Burris Emerges as Strong Challenger in Ward Two

From left to right: Ashley Robbins, Shanetta Burris, and Mark Anthony-Middleton

In the Ward Two race for the Durham city council, the incumbent Mark-Anthony Middleton is facing challengers Shanetta Burris and Ashley Robbins. The contest is best viewed through the lens of key issues that have recently divided the council such as development issues, treatment of city workers, and a Gaza ceasefire resolution.

Mayor pro tempore Middleton was first elected to council in 2017 and serves as pastor of Abundant Hope Christian Church. Burris has a background in political nonprofits such as Supermajority, Lillian’s List, and the Black Voters Matter Fund. Robbins is a graduate assistant at NC Central University and an assistive technology manager at Wake Tech Community College.

Development

The main division on Durham city council is a 4-3 split on the annexation and rezoning requests submitted by property developers. The groups disagree on how hearings should be used to extract benefits such as affordable housing from developers and about the desirability of unaffordable, unsustainable, auto-centric suburban sprawl.

The council majority consists of Middleton as well as Javiera Caballero, Carl Rist, and mayor Leonardo Williams. In 2024, Middleton and Williams voted for 100 percent of annexations and rezonings requested by developers, according to Bull City Public Investigators.

Durham city council votes in 2024 on zoning changes and consolidated annexations

Image credit: BCPI

The council minority is made up of Nate Baker, Chelsea Cook, and DeDreana Freeman. Roughly speaking, this group votes against one-third of developer requests. They do so when they feel that the companies have not provided enough benefits, or that a specific project does not align with urban planning priorities such as cost-effective provision of municipal services. Since Baker, Cook, and Freeman are a minority bloc, their opposition usually doesn't stop annexations or rezonings.

Durham has annexed around 11 square miles of outlying land since 2017 [1]. Critics have warned that as suburban sprawl fills these areas, it will "produce an initial sugar high of economic activity, but [leave the city] hollowed out and fragile". Although developers make enormous profits with little risk, "local governments get the bill. Sprawling developments create long-term infrastructure liabilities [such as] roads, water lines, sewer systems, schools, fire protection ... that far exceed the revenue they generate".

If elected, Burris would likely join the council minority on development votes. She has said, “Time and again, rezoning and annexation decisions favor developers over community interests – regardless of coalition diversity, size, or the facts presented” and “the city council must use its power of discretionary review to demand our fair share” [2].

Property developers and the city council should have a constructive but oppositional relationship. Understandably, developers are focused on making money. Durham residents, represented by the city council, have other concerns such as housing affordability, living in a well-planned city, and so on.

Yet, only the council minority argues the public interest in development hearings. Members of the council majority often side with developers and spend their allotted time criticizing the attending public and council minority for negotiating benefits from the companies. Of the council majority, only Rist shows the minimal level of civility needed to maintain professional relationships.

A recent annexation case dealt with 300 acres on the border of Durham and Wake counties. During the hearing on the Durham Gateway at Brier Creek, the council minority criticized the project and other similar cases as car-dependent sprawl. Middleton bristled at the label ‘car-centric’ and said he viewed transportation as a matter of personal choice:

“If you’re concerned about car-centric sprawl ... and you never ride the bus, never walk anywhere, never ride your bike, use a skateboard or whatever, or a scooter, then you’re living a car-centric lifestyle” [3, timestamp 3:49:00].

In contrast, Burris takes the position that city planning contributes to making walkability and bike-ability feasible choices. She has said, “As our city continues to grow, it is vital to reduce our dependence on motor vehicles, and implementing fare-free bus services can serve as an excellent incentive” [4].

Middleton voted to annex the Durham Gateway along with Caballero, Rist, and Williams. Baker and Cook voted against and Freeman was absent.

As a progressive city under a right-wing state and federal government, Durham faces many legal barriers to solving its housing crisis. On this score, Burris has said, “the council should be proactive in utilizing vacant city-owned properties to create affordable housing” but that since “the median development cost per unit has remained steady at $250,000 … it is evident that our community will need to rely on capital from both the private and public sectors” [4].

Negotiations with developers to execute this type of public-private partnership can be extremely difficult, subject not only to political divisions but also market forces that scare off companies. Plans to redevelop the former police HQ at 505 West Chapel Hill Street have caused the council headaches for years, but still hold a great deal of promise because ownership gives the city more leverage than usual. The former police HQ is city-owned, so housing units built on it could be rent stabilized and very affordable.

In August 2024, debate over 505 West Chapel Hill Street scrambled the usual factions. Caballero and Rist joined Baker, Cook, and Freeman in voting to require either “substantial additional affordable units or an annual cap on rent increases not to exceed six percent” [5, timestamp 1:51:00].

Williams was absent. In isolation, Middleton argued and voted against the proposal to limit yearly rent increases to six percent: “I don’t know the math or science behind that number. It might need to be higher than six percent. I mean where did that number come from? I don’t know the calculus or the equation that came up with that number… It might need to be nine percent or eight percent” [5, timestamp 1:36:00].

Robbins, a socialist candidate with an unfiltered style, talked about her views on development in an Indyweek questionnaire. She said, “It’s really crucial to break up the pro-development bloc on city council. They are selling the city off and pushing poor and working-class people further and further out. It feels like a second wave of urban renewal is about to accelerate” [6].

City Workers

City workers in Durham were subjected to real terms pay cuts for at least two years after COVID hit. As the FY23-24 budget was debated, the council split 4-3 on how quickly wages should be raised back to ‘normal’. Many municipal employees were already not paid a living wage before the pandemic [7].

Step raises for city workers were skipped in FY20-21 and low in FY21-22. During this period of wage austerity, the council majority poured money into Durham’s rainy-day fund, which rose about $25 million over three fiscal years [8, pg. 161].

In June 2023, as the FY23-24 budget was debated, former mayor Elaine O’Neal introduced a motion to give firefighters ‘reclassifications’ that had been skipped during COVID. This would have set aside $8 million for pay raises. O’Neal’s motion was voted down 4-3. Middleton as well as Caballero, Williams, and former council member Jillian Johnon voted against. Freeman, O’Neal, and former council member Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman voted in favor [7].

Middleton called O’Neal’s motion “posturing”. During that time, Burris was running her first campaign for the Ward Two seat. She supported the FY23-24 firefighter reclassifications, a position that contributed to a UE Local 150 endorsement. The city workers union endorsed Burris again in 2025. Shanetta has also been endorsed by the NC AFL-CIO, the state's largest trade union federation.

In Sept. 2023, city workers in the Department of Solid Waste Management held a ‘stand down’ to protest years of low wages and low raises. They refused to collect trash and recycling, forcing the city to rely on contractor scabs.

Image credit: Labor Notes

Even before two years of wage austerity, many city workers were driven to pick up second jobs, live outside Durham for cheaper rent, or quit their jobs. Vacancies in many city departments began to rise. In Oct. 2023, the Department of Public Works had a 69 percent vacancy rate [9].

The ‘stand down’ forced the city to cave and pay bonuses in the short term. In the middle term, UE Local 150 has been strengthened by improved morale and public support.

During her 2023 run, Burris said, “If elected, during the FY24-25 budget cycle, I would work with my colleagues on council and the city manager to ensure that we devise a strategy for addressing issues regarding the lack of step pay for city employees” [10].

During the FY24-25 budget cycle, Middleton and the council majority opposed many demands from UE Local 150, according to the union. Specifically, they would not support reclassification of Solid Waste workers, modifying the Living Wage Ordinance to pay workers at least $25 an hour, or changing the calculation of annual steps to be fairer towards lower paid workers [11].

In 2025, Burris was asked by Indyweek the most important thing done by Durham city council in the past year. She said, “I was glad to see that the city council raised the minimum wage for city employees from $19.58 to $21.90 per hour” [4].

Robbins doesn’t appear to have statements directly related to recent disputes over Durham city workers. However, her social media makes it obvious that she supports unions and has a robust class consciousness.

After a Durham Rising forum on Aug. 28, Robbins posted, “Support the Durham Rising campaign and labor organizations such as UE Local 150, Union of Southern Service Workers, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance fighting for workers’ rights!” [12]

Gaza

In Feb. 2024, Middleton and Williams voted against a Gaza ceasefire resolution that passed 5-2. Baker, Caballero, Cook, Freeman, and Rist voted in favor. Since Oct. 2023, the US has provided decisive support for Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza.

Middleton was flown to Israel for a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Knesset in Dec. 2022. The propaganda trip was sponsored by the America-Israel Friendship League [13].

In Sept. 2025, a new nonprofit called Yes for Durham endorsed Middleton. The group was initially registered to a building owned by Ari Medoff, a pro-Israel healthcare CEO. Yes for Durham also endorsed Medoff's wife, Diana, who is running for the council seat in Ward Three [14]. The Ward Three incumbent is Chelsea Cook, who is Jewish and supported the ceasefire resolution.

Burris does not appear to have made any public statements about Gaza. Among Ward Two candidates, Robbins has by far the most outspoken record on Palestinian human rights. On Sept. 3, her Instagram account shows her wearing a keffiyeh; on Aug. 11 she criticizes public figures who have been silent on Gaza, Sudan, and Congo; and on July 26 she reposted a video of Chris Smalls, an American labor organizer who joined a flotilla to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Anti-genocide protest in Durham Central Park.

Work Cited

1. Durham just agreed to annex 300+ acres in Brier Creek. Here’s what it means. (2025, September 4). Raleigh News & Observer. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article311950834.html

2. Shanetta Burris. (2025, July 24). Hayti Heritage Square Rezoning. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DMgV-ljOeSG

3. Durham City Council. (2025, September 2). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjXXyRruhzM

4. Durham City Council, Ward 2: Shanetta Burris. (2025, September 9). INDY Week. https://indyweek.com/news/durham/2025-elections-durham-city-council-shanetta-burris/

5. Durham City Council. (2024, August 19). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfmAc3Q7LMQ

6. Durham City Council, Ward 2: Ashley N. Robbins. (2025, September 10). INDY Week. https://indyweek.com/news/durham/2025-elections-durham-city-council-ashley-robbins/

7. Durham’s budget passes at fiery meeting. What each city council member had to say. (2023, June 21). Raleigh News & Observer. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article276583981.html

8. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023. City of Durham, https://www.durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/53931/CITY-OF-DURHAM-FY23-ACFR---FINAL

9. North Carolina sanitation workers strike for $5K bonuses. (2023, October 6). Labor Notes. https://labornotes.org/2023/10/north-carolina-sanitation-workers-strike-5k-bonuses

10. INDY Staff. (2023, September 20). Durham City Council At-Large: Shanetta Burris. INDY Week. https://indyweek.com/news/elections-news/durham-city-council-at-large-shanetta-burris/

11. UE Local 150 (2024, June 23). Durham City workers win largest wage increases in many years but fight for fair pay continues. Durham Dispatch. https://www.durhamdispatch.com/post/durham-city-workers-win-largest-wage-increases-in-many-years-but-fight-for-fair-pay-continues

12. Ashley Robbins / Bull City Vanguard. (2025, September 9). Durham Rising Candidate Forum. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DOY_kf9DrUt/

13. Durham official headed to Israel on government-sponsored visit of Black leaders. (2022, December 3). Raleigh News & Observer. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article269533217.html

14. Anonymous Durham political group has ties to candidate it endorsed. (2025, September 16). INDY Week. https://indyweek.com/news/durham/yes-for-durham/