Carl Rist, candidate for Durham City Council, takes your questions

A pivotal election is underway in Durham, with voters set to choose a new mayor and fill three City Council seats this fall.

There are 12 people competing for the City Council seats, including two incumbents.

A primary is being held to narrow the field. Early voting in the primary runs through Oct. 7 and Primary Day is Oct. 10.

The top six candidates will proceed to the general election in November.

Terms last four years. The seats are at-large, which means candidates can live anywhere in the city.

We collected questions from residents across Durham to help readers get to know the candidates.

Carl Rist

Name: Carl Rist

Age: 60

Occupation: Consultant

Website: carlfordurham.com

Are we paying people competitively and keeping our promises to our workers?

- East Durham resident Aidil Ortiz

No. The concerns expressed by sanitation workers and firefighters in Durham are real. Since the pandemic, pay raises for city workers have been eaten away by inflation, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for frontline city workers to afford to live in Durham.

The city must first quickly approve a plan that will provide a one-time bonus for all city workers. In addition, the city must complete the planned, comprehensive study of city pay. Doing this will take a thoughtful and deliberate effort and will ensure that we don’t end up back in the same place next year.

Do you have any experience that helps you understand development in Durham? How do you plan to get more affordable units in the city?

- Planning commissioner Zuri Williams

I have served on the board of the Self-Help Credit Union for the past 25+ years, so I have a high-level understanding of the various kinds of financing typically involved in developing affordable housing, including senior debt, subordinate debt, public subsidies and tax credits.

To build more affordable housing, the city must take advantage of all of the tools at its disposal. This includes public subsidies to create more affordable rental units; downpayment assistance for low-income, first-time homebuyers; leveraging the city’s zoning authority to maximize affordable units in new developments; and modernizing the zoning code to encourage denser development.

As Durham grows more dense, how do we get away from the classic American model of car-oriented development? Are there any policies that you support that can keep us from becoming another Atlanta or Dallas?

- Downtown resident Nirav Patel

As a longtime member of the People’s Alliance, I’ve been fighting sprawling developments in Durham for decades. To make better use of our local infrastructure and to promote environmental sustainability, it’s critical that we move away from the model of car-dependent development.

To accomplish this, we need to follow the example of progressive communities like Minneapolis and continue to institute zoning reforms, such as eliminating parking minimums, that will encourage more dense development in our urban core. In addition to more dense development, we also need strong investments in multi-modal transportation, including sidewalks, bike lanes, and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

What policies do you support for implementing safer streets and reducing car dependency locally and regionally?

- Stadium Heights resident Nick Roberts

Durham needs significant annual investments in our sidewalk and bike networks. In making these investments, the city must also deliver on accountability. In annual surveys, residents give the city low grades on transportation investments. To address this, the city needs more explicit goals with respect to transportation investments and must measure progress against these goals.

Ensuring safety on our streets is also an important policy objective. I supported funding for a Vision Zero coordinator in this year’s city budget and will work to ensure the city works to achieve the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.

What will you do to support the mental health needs of everyday Durham residents, especially thousands of young people in our public school systems?

- Hillside High School senior Isaiah Palmer

Our young people undoubtedly need more support. In a bit of good news from Raleigh, the final Conference Report from the House and Senate includes $305.8 million in recurring funds to add new school support staff, nurses, counselors, psychologists, and social workers to help support students. Durham Public Schools should be encouraged to make good use of these additional state funds.

While the City Council doesn’t make decisions for the schools, it’s important to understand the role the council can play in supporting the health of young people, including sustaining a healthy environment and providing accessible recreation opportunities.

In your vision for the city, what role does public education play and how does that connect to economic development, public safety and community health?

- Fayetteville Street corridor resident Erika Wilkins

A strong public education system is foundational in so many ways to our success as a community. First, by providing the skills and human capital necessary for young people to succeed in the workplace, public education supports a strong local economy.

Moreover, since high school graduates have far greater career options, higher graduation rates are generally associated with positive public safety outcomes and lower crime rates for communities. Higher education levels also create opportunities for better health.

On the subject of alleged Clean Water Act violations in Falls Lake and its tributaries: How did we get here and who should be held responsible? Who is going to pay for the creek restoration and environmental damage?

- Southeast Durham resident Pam Andrews

Southeast Durham has been the focus of much of the new development in Durham and this is expected to continue with the expected adoption of Durham’s new comprehensive plan. Unfortunately, Durham’s monitoring and enforcement systems, especially for key environmental regulations, have not always kept pace.

An environmental group and the SELC are suing a developer for violations of the Clean Water Act at a development in southeast Durham. If the courts determine that the developer is guilty, the developer should be held liable for the damages incurred.

How have you seen Durham evolve in your time here and what’s one thing you’ll have the power to change if elected?

- The News & Observer

One of the big changes that I’ve seen in Durham since moving here in 1989 is the loss of traditional blue-collar jobs and the hollowing out of the middle class. This is a nationwide trend, but with a healthy and dynamic local economy, there’s no reason we can’t work to ensure greater shared prosperity for all residents.

Traditionally, the city of Durham has been an important player in helping to drive the local economy. At present, though, the city lacks a comprehensive plan for inclusive economic development. I will work with my colleagues to design and execute such a plan.

To find polling places and full details on voting, visit the Board of Elections at dcovotes.com or 919-560-0700.