council, Ward I, General Election, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Cora Cole-McFadden |
98.3% | 14,980 | |
| Write-in votes | 1.7% | 264 | |
| Total Votes | 15,244 | ||
| Source: Durham County Board of Elections, "2013 General Election Results," accessed October 19, 2015 | |||
| Durham City Council, Ward II, General Election, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Eddie Davis |
64.8% | 11,534 | |
| Omar Beasley | 35% | 6,226 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.2% | 40 | |
| Total Votes | 17,800 | ||
| Source: Durham County Board of Elections, "2013 General Election Results," accessed October 19, 2015 | |||
| Durham City Council, Ward III, General Election, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Don Moffitt |
56.4% | 9,933 | |
| Pam Karriker | 43.3% | 7,627 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.2% | 39 | |
| Total Votes | 17,599 | ||
| Source: Durham County Board of Elections, "2013 General Election Results," accessed October 19, 2015 | |||
| Durham City Council, At-large, General Election, 2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Diane Catotti |
26.7% | 16,285 | |
| Steve Schewel |
24.8% | 15,116 | |
| Eugene A. Brown |
22.1% | 13,469 | |
| Victoria Peterson | 11.1% | 6,748 | |
| Hughes | 8.6% | 5,256 | |
| Solomon Burnette | 6.3% | 3,821 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.4% | 251 | |
| Total Votes | 56,874 | ||
| Source: Durham County Board of Elections, "2011 General Election Results," accessed October 19, 2015 | |||
Census information
The table below shows demographic information about Durham, North Carolina, from the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic data for Durham, North Carolina (2015) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Durham | North Carolina | |
| Total population: | 246,084 | 10,035,186 |
| Land area (square miles): | 107 | 48,618 |
| Race and ethnicity[8] | ||
| White: | 47.9% | 69.5% |
| Black/African American: | 40.2% | 21.5% |
| Asian: | 5% | 2.5% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.1% |
| Two or more: | 3.1% | 2.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 13.9% | 8.8% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 87.1% | 85.8% |
| College graduation rate: | 47.4% | 28.4% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $50,420 | $46,868 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 19.2% | 20.5% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Durham North Carolina Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- City of Durham
- Durham County Board of Elections - Official candidate list
- North Carolina State Board of Elections - Unofficial primary election results
Footnotes
- ↑ Email correspondence with Michael E. Perry, Durham County Director of Elections, on September 16, 2014.
- ↑ Durham County Board of Elections, "Election Schedule for 2015," accessed June 8, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Durham County, "2015 Thirty-Five Day Reports," accessed October 16, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Durham County, "Municipal Election: Official Results," November 8, 2011
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Durham County, "Municipal Election: Official Results," November 5, 2013
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Catotti says she won’t run again for Durham council," August 24, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Chronicle, "Opposition missing from friendly Durham City Council candidate forum Thursday," October 16, 2015
- ↑ Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
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