Brian Callaway

Brian Callaway

Education

Bachelor's

University of Florida

Graduate

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Personal

Profession

Energy and sustainability coordinator

Contact

Personal website

Brian Callaway was a candidate for Ward 1 representative on the Durham City Council in North Carolina. He was defeated in the primary election on October 10, 2017.

Biography

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Callaway earned a B.S. in agricultural engineering from the University of Florida and a master's degree in city and regional planning, transportation, and land use planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

At the time of his 2017 run for city council, Callaway was the coordinator of energy and sustainability for the Durham Public Schools. His experience also includes work as an energy analyst for PlotWatt, an energy management specialist for the town of Chapel Hill, and an energy research assistant and fellow for the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment.

Elections

2017

See also: Mayoral election in Durham, North Carolina (2017) and Municipal elections in Durham, North Carolina (2017)

DeDreana Freeman and incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden defeated Brian Callaway and John Tarantino in the primary election for the Ward 1 seat on the Durham City Council.

Durham City Council, Ward 1 Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
DeDreana Freeman	48.09%	11,858
Cora Cole-McFadden Incumbent	42.81%	10,557
Brian Callaway	5.85%	1,443
John Tarantino	3.24%	800
Total Votes		24,658
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Official Primary Election Results - Durham," accessed October 27, 2017

Campaign themes

2017

Callaway's campaign website highlighted the following issues. Click "show" on the boxes below for more information about his positions.

HOUSING REFORM

"WE NEED TO ADD MORE AFFORDABILITY TO OUR HOUSING Use TIFs To Fund Affordable Housing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a mechanism we can use to let downtown development fund affordable housing. Bold leadership is needed to assure a TIF is used to serve our community needs rather than twisted into more subsidies for developers. A community-managed TIF district can provide a revenue stream to accelerate the implementation of Durham's Housing Plan and to assure that affordable housing is sited downtown and other areas of high need. Begin Strategic Home Energy Improvements The cost of rent/mortgage, transportation and utilities all affect the affordability of housing. The City should engage in a targeted campaign of energy efficiency upgrades that are specifically developed for renters and owners who would benefit most from assistance. Energy efficiency programs for low income families work, and Durham should build a local program to provide this service to its residents. Expand Homeownership with Community Land Trusts Homeownership represents and propagates tremendous wealth disparities in our city and nation. The City should increase our participation in expanding the role of home trust programs in our community. Home trusts through community land trusts are proven to increase access to affordable housing, stabilize neighborhoods and assist in wealth building that can tangibly close some of the wealth divides that exist in our community."

TAX REFORM

"WE SHOULD NOT BE PAYING FOR DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT. DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE PAYING FOR COMMUNITY NEEDS. Stop Subsidizing For-Profit Developers Durham has a hot real estate market. The pump has been primed. Now it is time to stop the subsidies. The City should stop sending our tax dollars onward to developers and focus on investing in the needs of our community. Let Downtown Development Finance Our Future Rather than asking the entire Durham community to pay for the strains caused by our booming downtown, we should look to downtown development to pay for solutions to our most pressing issues. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is the way to do that by borrowing against expected growth and having that growing area pay back the loans. Rather than General Obligation Bonds, think of TIFs as being 'Area Obligation Bonds.' A TIF can fund affordable housing near light rail stops, fix the downtown loop, and bring the Duke Beltline Trail into existence. Make Property Tax Less Regressive Raising property taxes puts a burden on many Durham families, especially those with less means. We should formulate a creative city-wide tax relief program, similar to the Southside proposals, that returns a credit to every property in Durham in a way that makes property tax more progressive. We won't decrease poverty if we continue to increase the taxes on those experiencing it."

LAW ENFORCEMENT REFORM

"LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOULD BE A TRANSPARENT, ACCOUNTABLE AND EFFICIENT SERVICE TO ALL OF DURHAM Durham Police Should Assume County-wide Patrol Duties The City should negotiate with the current Sheriff or next Sheriff to contract all patrol duties to Durham Police Department to add transparency, accountability and efficiency to those operations. There is no reason why a county with only one incorporated municipality should have two separate law enforcement patrol operations. The City Should Hold the Sheriff Accountable Sheriff Andrews continues to serve the Trump administration and deny the constitutional rights of Durham residents by honoring detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which federal courts have already ruled violate due process rights. The City Council should join community voices and strongly petition the County Commission to address this constitutional concern. Public Review of Policing Should Be Strengthened State laws limit the abilities of the Durham Civilian Police Review Board, but the Human Relations Commission and other community organizations have identified recommendations for local law enforcement reform. The concerns of the community should be heard and those reforms should be fully implemented. Public services exist to serve the public and must be responsive to the public."

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Brian Callaway Durham City Council. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Brian Callaway - Google News

See also

Durham, North Carolina	North Carolina	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

Suggest a link

• Durham City Council
• Campaign website
• Social media
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