Thread by @WRALSarah

BREAKING from the #Durham City Council work session:

Per mayor, an unnamed council member is under investigation for apparently telling a developer that he/she would support a project in exchange for a donation to that council member's campaign. @WRAL

O'Neal says the developer reported the offer to City staff, and the City Attorney alerted Council members on 3/13/2023.

O'Neal says she immediately reached out to the UNC School of Government for assistance on how to handle this. #Durham @WRAL

O'Neal says the City Attorney met with members of City Council to discuss the allegations, and the consensus is that the "allegations are incredibly disturbing" and may constitute criminal activity, and could lead to criminal consequences.

Because of that, City Council elected to refer the matter to law enforcement. City Council staff is currently in the process of preparing a formal report of the matter to provide to state law enforcement.

Jillian Johnson just introduced a resolution to censure Council member Monique Holsey-Hyman, but it's seemingly unrelated to alleged incident with the developer.

It's a censure for allegedly engaging a City staffer to do campaign-related work for her.

Holsey-Hyman shares remarks, addressing proposed resolution to censure her. She says she asked a City staffer in Sept. 2022 for some information about PACs. "I was informed that this request of a City staffer was considered campaign-related research"

Holsey-Hyman says, in January 2023, a City staffer offered to volunteer and assist her. She says she told that staffer to consult with City HR. She claims HR granted permission for City staffer to do so.

Councilwoman Freeman: "It's troubling how this has come forward, and it's been troubling me as a matter of the way in which Council member Hyman has explained the mis-representations that she did explain, and how it's dismissed in a very matter of fact ways..."

"...It's often dismissed whenever a woman is speaking at this dais. I am really just angry and disgusted with what has culminated over the last two weeks..."

"... And I'm still trying to unpack how it got balled up together and thrown at one council member, when I know for a fact that there have been many staff members involved in different campaigns."

Johnson says she wrote the resolution from the information that was provided to Council via email regarding the incidents.

Johnson: "None of us wants to be here. Nobody wants to do this." Says she was up until 4 in the morning "panicking" about this situation.

"This crosses the line for me into an actual ethical violation that is documented and that I think needs to be responded to."

Johnson: "We have a very high bar. We have a very high threshold for taking this kind of action." Johnson says she believes maybe there was a censure of a council member 20 years ago or more.

Holsey-Hyman says she is really disappointed. In her 58 years, "never has my character been questioned."

"I have never in my life been sanctioned."

"The staffer has more experience than I do in terms of...the person has ran before...and actually approached me."

Holsey-Hyman says she is upset that none of the council members asked her about the allegations/wanted to hear her side of things.

Holsey-Hyman: "If you wanted to try to break my spirit, you're on the verge of it."

There’s a pastor here who says he has been watching. Just asked if he could pray for the Council…which he is doing now.
Tough meeting.

Mayor O’Neal and Holsey-Hyman declined my request for an interview as they walked out.

Tensions are erupting now in Council chambers, even with the meeting over.
Councilwoman Freeman and Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton are screaming at each other, out of public view. The language is too offensive for me to post a video.

⚠️ WARNING: Language ⚠️

After the emotional work session, Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton and Council member DeDreana Freeman got into a yelling match.

They were still in Council chambers, but behind a wall, so were obstructed from view.

The yelling started before I hit record, and continued after I stopped recording, going on for at least four minutes.

Thanks to all who are following this thread. I'm trying to gather the events of the meeting into a clear, concise format.

I'll have a live report on @WRAL at 4.

Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton texted me, saying the expletives heard in the video were not coming from him.

At NO time did I use any expletives during that exchange."