The O'Neal-O-Meter: The complete list

The 9th Street Journal is tracking Durham Mayor Elaine O’Neal’s campaign promises with the O’Neal-O-Meter, which rates the promises on a scale similar to PolitiFact’s promise trackers.

We’ve compiled a tally of O’Neal’s 23 promises and explanation of our methodology in this article. A complete list of the promises is below. We’ll update them again later this year.

The promise: “Prioritize the shortage of 911 call center staff by addressing employee stress, dedicating financial incentives, and hiring with a trauma-informed perspective.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: Staffing shortages have long been a challenge for the Durham Emergency Call Center. In January 2023, WRAL News reported that only 51.6% of positions at the call center were filled. However, a call center memo released in March explained steps that have been taken to address the issue. The call center has provided financial incentives, increased recruitment efforts, provided emotional support to staff, and expanded training opportunities. Mayor O’Neal’s office wrote that she has been supportive of these efforts, and as of April 2023, 62.9% of positions are filled. Durham Tech’s 911 program has also produced seven new staffers, which was announced during O’Neal’s April 17 “State of the City” address.

The promise: “Declare racism a public health crisis.”
Our rating: Broken
Explanation: The Durham County Board of Commissioners declared racism a public health crisis in June 2020. The Durham Racial Equity Task force, which O’Neal was part of at the time, presented a 60-page report to the city the following month, recommending that the city follow in the county’s footsteps. No progress has been made since.

The promise: “Support public health priorities for vulnerable groups including mental health for our veterans, justice-connected youth, and immigrant communities.”
Our rating: Promise Kept
Explanation: In August 2022, the City of Durham launched a nonviolent crisis intervention program, the Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team (HEART). One function of HEART is to connect individuals with community-based resources. Some of these resources cater specifically to vulnerable groups, such as veterans, the LGBTQ+ community, and low-income individuals. Mayor O’Neal also showed support for marginalized groups through her participation in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. This program deploys a 12-person task force over seven months to examine barriers to affordable housing in Durham, including for persons with justice system involvement.

The promise: “Establish an Office of Gun Violence Prevention to resource and engage impacted communities in solving this problem from a pro-active, rather than reactive position.”
Our rating: Promise Broken
Explanation: At the time of publication, no Office of Gun Violence Prevention exists. The mayor’s office wrote that she has taken other action to address the gun violence issue in Durham, such as supporting a proposal from the Safety & Wellness Task Force to establish the Office of Survivor Care in the Safety & Wellness Department. OSC is a three-year pilot program that connects survivors of violence to additional support. Additionally, “plans are underway for a community forum to pull nonprofits together who operate within the violence prevention arena. This will allow us to get a sense of the foundation that we need to build in City government.”

The promise: “Address Covid-19 as it continues to adversely impact Durham across the City, prioritizing mental health, school communities, businesses, and economy.”
Our rating: Promise Kept
Explanation: The City of Durham currently offers the Water Hardship Fund for assistance with water bills and the Small Business Opportunity Loan Fund (known during the pandemic as the Small Business Recovery fund), which allows small businesses to receive loans from $5,000 to $35,000. The program’s website claims that “thanks in part to funds from Duke University, the Small Business Recovery Fund distributed just over $800,000 in loans to 38 small business owners in Durham.” Some programs, such as the down payment assistance program and the Durham Emergency Rental assistance program, have been stalled. Durham County is currently in the low-risk category for COVID-19 cases.

The promise: “Combat the growing epidemic of health misinformation.”
Our rating: Stalled
Explanation: On the city’s website, a search for “health misinformation” did not display any recent results, indicating a lack of action. The mayor’s office wrote that “alongside County Chair Howerton, Mayor O’Neal has begun the work to establish mental health hubs in neighborhoods across the City…these hubs can be a place to distribute other trusted resources to our residents.”

The promise: “Expand and fund the city’s eviction diversion program.”
Our rating: Promise Kept
Explanation: Funding for the city’s eviction diversion program has expanded under O’Neal’s leadership. Originally, the city of Durham had provided $500,000 for the years 2020-2023. This amount increased by $1 million for the years of 2022-2023 due to funding from the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act. Additionally, four new staff attorneys were hired in the summer of 2022 “as a result of the courthouse clinic [American Rescue Plan Act] funding project that the city graciously funded,” according to Sarah D’Amato, supervising attorney, at a February 2023 work session.

The promise: “Support universal basic income to alleviate the inability to pay for rent and other necessities.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: The Excel program, a pilot program for universal basic income, delivered monthly stipends of $600 to 109 individuals from March 22 to February 2023. The program, which O’Neal supported, was managed by StepUp, a local nonprofit, and funded by outside grants and donors. The pilot ended in February 2023. However, $1 million has been allocated in the city budget to continue this initiative, said Beverly Thompson, public affairs director for the City of Durham. This money will be used to “conduct a study to evaluate the outcomes of last year’s program; and to create a new, Excel-like program to perform many similar activities, including administering payments to ex-offenders who apply for assistance and are approved for financial assistance.”

The promise: “Prioritize veterans and military-connected families in terms of housing stability and security.”
Our rating: Compromise
Explanation: The city has funded a permit fee reimbursement program for single-family homes built for veterans who became disabled while serving. However, this represents just one subset of the veteran community.

The promise: “Ensure residents receive training and transit to reach the new jobs coming to Durham.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: Funding for the Vocational Apprenticeship Pilot Program, combined with improvements to public transportation (including a $13.5 million renovation to Durham’s main bus station, which will take place beginning in 2024), indicate significant progress towards this goal.

The promise: “Prioritize and allocate funds to ensure safe streets, sidewalks, bus stops, and bus shelters that are also ADA compliant.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: In December 2022, the Durham County transit plan was released in partnership with the city. It addresses some of O’Neal’s pledges on transit, such as improving bus stop accessibility and pedestrian safety. The plan allocates over $1 billion in funding for transportation improvements and is set to be approved this year. The plan has received a mixed reaction from the city’s transportation activist community. Bike Durham wrote that it is an important start, but “not enough.” Their blog claims that the plan leaves critical bus routes unfunded, doesn’t show a commitment to zero fares, and does not show how some projects will be fully funded, including sidewalk connections and the Better Bus Project recommendations on Holloway and Fayetteville Streets and other locations throughout the city. According to O’Neal’s office, the mayor “has submitted numerous letters of support for funding as the Transit Plan is not enough funding to cover all needed upfits to our system.”

The promise: “Expand Durham Youth Commission and remove barriers to ensure equitable and representative participation.”
Our rating: Promise Kept
Explanation: Formerly known as the Durham Youth Commission, the Changed by Youth Ambassador Program saw expansion during O’Neal’s term. In 2022, the city and county renewed an interlocal cooperation agreement that bolstered the program. The city will fund ten youth ambassadors and the county will fund five youth ambassadors, with all fifteen representatives working on initiatives impacting young people in Durham. In their Highlights of 2022 pamphlet, the Change by Youth program called the agreement “a huge win for Durham.”

The promise: “Collaborate directly with Durham youth and community partners at a neighborhood level to create a healthy youth ecosystem, including recreational activities and youth-driven solutions.”
Our rating: Promise Kept
Explanation: In addition to the Changed by Youth Program, the Durham Youth Leadership Fund was created to allocate grants towards youth issues. In the fund’s first year, 13 grantees received a total of $136,000 to kick off projects that focused on “youth leadership, welcoming and supportive spaces, and emergency COVID-19 response.” Furthermore, Durham Parks and Recreation’s Splash & Play program is set to provide widely accessible recreational spaces as early as next spring.

The promise: “Improve mental health services and counseling, addiction services, relationship building, and opportunities to build youth resilience.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: An “overwhelming” need for improved mental health resources was identified by the Durham Youth Listening Project in 2022. Funding allocated by the city towards the Durham Youth Leadership Fund in 2023-24 will focus on addressing this issue. Also, at a budget meeting in March 2023, the city council submitted a request to invest $230,000 into a mentorship program.

The promise: “Establish a hotline that immediately connects young people to the services they need.”
Our rating: Compromise
Explanation: While no youth-specific hotline exists, the city offers a one-way text line for people under 25 called YODurham Text. The line is described as a way to “get occasional texts about resources available to you in Durham.”

The promise: “Foster community connection and sense of belonging through youth job opportunities, job fairs, summer camps, and other opportunities.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: The Durham YouthWorks program offers youth aged 14-24 the opportunity to gain work experience and develop skills through paid summer positions in local businesses, nonprofits and city and county government. The mayor’s office added that O’Neal “is partnering through a subcommittee with Durham Public Schools Chair and County Commissioner Chair to bring summer recreational opportunities across all three entities to one website so that parents have a one-stop shop to secure summer opportunities for youth.”

The promise: “Increased resources (including language and disability access) to reduce barriers for immigrant and refugee families.”
Our rating: Promise Kept
Explanation: Durham has had a language access plan in place since 2019. Mishel Gómez Céspedes, language access plan coordinator for the city, wrote in an email to The 9th Street Journal that “the City has made substantial progress” in the past year and a half. Gómez Céspedes listed several milestones achieved during O’Neal’s term, including contracting and implementing a city-wide telephonic language service, expanding language incentive pay for bilingual employees, and improving timely communication with Spanish speakers through the city’s Spanish-language Facebook page and television programming. “I appreciate the support and commitment leadership has demonstrated to make our City more inclusive for all residents,” she wrote.

The promise: “Establish a job pipeline that leverages connections between high schools, Durham Tech Community College, NCCU, and Duke to expand opportunities for well-paying jobs, particularly for youth.”
Our rating: In the Works
Information: The YouthWorks program connects Durham youth with internship opportunities at local businesses, and a vocational apprenticeship pilot, which was greenlighted by the City Council at a March 2023 budget hearing, could be approved in May. Durham Tech is also expanding its life science offerings to prepare students for jobs at Eli Lilly through a partnership with the company.

The promise: ”Support efforts to remove barriers from Black, Latinx, and other underrepresented communities to receive funding, mentorship, and other resources for their business.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: The City of Durham has made strides towards achieving this goal through the small business opportunity loan fund and the SEED program, which preserves minority-owned legacy businesses through mentorship and training. The mayor’s office added that the mayor has begun planning a town hall for fall 2023 focused on the needs of small business owners.

The promise: Prioritize racial equity by upholding recommendations of the Racial Equity Task Force. When asked about her priorities in a 2021 questionnaire from the People’s Alliance PAC, O’Neal wrote, “I am committed to ensuring that racial equity is not just a box to be checked or a training to complete, but rather the driver of my administration versus an afterthought. I will commit to the recommendations that we as a task force put forth to the city.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: The city has followed some of the recommendations of the Durham Racial Equity Task Force during O’Neal’s term, leading to creation of the HEART program, the Excel pilot program for universal basic income, and the Splash & Play project, which provides recreation opportunities for underserved areas. Some recommendations, such as establishing a Racial Equity Fund, declaring racism a public health crisis, and paying reparations to marginalized groups, have not been carried out yet.

The promise: Support community-led violence interruption programs. In an interview with INDY week, O’Neal said, “We have great community-driven and community-led resources such as violence interruption programs like Bull City United (through Durham County DPH), but it’s important to innovate in this space and to dedicate resources for this work. I will continue to support violence interruption and also support those doing that work using a trauma-informed perspective. We need to care for the people we are asking to do incredibly dangerous work.”
Our rating: Promise Kept
Explanation: City Council voted to invest more than $900k in Bull City United this February as part of an interlocal agreement with Durham County to expand the program’s staffing and service areas. The move is a continuation of support from local officials. The Appeal, a nonprofit newsroom that reports on criminal justice issues, reported that Bull City United’s budget has increased about fivefold since 2016 and that staff has more than tripled since the program launched.

The promise: Fund city-wide networks of sidewalks and protected bike lanes. In response to a Bike Durham mayoral questionnaire, published by the organization’s blog, O’Neal stated that, “As a City Council member, I will continue to support projects already in motion, such as the Bicycle Boulevards plan, using existing calm streets to create connected pathways that prioritize the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: At least two city projects are currently underway: new intersections at Renaissance Pkwy and Leonardo Drive, and large-scale sidewalk repairs. The city will also be installing 7 miles of bicycle routes, known as Bike Boulevards, in Durham this spring.

The promise: Fill vacancies in the police department and increase officer pay. At her first press conference in December 2021, O’Neal said, “And you have to have healthy police officers…so if our vacancies are that high, we’re going to have to address that. And that means that we have to put more bodies in that space, and we have to make sure that those salaries are competitive, and that they are taken care of mentally, physically, and psychologically.”
Our rating: In the Works
Explanation: As of April 2023, there are over 100 vacancies in the Durham Police Department, despite the City Council’s vote to raise pay for starting officers by about 10 percent last year. To fill the positions, the department has bolstered its recruiting efforts, including a signing bonus and paid family leave. O’Neal’s office wrote that she has supported all the police department’s recruitment and retention efforts.

Above: O’Neal-O-Meter design by Nina Moske – The 9th Street Journal

The O’Neal-O-Meter: The complete list

Sevana Wenn