last week.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ll miss it like you wouldn\u2019t believe,\u201d Reece said of leaving his position on council. \u201cIt was the hardest decision I\u2019ll ever make as a politician. But at the same time, it was one of the easiest decisions I\u2019ve ever made as a husband and father.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nReece\u2019s resignation will allow him to support his wife and their business while keeping their family together, he said. His alternative option \u2013 to remain in Durham with his children while Laura works in Europe \u2013 didn\u2019t line up with his priorities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThat\u2019s just not the family life we all signed up for,\u201d Reece said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nReece was re-elected as an at-large council member in 2019, and his current term was set to end on Dec. 4, 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn his statement to city council and constituents, Reece expressed appreciation for his colleagues and his time serving Durham. Announcing his resignation was \u201cemotionally challenging,\u201d Reece said in an interview with The 9th Street Journal. But he said he\u2019s leaving Durham in capable hands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI am confident that this council is moving our city in the right direction,\u201d Reece said. \u201cI know that they will appoint someone who loves Durham as much as I do, and that\u2019s what matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOnce Reece officially resigns next week, city council will have 60 days to appoint his successor, as required by Durham\u2019s city charter. The council will choose a replacement from a pool of applicants. Any adult living within city limits and registered to vote in Durham is eligible to apply.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe process of appointing Reece\u2019s successor will be quite similar to previous years\u2019, according to Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton, who will oversee the procedure. The council had to fill a vacancy in 2018 when Mayor Bill Bell retired, and again in 2020 following council member Vernetta Alston\u2019s resignation.<\/span><\/p>\nCouncil will post an application online shortly after Reece\u2019s last day, Middleton said. The list of applicants will be made available to the public, he added.<\/span><\/p>\nDurham citizens will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on candidates for Reece\u2019s seat, Middleton said. Finalists selected by city council will be invited to an interview with current council members, he said, and each finalists\u2019 interview will be broadcast online.<\/span><\/p>\nAfter the interviews are complete, citizens will be able to submit comments as in past years, Middleton said. In 2018, the council held an in-person public comment session. In 2020, due to the pandemic, Durhamites were instead invited to call in or email their comments regarding the finalists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAfter receiving public comment, council members will vote to select Reece\u2019s successor.\u00a0<\/span>A finalist needs four votes from the six council members in order to be appointed.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI think it\u2019s a really strong process,\u201d Reece said. \u201cIt provides transparency and allows anybody who wants to to apply, and it allows the public to weigh in with us about their thoughts and concerns about the various applicants, especially at the finalist stage.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nReece said he chose to announce his resignation now so that his successor will have ample time to get acclimated to the role ahead of city budget decisions this June.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI want the appointee to have enough time to dig into what is a pretty dense process,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhile his wife conducts business with their company\u2019s new partners, Reece does not plan to work when his family arrives in Europe. He will miss serving Durham immensely, he said, but he\u2019s ready for the change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m going to be a stay-at-home dad for the next little while,\u201d Reece said. \u201cThere are pleasures and rewards for that life as well, and I look forward to discovering them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAbove: Durham City Council member Charlie Reece, who won reelection in 2019, will depart the Bull City later this spring. Photo by Cameron Beach – 9th Street Journal<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After nearly seven years of public service, Charlie Reece will join his last Durham City Council meeting in less than a week. The city clerk…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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":[12],"tags":[58,104,269],"class_list":["post-6290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-government","tag-city-council","tag-durham-city-council","tag-the-9th-street-journal","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n
Charlie Reece bids adieu to Durham City Council - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n