WHO ARE THE FRIENDS OF DURHAM?
We are a political action committee but PACs in Durham are different. We interview and support candidates we feel would do the best job and support our views.
The philosophy of the Friends of Durham is to make Durham a better place for everyone.
We feel that this is best accomplished by focusing our energies on local issues, primarily those issues that fall under the control of the City Council, the County Commission and the School Board. We also focus on local offices like the sheriff, district attorney, clerk of court, and judgeships.
We work to make the local governments that impact Durham citizens more representative of all its citizens and more responsive to the welfare of all its people.
Our core issues are Crime, Education, Taxes and Race Relations.
Crime - We must support our law enforcement officers and other first responders (firemen, EMTs and 911 operators). Not only must we pay them adequately we must show them how much we appreciate what they do for us. In this era of "Defund the Police" it is critical that we do what we can to help them.
Education - We believe in a variety of educational choices. We support our traditional public schools but also support our charter schools, private schools and home schoolers. We think parents should be able to choose how they want their children educated. We believe that good jobs are a solution to many of our troubles and strongly support Durham Tech as an excellent way to move residents into those positions.
Taxes - Taxes are a necessary evil but are a necessary part of life. They should pay primarily for basic services: water and sewer, trash collection, first responders, streets, etc. We are skeptical about "feel good programs."
Race Relations – Too often race is used to divide us. We all want the same things, a safe place to live, good education for our children, good jobs, a nice place to live. Too often we get caught up in our differences instead of our similarities.
Affordable Housing – Durham has become one of the most popular place in the country. Our restaurants, employment, entertainment facilities and quality of life are all excellent. This has caused property values to skyrocket which is great if you own your home. For those who are trying to buy a home or are renting it is a different story. We need to help first time homeowners and renters to be able to live here.
WHAT ARE THESE DURHAM PACS?
You may have heard about the political action committees here in Durham. What are they and what do they do. The board of elections list seven PACs but the main three are the Friends of Durham, The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the People’s Alliance. All of the PACs interview candidates for local office and endorse those they feel will do the best job for Durham. We are sometime rivals and sometime allies. Here is our take on the groups. For more information go to their websites.
Friends of Durham – We are a moderate group composed of Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters. We are a very racially diverse group. We support our police and other first responders and are in favor of all school options.
Durham Committee of the Affairs of Black People – As the name implies they are a group of African-Americans who want to promote the welfare of Black people. They are mostly Democrats and are exclusively Black. Politically they are hard to define since their membership is composed of business people and advocates for more progressive issues.
People’s Alliance – They are a “progressive” group. They are mostly Democrats and support a liberal agenda. Some of their issues are LGBTQ rights, traditional public schools (they do not support chart schools) and they have not been supportive of our police.
You may have heard about the political action committees here in Durham. What are they and what do they do. The board of elections list seven PACs but the main three are the Friends of Durham, The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the People’s Alliance. All of the PACs interview candidates for local office and endorse those they feel will do the best job for Durham. We are sometime rivals and sometime allies. Here is our take on the groups. For more information go to their websites.
Friends of Durham – We are a moderate group composed of Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters. We are a very racially diverse group. We support our police and other first responders and are in favor of all school options.
Durham Committee of the Affairs of Black People – As the name implies they are a group of African-Americans who want to promote the welfare of Black people. They are mostly Democrats and are exclusively Black. Politically they are hard to define since their membership is composed of business people and advocates for more progressive issues.
People’s Alliance – They are a “progressive” group. They are mostly Democrats and support a liberal agenda. Some of their issues are LGBTQ rights, traditional public schools (they do not support chart schools) and they have not been supportive of our police.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Wendell Bullard, Chair - Wendell is a licensed real estate broker and is the managing broker at Bullard Properties, LLC, in Durham. He has experience in commercial brokerage, land, and residential sales. Bullard is a past President of the Durham Regional Association of REALTORS® and the North Carolina Association of REALTORS® and is a past REALTOR® of the Year in both organizations. He also served as a NAR® Director and REALTOR® Party Liaison for Community Engagement. Wendell Bullard was appointed to the Commission by Governor Cooper in 2018
Mr. Bullard is also an original founding member of several charter schools in North Carolina. He holds a B.S. in Marketing from North Carolina Central University and is a United States Air Force Security Specialists veteran.
Dan Jewel, Vice Chair -
David Smith, Secretary - David is a Durham native and past chair of the Friends (1995-1998 and 2006-2013). He has served on numerous boards and commissions for the city, county, school board and state. He was chair when the council was reduced from 13 to 7 members and worked with Ken Spaulding Chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People to work with the community to put aside racial differences. He is a commercial real estate appraiser.
Bryan Scherich, Treasurer -
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The Friends of Durham is a political action committee. We are required to collect certain information for campaign reporting requirements. By clicking on the “Donate Once/Donate Monthly” button, you confirm that the following statements are true and accurate to the best of your knowledge: I am not a foreign national who lacks permanent residence in the United States. This contribution is made from my own funds, and not those of another. I am at least eighteen years old. North Carolina Contribution maximum contribution for individuals and PACs is $5,400 per candidate per election. Corporations and labor organizations are prohibited from donating. State law requires that we collect and report name, address, occupation, and employer of each contributor. Contributions from foreign nationals are prohibited by law. Donations are not deductible as charitable donations for federal or state income tax purposes.
