NCLM Volume 70, Issue 4, 2020

SOUTHERN CITY QUARTER 4 2020 24 approached about running. He initially declined. He hadn’t yet stepped into the sweet spot. “I could talk junk and go home, and never have to take credit for a blame or a vote,” Middleton joked. The opportu- nity for service, however, ultimately won the pastor over. He filed, ran, and was elected by 15 points. In the nearly four years since joining the Durham City Council, the size and scope of the issues have only expanded. The makeup of the city, too, amplifies their significance. “Fourth-biggest city in North Carolina, fourth-most educated in the country, yet 1-in-5 are in poverty,” said Mid- dleton. “We are faced with these paradigm- shifting, perspective-changing ideas and concepts. But as an elected official, we have to govern as well. So how do you translate that into actual policies that are financially feasible and good for the city, A Voice Saved, a Voice Used a reflection of our values and also a reflec- tion of good governance?” His answers to those questions often find him in the news. This summer, at the height of the nationwide demon- strations calling for racial equality, Middleton proposed a policy in which social programs would receive a funding match of police departments. “That’s not defunding the police,” he said. “That’s spending … on things that would make policing less likely.” He has pro- posed a municipal experiment with uni- versal basic income: a 12- to 18-month test run that would give 200 to 300 people up to $1,000 a month, and then study whether that financial support helped root out the underlying causes of larger social issues. Perhaps most of all, he’s focused on unreported gun fire— what he calls a morally unconscionable continued from page 23 problem, in which the implications are ones of hopelessness and distrust. “It means we have people living in our city who have resigned themselves to the notion that this is the way it is in my neighborhood. It’s unacceptable.” Being an elected official in Durham is “no joke,” as Middleton puts it. “It’s like being on the set of a Marvel movie. You have all these incredible people with all these super powers, and there's always some threat that's looming over the horizon.” Again striving for balance, he understands the two sides of the role he has to play. First, he is a brand ambassador for a city that he calls the toast of the country: burgeoning food scene, elite educational institutions, growing population, and a revitalized downtown that serves as a model for model for Main Streets statewide. And sec- ond, he is a truth teller. Unfortunate truths. The poverty rate, the dilapidated public housing and, again, the gunfire. “I don't shun celebrating Durham, but also chastis- ing her as well. Being an elected official in Durham, an effective one, means you have to do both, sometimes in the same day.” His favorite line, which he took from the West Wing, is “What’s next?” He says it’s a daily motto. “You get up each day and ask ‘What’s Next?’ and you keep plugging away, you keep trying to build relation- ships and build alliances and tell the truth and remind people that, on our best day, there's still a piece that we're not getting.” He says this on Wednesday afternoon. What’s next is a day spent mostly in a city council work session, and on Friday he’ll be visiting local classrooms to talk local government and civics. Kids see him on television, wearing a bowtie, and will come to school in a bowtie the next day, to be like him—that’s his favorite part of the job. Saturday morning, he’ll take up citizen engagement again, on the airwaves, discussing the topics on an FM station that extends as far as Rocky Mount. Sunday, he’s stands at the altar, Pastor Mark. And Monday, back at it, beginning the seven- day work week again. He’s busy, but a good busy. He sees a lot of issues still to be addressed, and a lifetime to work on them. “Whether I'm elected or not elected, I'll never disengage. I'll always be involved in some aspect of public life. I'm excited about that.” Photo Credit: Ben Brown. Being an elected official in Durham is “no joke,” as Middleton puts it. “It’s like being on the set of a Marvel movie.”