Andre RobersonAnjanée Bell, a Durham native, informally announced her candidacy in February to help the city “grow and thrive.”
Bell said that she is running to restore faith in the officials from the residents in Durham and is confident in her abilities to serve and protect.
“The one thing I know that I do very well is serving people,” she said in a mayoral debate hosted at N.C. Central University on Oct. 28.
Bell’s campaign, “Durham is H.O.P.E.”, runs in contrast to her opponent Mayor Leonardo Williams’ campaign slogan “Durham is Dope,” and represents eight tenets—“Housing & Healing, Opportunity & Ownership, People’s Safety & People’s Trust, and Environment & Education.”
In her campaign, Bell says she is committed to addressing housing affordability and preventing a lack of housing. She wants to expand the number of affordable housing options to make Durham more accessible to everyone.
“I carry a vision that is uniquely mine, and a lot of that is because of how it was in my home,” she said in an interview with ABC11.
Bell said that in preparation for her candidacy, she drove Ubers and Lyft to better connect with the Durham community.
Some of her plans include developing more affordable and student-friendly housing, fare-free public transit and renewing Fayetteville Street to make it a hotspot for opportunities.
“I will work to push for a better standard—measuring affordability by what people actually earn and spend,” she said in a questionnaire to the Campus Echo.
Bell grew up with a father, William “Bill” Bell, who served in local government as a Durham County Commissioner, and eventually Chair of the Board of County Commissioners. He later became famous for becoming Durham’s longest-serving mayor. Her mother, Judith Bell, worked at NCCU as an economics instructor.
Watching her father lead the city and her mother contribute to NCCU allowed her to see the university as a “gem of Durham and a home for Black excellence,” she said.
Bell said that her connection with NCCU pushes her to focus on students and families in her campaign.
“Durham should be a city where students can apply their skills,” she said in a response to a questionnaire with the Campus Echo.
She also pledges to support entrepreneurship and workforce development programs that connect NCCU students to local opportunities which will help graduates build long-term careers in Durham.
Much of Bell’s career has been focused on youth through dance education in Durham Public Schools and in her dance company, Bellan Contemporary Dance Theater. Bell has also led organizations focused on youth, prioritizing collaboration between local leaders.
But being elected as mayor would give her a chance to “restore vision and renew courage in Durham.”
“I believe Durham deserves better leadership that listens, includes and builds a future where everyone belongs,” Bell said in a July interview with youth organization Kids Voting Durham.
Bell works as the Director of Arts in the Parks for North Carolina State Parks, managing grants and community projects and ensuring state resources were distributed properly.
Bell said that she is focusing on restoring the spirit and morale of Durham. She believes the city’s success depends on whether residents feel safe and valued.
To Bell, one of the ways leadership is accomplished in Durham is to fix infrastructure but also rebuild trust with residents.
“We need to figure out how to keep our people in a home and our resources in Durham,” she said in the Oct. 28 mayoral debate.
Public safety is a big concern for Durham residents, but improvements to emergency response systems and other safety efforts must be done without bringing fear, she said.
Bell’s campaign also includes more investments in the environment and accessibility. She envisions a more walkable Durham with affordable and reliable transportation options.
The fate of Bell’s leadership is held within the hands of Durham voters, who can vote throughout early voting and on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
EDITORS’ NOTE: This profile was written in place of a candidate questionnaire that the Campus Echo sent to all mayoral candidates before the primary election. Bell was the only respondent, but the Campus Echo has published a profile story because of delays in publishing the questionnaire. Ronni Butts, the Campus Echo’s co-editor-in-chief, moderated Durham’s mayoral debate.
