Durham is H.O.P.E.
Our path forward. Our promise to the people. Our governing agenda to build a better Durham—for everyone.
For Everyone Who’s Been Asking
Durham is H.O.P.E.
It is not a slogan. It is our governing agenda—written for every resident who has ever asked, “Will anyone do more than talk?”
Durham is H.O.P.E. is a charge—
to lead with care,
to deliver with clarity,
and to govern with the people, not apart from them.
In a time when politics is too often concerned with performing instead of providing, this agenda answers a different call.
It does not tiptoe around the truth.
It names what is broken.
It lays out what Anjanée Bell will do as mayor.
It shows how we build a better Durham—for everyone.
The pillars of H.O.P.E. are clear:
Housing & Healing.
Opportunity & Ownership.
People’s Safety & People’s Trust.
Environment & Education.
Each pillar is rooted in truth.
Sharpened by lived experience.
Built from table conversations, living room talks, porch-side reflections, community meetings, and the brilliance—and burden—of a Durham still becoming.
Each pillar delivers on the for everyone commitment—not just in words, but in policy, action, and results.
If we want a better Durham—for everyone—we need more than promises.
We need a plan.
Durham is H.O.P.E. is that plan.
It is our path forward—clear, people-powered, and built to deliver.
Housing & Healing
“A Safe Home—4 Everyone—Who Chooses Durham.”
In Durham, North Carolina, home has become a battleground—when it should be a place of rest and repair. Families are being priced out, evicted, and erased from neighborhoods they helped build. Systems meant to help—especially for survivors, seniors, and returning citizens—are too broken to work.
As mayor, Anjanée Bell will treat housing as a human right —and healing as public infrastructure. That means standing up for tenants, protecting long-time residents from being taxed out, and partnering with community-rooted developers who build with us—not over us.
We will stop calling housing “affordable” when it is anything but.
A better Durham starts with the people already here—because every block tells a story, and every one of them matters.
How We Deliver Housing & Healing:
Stop unfair evictions.
Help people keep their homes.
Use public land for housing—not profit.
Buy land now so people are not pushed out later.
Opportunity & Ownership
“A Safe Chance to Build Wealth—4 Everyone—Who Chooses Durham.”
Too many people in Durham are locked out of the very opportunities they helped create. Access to jobs, contracts, capital, and city resources still depends too much on who you know—not what you bring.
We will design our economy to work for the many—not the few.
We will push back against systems that extract, exclude, and exploit.
As mayor, Anjanée Bell will grow an economy that shares power, builds ownership, and works for everyday people—not just for profit. That means transforming how we do business—so small businesses, artists, and young people can thrive, not just survive. It means make sure that public dollars create wealth in our own communities—not just for big outside firms.
Opportunity means nothing without ownership.
Symbolism is not justice.
We are not just opening the door—we are changing who holds the keys.
How We Deliver Opportunity & Ownership:
Keep land in public hands—and use it to benefit the people.
Support Durham residents in owning the businesses that serve their neighborhoods
Prioritize local entrepreneurs in city contracts and procurement.
Make sure residents benefit from what gets built around them.
People’s Safety & People’s Trust
“A Safe Durham Day & Night—4 Everyone—Who Chooses Durham.”
In Durham, too many people feel unsafe—and unheard. Gun violence, under-resourced emergency services, and broken systems have created a crisis not just of safety, but of trust. We cannot ask people to believe in systems that deny them.
As mayor, Anjanée Bell will redefine what safety means—centering care, prevention, and community voice. That means investing in trusted crisis response, violence interruption, and fully staffed emergency services that are trained, supported, and accountable. It means putting resources where they are needed most—and making sure those most impacted are at the table, helping shape the path forward.
Safety should not be a privilege.
It should be a promise—for everyone.
How We Deliver People’s Safety & People’s Trust:
Fully staff, support, and retain who we need to serve and protect the city.
Fund teams that respond to crises with care.
Support programs that stop violence before it starts.
Create an easy-to-use website where everyone can see what the city is doing, how money is spent, and if promises are being kept.
Environment & Education
“A Safe Space to Grow, Play & Learn—4 Everyone—Who Chooses Durham.”
In Durham, the environment and education have too often been treated as extras—when they are, in fact, essential. Our parks, sidewalks, trails, and libraries should reflect our respect for every neighborhood. Our schools and learning spaces should be sacred ground—not afterthoughts.
As mayor, Anjanée Bell will fight for a city where public spaces are safe, clean, and connected—and where learning does not stop at the classroom door. That means investing in afterschool programs, honoring the wisdom of our elders and artists, and building green spaces that heal and connect us.
Every child, every family, every neighbor deserves to grow in a Durham designed with care.
How We Deliver Environment & Education:
Protect and expand parks, trails, and open spaces.
Improve sidewalks, lighting, and school zone infrastructure.
Make schools part of every city plan—not separate from it.
Support learning for all ages—in libraries, gardens, and neighborhoods.
What gives me hope.
What gives me hope is that Durham has not forgotten how to care. Even in the face of division, disillusionment, and displacement—there are people showing up, speaking out, and holding the line for what matters.
I have seen it in living rooms and church basements.
I have heard it in the voices of elders who remember what was—
and in the ideas of young people who imagine what could be.
I have felt it from neighbors who are tired—yet not done.
There is outrage in this city—not because people have given up,
but because they still believe.
They believe Durham can be better.
That belief, that fire, that insistence on something more—that gives me hope.
What gives me hope is that this city already holds the brilliance, the backbone, and the boldness it needs.
We do not have to import it.
We just have to center it. Trust it. Build with it.
Hope is not a strategy—
it is a signal.
In Durham, that signal is strong.
We are just getting started.
