By Virginia Bridges

Recent primary winner Fred Foster received the Durham County Democratic Party’s nod Thursday night to fill Joe Bowser’s vacated county commissioner's seat.

The party’s Executive Committee met Thursday night at Mount Vernon Baptist Church to make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.  Foster,former county commissioner Philip Cousin, and primary candidates Anita Daniels and Elaine Hyman were nominated.  

Foster emerged the clear winner after a weighted vote by precinct chairs and vice chairs, along with other members of the Democratic Party Executive Committee.

This morning, the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce released a statement in response to Durham County Manager Mike Ruffin’s proposal to consider the consolidation of Durham City and County government at last evening’s County budget presentation. The statement reads as follows:

“The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce has supported the concept of a City/County merger for many years for two principal reasons.

First, we believe that local government has an obligation to explore every opportunity to make the best, most efficient, most effective use of taxpayers money to provide services to the community.  

Second, the increasingly competitive environment for economic development opportunities demands that Durham's government speaks with a consistent and united voice in order to attract and retain new investment and jobs.

The Chamber looks forward to participating actively in any community discussions about City/County merger.”

Just because you're an elected official, you needn't think you're immune from bureaucratic hassles. Just ask City Councilman Eugene Brown.

Not long ago, Brown got a letter from the county tax office, by way of certified mail,  informing him that his wages could be garnished because, the tax office claimed, he hadn't paid a $10 license fee for a family cat in 2010.

Brown wrote Tax Administrator Kim Simpson to say he has "always paid our animal fees" and hadn't heard anything about an overdue fee until he got the certified letter.

"I hope what has happened to me is aberration within your department and will not be repeated," his letter concluded. "I look forward to discussing these issues with you."

That was 11 days ago. Tuesday afternoon, Brown said, "I haven't heard a ... thing."

By Virginia Bridges

The Durham City Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution ending “corporate personhood.”

The resolution, presented by Occupy Durham’s Committee to End Corporate Personhood, rebuts the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 landmark decision in 2010 that said the First Amendment’s freedom of speech guarantee prohibits governments from restricting political contributions from unions and corporations.

The Durham resolution states that only human beings have constitutional rights and that political spending is not equivalent to free speech.

"The current campaign finance system creates an unequal playing field and allows unlimited corporate spending to unduly influence elections, candidate selection, and policy decisions,” the resolution states.

Forbes has released its picks for America's Top 20 geekiest cities, and the Triangle cracked the top five.

Durham gets the headline, but Forbes cites the Triangle workforce, "15.5% of workforce 41,560 workers employed The Raleigh-Durham-Cary area, otherwise known as the Research Triangle, hosts Duke University and the third-highest percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree."

No mention of the other influential universities?

San Jose topped the list. Check out the top 20 here.

Police have arrested two men in the killing of a 13-year-old Durham girl just over one year ago.

Levette Lipscomb (right), 26, of North Briggs Avenue and Brandon Townsend (left), 19, of North Briggs Avenue are charged with murder in the death of Shakanah China, police announced Friday morning.

Both arrests were made this morning. Lipscomb and Townsend are being held in the Durham County Jail without bond.

“We will not be able to release any detailed information,” said Acting Deputy Police Chief Larry Smith, who made the announcement. “It's still an ongoing case.”

Smith did say that that a new lead led to the arrests, and that China was an “unintended victim” when she was shot to death May 10, 2011, a few days after her 13th birthday.

China was playing with her younger sister and brother and texting on her new cell phone when she was shot. Family members and friends have said it was a gang looking for payback that shot into a group of people standing in the apartment driveway in eastern Durham.
 

By Virginia Bridges

Durham County commissioners had hoped to fast-track appointing someone to fill Joe Bowser's vacated seat. That now will likely be delayed as the Durham County Democratic Party works to establish its recommendation.  

Commissioners wanted to vote on the appointment as soon as their May 29 meeting. However, state law requires them to consult with Bowser's party before moving forward. Tracey Burns-Vann said the Durham County Democratic Party, which received a hand-delivered notice from commissioners Tuesday, needs 14 days to notify members of a special meeting to vote on its recommendation.

People who are interested in filling Bowser’s vacated seat on the Board of County Commissioners need to submit their letter of interest to the Durham County Democratic Party by 5 p.m. Tuesday.  The letter should be emailed to  durhamcountychair@gmail.com. 

The Durham County Democratic Party will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 31 in the education building at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, 1007 S. Roxboro St., to determine who it will recommend to fill the seat.  The meeting is open to registered Democrats, Burns-Vann said.  

We'll have more on this coming Sunday in The Durham News.

While future of 751 South remains to be determined, another subdivision proposal just up the road is also getting a cold reception from some of the neighbors.

"We moved there about four years ago and loved the rural feel," said Melvin G. Fehrenbacker of Oakwind Court. "We don't want it buried under slabs of concrete."

The reception was cold enough that, when the project came to the Durham Planning Commission Tuesday for a rezoning hearing, the developer's attorney asked for, and got, a two-month delay for further conversation.

"I think it's in the best interests to meet again with neighbors," said Ken Spaulding, representing 751 LLC, a company headquartered in Hobe Sound, FL.

The proposition in question, called "Trails at Southpoint," is for 164 residences on a  28-acre tract on N.C. 751 just north of Stagecoach Road. The site is currently zoned "Residential Rural," meaning the densest building allowed is three houses per two acres. On the south and west, it abuts Corps of Engineers land in the Jordan Lake watershed.

"We want to keep our serenity, keep our peace," said Therman Couch, whose home adjoins 751 LLC's property.

With the delay, the rezoning and a change in the county land-use plan come back to the Planning Commission July 10. The commission, a citizens advisory body, will make a recommendation to the county commissioners on approving or disapproving the zoning and land-use changes.

Fred Foster, who won a Democratic nomination for Durham county commissioner last week, is getting some support for taking his seat early.

Will Wilson, who finished sixth out of the 14 candidates, has endorsed Foster (right) to take over for Joe Bowser, who resigned from the county board after losing a bid for re-election.

Darius Little, who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council in 2009, has also said publicly that Foster should get the empty seat. Foster, currently president of the Durham NAACP chapter, finished second in the primary election. The top five candidates won spots on the November ballot and, so far, face no opposition candidates.

Who fills in from now until the new commissioners take office in December is up to the four remaining board members. State law requires they take a suggestion from the Durham County Democratic Party, since Bowser is a Democrat, but the commissioners are not bound to follow the party recommendation.

By Virginia Bridges

Durham County commissioners will await a recommendation from the Durham County Democratic Party before they move forward on filling Joe Bowser's seat.

Commissioners voted to accept Bowser’s resignation Monday night, which comes after he finished seventh in the Democratic primary and about six months before his term expired. 

On Monday commissioners indicated they wanted to fill the seat quickly, but they didn’t determine how to move forward beyond hand delivering a letter to the Durham County Democratic Party today seeking an expedited recommendation.   State law requires commissioners to consult with Bowser’s political party and gives the sitting officials 60 day to appoint a replacement. 

“I think we are in agreement that we need to take some action immediately as opposed to going through a very long process,” commissioners Chairman Michael Page said.