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The Durham City Council has appointed Deputy City Manager W. Bowman “Bo” Ferguson as the next city manager, following the retirement of City Manager Wanda Page on December 31, 2024.

“Bo Ferguson is the right leader to guide Durham’s future,” said Mayor Leonardo Williams. “With more than a decade of dedicated service to our city and nearly three decades of experience in local government, he has the expertise, vision, and a deep commitment to our organization’s values and our community’s values. The City Council is hiring someone who can lead a workforce of nearly 3,000 people and truly loves Durham. Bo has shown that he can be present for the Durham community at large. He has proven his ability to lead with innovation, inclusivity, and fiscal responsibility. He’s vested in Durham and so are we!”

Ferguson joined the City of Durham in 2013 as a deputy city manager with a portfolio of nine departments and 1,600 employees. In 2021, City Manager Wanda Page created the Public Safety portfolio and asked Ferguson to lead its four departments, which includes the Police, Fire, Emergency Communications, and the Community Safety departments.

City of Durham voters approved both bonds on November 5, 2024. The Parks and Recreation bond passed with 72% of the vote. The Streets and Sidewalks bond passed with 75% of the vote.

If you live in Durham city limits, you will have the chance to vote on a bond referendum this November. Your vote will decide if the City of Durham can borrow up to $200 million to improve our streets, sidewalks, and parks.

Here's what the money would be used for:

• Streets: Repaving and repairing roads and paving dirt streets.
• Sidewalks: Fixing sidewalks and building new ones.
• Parks: Upgrading Long Meadow and East End parks and building a new water park beside the Wheels Roller Rink at Merrick-Moore Park.

We heard from many of you that you want smoother streets, more sidewalks, and better parks. People in East Durham specifically asked for a new pool to replace the permanently closed pool at Long Meadow Park as well as updates to East End and Long Meadow Parks and a new aquatic park next to our Wheels Roller Rink at Merrick-Moore Park. If approved by voters in November, this bond will help pay for those projects.

The referendum will be on the ballot on November 5, 2024, and will appear on the ballot as two questions:

1. “Bond order authorizing the issuance of $85,000,000 general obligation parks and recreation bonds of the City of Durham, North Carolina.” 
2. “Bond order authorizing the issuance of $115,000,000 general obligation streets and sidewalks bonds of the City of Durham, North Carolina.”

You can vote “yes” or “no” on each question. Each one needs a majority of "yes" votes to pass. If they pass, the city can borrow up to $200 million to pay for these improvements.

For more details on 2024 election information, voter registration information, and polling places, visit the Durham County Board of Elections website.