Update: Durham Council Does Not Vote To Censure Fellow Council Member Under Investigation
DURHAM, N.C. — Durham City Council did not take a vote Monday (April 3) on censuring a fellow council member in the wake of extortion allegations.
Mayor Elaine O’Neal and the council are working to move forward as a law enforcement investigation plays out, according to ABC11. At the center of it all are allegations of extortion involving Durham council member Monique Holsey-Hyman.
Holsey-Hyman, who has denied any wrongdoing, didn’t comment on the investigation Monday and voted along with her peers on other city business.
“Durham has been faced with daunting challenges before and we as a community are well-able and equipped to meet those that stand in front of us,” said Mayor O’Neal.
One of the steps recommended to move forward was to censure Holsey-Hyman, but no vote was taken on that Monday. Other recommendations included taking no action and referring it to law enforcement, which is what has been done.
Published March 28, 2023
Durham City Council Member Accused Of Supporting Developers In Exchange For Donations
DURHAM, N.C. — Durham City Council member Monique Holsey-Hyman is accused of two unrelated inappropriate actions, one of which Mayor Elaine O’Neal said could lead to “criminal consequences.”
In Thursday’s (March 23) city council work session, Holsey-Hyman was accused of offering a developer support for a project if that developer donated to her campaign. O’Neal said that the matter would be referred to state law enforcement.
On Monday (March 27) Durham District Attorney Satana Deberry issued the following statement regarding allegations made during the March 23 Durham City Council meeting:
“I have asked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to open an inquiry into allegations made at last week’s meeting of the Durham City Council. As with any criminal investigation, the existence of an allegation or inquiry is not on its own confirmation of a violation of the law. The Durham DA’s Office will make no further comments on the matter while the SBI investigation is ongoing.”
Holsey-Hyman could face criminal consequences if found guilty of the accusations, O’Neal said.
“The consensus among the majority of city council members is that the allegations are very disturbing, must be taken very seriously and, if true, may constitute criminal activity and could lead to criminal consequences,” said O’Neal, reading from a statement.
The statement, which had been prepared by Durham’s city attorney, said that on March 13 the Durham City Council had been informed that a property developer had reported to city staff that a sitting council member had suggested to the developer that support would be given for the developer’s project in exchange for a donation to the council member’s election campaign.
“I promptly reached out to the UNC School of Government for guidance on how the city council as a body could or should respond to these allegations,” read O’Neal.
City Attorney Kim Rehberg also met with several members of the faculty and an attorney in private practice to compile a list of options the city council could work from in determining how to respond.
On March 20, O’Neal and Rehberg met with members of the council individually or in pairs in order to discuss the reported allegations.
As a result, O’Neal said the majority of the council has elected to refer the matter to law enforcement.
“City council staff is currently in the process of preparing a formal referral of the matter to state law enforcement,” read O’Neal.
Separately, Holsey-Hyman was accused of engaging a city staffer in campaign-related work. Councilwoman Jillian Johnson introduced a resolution to censure Holsey-Hyman for that, which will be voted on at the next council meeting on April 3.
In response to the city staffer allegation, Holsey-Hyman defended herself by saying that she was new to the council and didn’t know the rules. She was appointed to the city council last spring when another council member moved out of the country.
In the other situation, Holsey-Hyman said that the city’s human resources department had granted approval for the staffer to volunteer for her.
“I’m going to be 58 this year. And I’ve come through a lot of storms. But never has my character been questioned,” she said.
Council member DeDreana Freeman suggested gender may be playing a role in how the council is responding to the allegations against Holsey-Hyman.
“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 misrepresentations that she did explain, and how it’s dismissed in a very matter-of-fact way,” Freeman said.”It’s often dismissed whenever a woman is speaking at this dais.”
Freeman also suggested there may be guilt to go around, saying, “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.”
O’Neal said the Durham City Council remains committed to maintaining honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness in city business.
“To that end, the city council looks forward to a full investigation of the events,” read O’Neal.
After the city council meeting, WRAL cameras caught an explosive, profanity-filled argument between the mayor pro-tem and a councilwoman.
The exchange between Durham Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton and Councilwoman DeDreana Freeman took place out of public view and lasted more than four minutes.
“At no time did I use any expletives during that exchange,” Middleton said.