Durham City Council heard three hours of passionate public testimony Wednesday night for four candidates seeking the vacant Ward 3 seat. About 30 speakers advocated for Chávez Swain, Shanetta Burris, Chelsea Cook, and Amanda Borer, with each candidate receiving roughly five supporters. Council will vote on the appointment Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m., and the winner will be sworn in that same evening at the regular council meeting.
Shanetta Burris emerged as a frontrunner in supporters' eyes, with advocates emphasizing her 20-year history in Ward 3 and unwavering commitment despite a failed 2017 council race. Thelma White detailed Burris's volunteer work—phone banking, poll volunteering, delivering lunches to poll workers, attending neighborhood meetings, and recently donating bags of food to the JC Henderson senior center. White said even after losing her election, "she has continued to be involved in this community." Ryan Jenkins, the former Progressive Caucus president who is departing for Foreign Service, called Burris "the leading candidate" with "well researched, well prepared, well considered" answers at Monday's candidate forum. Emerson Kirby, Burris's 23-year-old daughter, spoke emotionally about attending civic meetings across the country with her mother since childhood.
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