Effort to shrink city council lacks foundation

Duke University is an important part of Durham-and vice versa. What happens in Durham can impact the lives of Duke students, staff and faculty. On Dec. 8, Durham voters will decide on a referendum on whether to cut the City Council from 13 to seven members. All of us in the Bull City should be concerned about the outcome of such a move.

Having ended up with the short stick in recent elections and angry at the current City Council, the small group of conservative leaders who pushed this summer's petition suggest that a smaller council would be more efficient.

Opponents of the effort to cut the council almost in half-including the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the Durham Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the Durham People's Alliance and others-argue that there are many more reasons for supporting the current council size. Many in the community value the diversity of Durham's elected body because it represents the Bull City's own diversity, builds broad connections with neighborhoods and offers a solid record of achievement.

Despite the negative stories often published in our hometown newspaper and ongoing criticism and insults from those calling for a smaller council, our current 13-member City Council system has a litany of recent accomplishments: increasing the police budget by $3 million; voting to complete more than 150 rehabilitated housing units; supporting the St. Joseph's renovation project and the Hayti Heritage Center's popular Bull Durham Blues Festival; approving the renovation of 15 Durham parks; initiating a summer youth program that employs area youth to clean up neighborhoods and rights of way; voting to install more than 1,300 new street lights; closing the city landfill on time and in compliance with state regulations; hiring an outstanding new city manager; supporting CenterFest, the Carolina Theatre, the Durham Arts Council and the new Durham Bulls ball park; decreasing water rates; achieving and maintaining the city's AAA bond rating (Durham is one of 24 cities in the nation with this rating); and voting to entice IBM's software subsidiary, Tivoli Systems (and its jobs and taxes), with a package of incentives.

At a recent town hall meeting, proponents of the measure to cut our City Council were asked point-blank what evidence they had to show that a smaller council would be better for Durham. The forced smiles and stunned silence that greeted this question spoke volumes. When one proponent quickly tried to evade the question and change the subject, the moderator had to step in and re-ask the question. In the end, the proponents of the measure had no coherent answer to the central question of why they contend that smaller is better.

Yes, there are serious problems in Durham that still need serious attention. While there is more work to be done, many seem unaware of the accomplishments taking place all around us. Our elected leaders have successfully and actively been working to make Durham a great place to live and work (all with no property tax increases, by the way).

The momentum of these accomplishments is in jeopardy if this referendum succeeds. A smaller council would mean that fewer voices would be heard. Durham can boast of a diverse council that represents the diversity of our community. Reducing this representation would be a step backward.

Whatever we may want in a council from now on, we should think long and hard before punishing one that has done this much good. So, please circle Dec. 8 on your calendar and go vote "No" at the polls.