{"id":11627,"date":"2024-02-28T20:09:25","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T20:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=11627"},"modified":"2024-02-28T20:09:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T20:09:25","slug":"meet-the-candidate-fredrick-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/02\/28\/meet-the-candidate-fredrick-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the candidate: Fredrick Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editors\u2019 Note: Eleven candidates \u2014 all Democrats \u2014 are vying for five seats on the Durham County Board of Commissioners in the March 5 election. No Republicans or Libertarians have entered the contest, so the March 5 results will determine who sits on the commission. The 9th Street Journal is profiling candidates in the race.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

As Fredrick Davis departed the Durham church where he had just begun pastoring, he drove past a small wooden building that typically eluded his attention. Sealed behind boarded windows and swarming with pigeons, this eerie \u201cdrug-infested facility\u201d was, by all accounts, a tear-down.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Davis had a vision. Learning it was county surplus property, he purchased the building for $25 in 1992, he says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Today, music reverberates through the halls as families gather in what was once an eyesore. The Community Family Life & Recreation Center at Lyon Park, where Davis is founder and chairman of the board, attracts Durham residents of all ages: toddlers stumbling around the center\u2019s pre-K classes, students with special needs shooting basketball hoops in the gymnasium, families visiting the center\u2019s Duke health clinic outpost, and senior citizens (or in Davis\u2019 terms, \u201cmature adults\u201d) convening to puzzle and sew.<\/span><\/p>\n

This $6.4 million project was no easy feat, but Davis is proud of the results.<\/span><\/p>\n

The initiative also attracted new congregants to First Calvary Baptist Church, where Davis pastored for 31 years before retiring in 2022. In that time, church membership grew from 150 congregants to 1,200, Davis says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On a recent Saturday, Davis, 67, sports a cherry-red sweater vest and corduroy pants. He has a warm, resonant laugh that naturally elicits laughter in return. Davis is one of 11 Democrat candidates vying for five seats on the Durham County Board of Commissioners. Davis, who describes himself as a moderate, has received an endorsement from the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’m running as a community activist,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat sets me apart is my integrity as a servant leader.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pastoral ministry brought Davis, originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Durham in 1991. He holds an undergraduate degree from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte and a master\u2019s in religion from Morehouse College in Atlanta.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite his religious background, Davis describes himself as \u201cinterfaith.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI respect the belief system of all people,\u201d he says. \u201cYou name it: Shintoism, Hinduism, Judaism, <\/span>Bah\u00e1\u02bc\u00ed Faith<\/span><\/a>, Islam, Judaism, non-spirituality.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though First Calvary is a Baptist church, it is not a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, and it rejects some of that denomination\u2019s more conservative perspectives, such as its stance on the ordination of women as ministers. \u201cI\u2019ve ordained, personally, as a pastor, over 15 women,\u201d Davis says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis raised his three children in Durham with his wife of 50 years, his former high school sweetheart. \u201cAnd I plan on being buried in the cemetery right over there,\u201d he points outside the community center window.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis previously served two terms on the Durham school board, from 2006 to 2014.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More recently, the school system is currently suffering from the results of a payroll snafu. Workers were given raises, and then the raises were retracted when the school board learned that the payments would cost nearly $9 million over budget. The schools\u2019 financial woes will likely be a major topic for the Board of Commissioners going forward. When asked how the commissioners should respond to the schools\u2019 payroll crisis, however, Davis declined to comment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Minnie Forte-Brown, who served on the Durham school board with Davis and is the president of the North Carolina School Boards Association, praises Davis\u2019 work in the West End and in the Durham community.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith his vision and his work ethic, he\u2019s not somebody just pipe dreaming,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to get in the trenches with you and get it done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While on the school board, Davis says he fought for marginalized students and families and gained additional experience dealing with budgets. \u201cThe community center was also a $6.4 million project. The church bill was $7.2 million,\u201d he says. \u201cI know about budgeting.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He worries that young people are not aware of the opportunities that exist for them here in Durham and wants to incentivize students to remain in the local workforce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s offer corporations that are moving here an employment base to draw from,\u201d he says. \u201cEverybody\u2026from Apple doesn\u2019t have to come from California or Connecticut. What about the people who grew up here?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis says he is also passionate about governmental transparency and safe, affordable housing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat distinguishes me is my name on the grassroots level,\u201d he says. \u201cFrom as far as Rosemont, as far as South Lake, as far as\u2026the senior JJ Henderson towers, to right here in the West End.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Early voting continues through March 2, and the election takes place March 5.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Above: Photo of Fredrick Davis by Maddie Wray \u2014 The 9th Street Journal\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editors\u2019 Note: Eleven candidates \u2014 all Democrats \u2014 are vying for five seats on the Durham County Board of Commissioners in the March 5 election.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":11631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[392,12],"tags":[269],"class_list":["post-11627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elections-2024","category-local-government","tag-the-9th-street-journal","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the candidate: Fredrick Davis - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/02\/28\/meet-the-candidate-fredrick-davis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the candidate: Fredrick Davis - 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