Between March and November 2023, Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman suffered a political attack that led to her losing re-election to the Durham City Council. The campaign was started by property developer Jarrod Edens and then bolstered by influential city officials, "pro-developer" members of City Council, and local media outlets.
The attack on Dr. Holsey-Hyman was deeply unjust, and also highlights the power of the real estate and construction sector over political factions, campaign finance, and media narratives in the Bull City.
Before joining the City Council, Monique enjoyed a distinguished academic career that had taken her from Berkeley College to Shaw University and finally to NC Central University. She had won 25 teaching awards by the time she was unanimously appointed to Durham City Council in May 2022.
Councilman Leonardo Williams (now mayor) was asked why Dr. Holsey-Hyman was chosen. He said, “We were missing a bit of tenacity.” [1]
Factions on Durham City Council
Dr. Holsey-Hyman showed her tenacity quickly. Shortly after being appointed, she took a tough line with a powerful group in Durham politics – property developers. Monique shared her approach with two other members, DeDreana Freeman and mayor Elaine O’Neal.
“Freeman is close to O’Neal and Holsey-Hyman, with the three typically voting together, reliably rejecting annexations and non-affordable housing developments, especially in rapidly growing southeast Durham.” – News and Observer [2]
One could call this trio the “pro-benefits” faction for the way they sought public benefits from property developers with business before City Council. For example, the Fairhaven Walk Rezoning in August 2023 met the group’s standards and passed by a 7-0 vote.
The News and Observer summarized the Fairhaven Walk project as “192 apartments — all priced affordably — and a daycare onsite” [3].
The pro-benefits faction also aligned on non-development issues like raising wages for city workers. When the group tried to raise firefighter pay during a budget debate in June 2023, they were defeated in a 4-3 vote [4].
Dr. Holsey-Hyman and her allies suffered many 4-3 defeats, especially on development votes. The losses were inflicted by the pro-developer faction - Mark Antony-Middleton, Leonardo Williams, Jillian Johnson, and Javiera Caballero. This group formed a governing majority that almost always approved the developer projects.
Pro-developer members would claim that if mediocre projects were approved, developers would be incentivized to improve their offers. In the same breath, they’d warn that rejecting the developers would have no effect.
The Leesville Road Annexation passed by a 4-3 vote in September 2022. A developer wanted to build 330 townhomes and offered to make three percent of them affordable for people making 80 percent area median income (AMI).
“What we get out of this case puts pressure on the next case… They’re not going to do better if we just vote no on everything” – Caballero [5]
The commonest justification of the pro-developer faction was that developer requests had to be approved or else they’d build low-quality “by-right” projects.
In April 2023, the City Council debated the Cornwallis Road Annexation. A developer sought to build 90 townhomes to be rented for $1,800 per month. Five of the units would be made affordable at 60 percent AMI.
During the Cornwallis Road debate, Middleton pointed out, “All of our “noes” are “yeses” to something else”. He meant that, if rejected, the developer could build a less desirable project such as “six single-family units and a drive-thru restaurant”. [6]
The pro-developer group sometimes flirted with the pro-benefits approach, but with a much lower standard of success. One case where this occurred was the Lumley Road Annexation in September 2023, a project for 480 townhomes and apartments.
“The developer came into the meeting offering three percent of the units as affordable, but council member Javiera Caballero asked if they could increase that percentage Schwedler whispered to her client for a brief moment and agreed to five percent.” – News and Observer [7]
The pro-developer faction made a point to heap scorn on environmentalists who criticized the developers. Groups like Preserve Rural Durham and Sound Rivers would often attend City Council meetings to warn that building practices like mass grading of uneven land, clear-cutting of forests, and use of explosives were harming local people and ecosystems. Pro-developer members waved these criticisms away with glib comments like these two from Williams:
"We have a housing crisis, and if I have to choose between a deer and a person, then that’s what I’m going to do.” [8]
“First of all, Falls Lake is a man-made lake. It was made back in 1981 and it was jacked up when it was created... It was made then it can be made again, so I don’t think it’s going anywhere.” [9, timestamp 4:50:00]
The 4-3 split on development issues defined the City Council during the time Dr. Holsey-Hyman spent in office, May 2022 until December 2023, and the division continues on the current City Council. Then, as now, the pro-benefits minority tried to set a higher standard for development projects. Meanwhile, the majority would rubber-stamp most annexation and rezoning, ready to grab a concession or two from developers, but unwilling to reach for more.
Jarrod Edens and Carpenter Falls
In March 2023, Dr. Holsey-Hyman made a decision that ended her political career. She voted against the Carpenter Falls Annexation, a project of property developer Jarrod Edens.
The owner of Edens Investments, Edens wanted to build 235 homes in southeastern Durham. Except, the Carpenter Falls plot wasn’t quite within city limits. So, Eden came to the City Council and requested annexation. If the lawmakers approved, the city of Durham would provide his homes with water and sewer services.
Edens had a small problem. Johnson, a pro-developer member, would be absent from the March 6th vote on Carpenter Falls. The project wasn’t in real danger. It would pass by a vote of 4-3 when Johnson was present, but a 3-3 draw would delay the developer for months [10].
On March 6th, Edens called one of the expected “no” votes, Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman.
According to a lawsuit filed by Monique, Edens didn’t directly ask her to vote for the Carpenter Falls Annexation. Instead, he offered to support her next campaign and he “talked about the fact that he sponsored a football team with many African American boys” that he'd bring to her campaign kickoff. A tempting, slightly racist quid for an unstated quo – a “yes” vote for Carpenter Falls.
Dr. Holsey-Hyman’s lawsuit says she told Edens she wouldn’t accept because “she didn’t want to go to jail”. The same night, she voted against the Carpenter Falls Annexation. The vote was 3-3.
The developer didn’t give up, according to the lawsuit. Edens tried to contact Dr. Holsey-Hyman on March 7th and March 8th without success [11].
An Axe to Grind
Edens ended Dr. Holsey-Hyman’s political career on March 11th. He called Sara Young, the city’s planning director and accused Monique of extortion. Edens said she’d demanded a campaign donation in exchange for a “yes” vote on Carpenter Falls. Young then passed the story along to Kimberly Rehberg, the City Attorney.
On March 13th, Rehberg emailed out Eden’s accusation to the entire City Council. Her email contained another sharp jab – an allegation that Dr. Holsey-Hyman had used city staffers for campaign work.
Both allegations, extortion and city staffer, were referred to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). In September 2023, the District Attorney announced that the SBI had found, “no probable cause to pursue charges against Council Member Holsey-Hyman … In fact, the SBI was unable to discover any credible allegations against her at all” [12].
Dr. Holsey-Hyman didn’t have the luxury of fast-forwarding to her exoneration. Her reputation would be dragged through the mud for six months, an ordeal that only ended seven weeks before election day.
In the March 13th email, Rehberg said, “It is unlikely that a developer would report conduct that has no factual basis or to maliciously cause harm, particularly a developer who regularly brings matters before the city.” [13]
The fact that Rehberg gave Eden’s allegation so much credibility was stunning. Monique was a member of the pro-benefits faction, the group most likely to draw the ire of developers, and she'd voted against Eden’s project only a few days prior. Rehberg should have been hyper-aware that the developer could be seeking to retaliate.
Edens' story was dubious on its face for another reason. Why would a City Council member extort campaign funding from a developer? Durham’s politics are flooded with perfectly legal donations from property developers, real estate agents, zoning attorneys, general contractors, etc. If Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman wanted their donations, she could have endeared herself to them by voting in favor of their projects.
Source: Durham Board of Elections, Pre-Primary and Pre-Election Reports [14]
For instance, Dr. Holsey-Hyman could've taken the pro-developer path of Caballero. In 2019, Caballero received only one $250+ donation from the real estate and construction sector. After a four-year term spent approving most requests by developers, her re-election campaign got eight $250+ donations.
Instead of voting for developer interests, Monique belonged to the pro-benefits faction. Another member was Freeman, whose experience suggested the obvious - voting against developers doesn’t open their wallets. In 2023, Freeman ran for mayor against Williams, a member of the pro-developer bloc. His mayoral campaign got eleven $250+ donations from the real estate and construction sector. Freeman got only two.
A City Council member could have many principled or political reasons for joining the pro-benefits faction - wanting donations from property developers was not one of them. On the contrary, voting like Dr. Holsey-Hyman was a good way to make powerful enemies out of developers like Edens.
The Pro-Developer Faction Piles On
Rehberg sent the email with Edens’ accusation out to the entire City Council on March 13th. The pro-developer faction pounced on their rivals. Attempts by the pro-benefits members to defend themselves were met with further attacks and accusations.
Within minutes of getting Rehberg's email, Middleton called for Monique's resignation. After the SBI exoneration, the pro-developer member would plead that he’d been duped, “We didn’t wake up one morning and convince some wealthy white man to make up things about one of our colleagues” [15].
Another pro-developer member, Johnson, attacked from a different angle. On March 23rd, she introduced a resolution to censure Dr. Holsey-Hyman using the city staffer allegation. As mentioned, the SBI later found “no evidence” to support the accusation [12].
Freeman, a pro-benefits member, tried to defend Monique against the sudden avalanche of criticism. At a City Council meeting on March 23rd, she scolded Rehberg and shouted at Middleton for their treatment of Dr. Holsey-Hyman. The pro-developer faction and local press turned on Freeman with a vengeance.
A statement condemning Freeman for her comments on Rehberg was endorsed by the entire pro-developer bloc — Middleton, Johnson, Williams and Caballero [16].
Then on April 3rd, IndyWeek reported that two anonymous sources said Freeman had physically assaulted O’Neal, Williams, and Middleton after the March 23rd meeting of City Council. News cameras in the chambers picked up audio of shouting but no video footage.
Freeman and O’Neal from the pro-benefits faction denied many parts of the IndyWeek report. Pro-developer members Middleton, Williams, and Johnson backed up the anonymous accounts in whole or in part [17][18].
Megaphone for Allegations, Whisper for Exoneration
In less than one month, two members of pro-benefits group stood accused of three serious crimes by a property developer, senior city employees, and the pro-developer bloc on City Council. The local press descended into an impressive frenzy.
The "crimes" of Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman and Freeman were broadcast in a succession of headlines and articles that lasted for months. Between the first public allegations on March 23rd and Monique's re-election loss on November 7th, the News and Observer and IndyWeek ran 19 articles that mentioned the extortion allegation, 19 for the city staffer allegations, and 12 for the assault allegation.
The press campaign broke through the fog of local politics. Anecdotally speaking, the allegations against Dr. Holsey-Hyman and Freeman reached a huge number of people in Durham. For many Bull City residents, the accusations became the only "fact" they knew about local politics. The general impression for many was that Monique was probably corrupt and Freeman was probably insane.
What did not come across in News and Observer and IndyWeek coverage? In more than 30 articles examined, there was not one editorial suggestion (ie. not a quote) that Edens' allegations against Dr. Holsey-Hyman might be dishonest retaliation for her vote on the Carpenter Falls Annexation. This remained true even after the SBI exonerated Monique and said that Edens had avoided talking to law enforcement.
The papers might claim that straight-news coverage must be objective, so the worth of allegations could not be assessed. At least for IndyWeek, that principle isn't always followed. The following quote appeared in a pre-election article about City Council politics in August 2023:
"The explanations for the acrimony quickly devolve into conspiracy theories that wouldn’t be worth considering if they weren’t amplifying the hostility among elected officials. The theories range from mundane political ambition (that Middleton hoped to be mayor), to baseless allegations of corruption (that Williams is being paid by developers), to outlandish and convoluted setups (that Middleton manufactured the claims against Holsey-Hyman as punishment for not voting with him)" [19].
In straight-news coverage, IndyWeek was able to conclude that allegations against Middleton were "outlandish and convoluted". Couldn't this have been done for the accusations against Dr. Holsey-Hyman, particularly after the SBI exoneration?
There was also not a single example of News and Observer or IndyWeek using their op-ed pages to cast doubt on Eden's allegations. On the contrary, there was one editorial in particular seriously misled its readers:
"To some, the extortion allegation is just another reason to believe that developers and the city are working hand-in-hand with little regard for the people whose families built this city." - News and Observer [20]
The op-ed inverted the political factions. In the real world, Dr. Holsey-Hyman was a member of the pro-benefits group, whose main feature was a willingness to stand up to developers. The author also failed to note that, strangely, the City Council members attacking Monique were those best known for voting "hand-in-hand" with developers.
When the SBI exonerated Dr. Holsey-Hyman, the News and Observer and IndyWeek covered it, but with far less intensity than was used spread the allegations. For example, there were six headlines about the extortion story but only five articles that even mentioned the SBI exoneration.
Edens Wins?
The Carpenter Falls Annexation, crucial to Edens’ project, was approved by a 4-3 vote in May 2023. During the debate, Mayor O’Neal revealed that Edens was Dr. Holsey-Hyman’s accuser. Before then he’d remained anonymous.
After Edens made the extortion allegation in March 2023, the SBI assigned Special Agent Nicholas Deming to the case. The developer proceeded to “avoid every attempt SA Deming made to interview him. Edens did not answer calls nor return messages left by SA Deming. When Deming did get him on the phone, Edens agreed to an interview and then did not appear.”
The SBI even offered to accept a written statement, and “Edens agreed but ultimately failed to provide such a written statement.” The investigation ended with “the SBI unable to discover any credible allegations against her at all” [12].
Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman was exonerated on September 19th, shortly before her re-election vote on November 7th. It proved difficult to overcome six months of character assassination in only seven weeks, and she was badly beaten at the polls. Monique finished in fifth place in the second round.
Her re-election campaign got zero $250+ donations from people or organizations involved in the real estate and construction sector.
At present, Edens' gambit seems to have been a huge success. The Carpenter Falls Annexation was approved and the esteemed academic who briefly stood in his way has been tossed out of office.
Dr. Holsey-Hyman is currently suing Edens as well as Young, Rehberg, Middleton, Williams, and Johnson. However, free speech protections in the U.S. are (thankfully) very strong. Monique has to prove that the defendants lied with "actual malice", that they intentionally lied to harm her. Against Edens, it's hard to say which direction things will go. The other five can just claim to be gullible, which shouldn't be difficult.
The public shouldn't rely on a legal response against the pro-developer faction. Instead, Durham residents should consider giving their political support to the pro-benefits group and deliver them a governing majority at the earliest opportunity. The pro-benefits faction is currently made up of Nate Baker, Chelsea Cook, and DeDreana Freeman.
Aside from heeding the endorsements of these individuals, it's urgent for the public to learn how to identify and bring forward candidates who are willing to demand affordable housing, green spaces, multi-modal transportation access, and other public benefits from property developers who need approvals from City Council.
As Durham grows, it’s important for Bull City residents to decide for themselves what kind of development is in the public interest, especially when their interests don't align profit-driven wishes of property developers.
Work Cited
1. Geller, Lena. “Meet Durham’s Newest City Council Member.” INDY Week, 11 Jan. 2023, indyweek.com/news/durham/new-durham-council-member-holsey-hyman.
2. Moore, Mary Helen. “Durham City Council Member DeDreana Freeman Is Running for Mayor.” News and Observer, 19 July 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/voter-guide/article277431058.html.
3. Moore, Mary Helen. “Durham Affordable Apartments, Townhome Developments Get Green Light. Here’s Where.” News and Observer, 8 Aug. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article278021838.html.
4. Moore, Mary Helen. “Durham’s Budget Passes at Fiery Meeting. What Each City Council Member Had to Say.” News and Observer, 21 June 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article276583981.html.
5. Moore, Mary Helen. “Hundreds of New Townhomes Headed to Eastern Durham After Tense 4-3 City Council Votes.” News and Observer, 9 Sept. 2022, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article265451211.html.
6. Moore, Mary Helen. “Durham approves new apartments near Duke Forest over neighbors’ objections.” News and Observer, 5 Apr. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article273933195.html.
7. Moore, Mary Helen. “A Request, a Whisper and Durham OKs Hundreds of Apartments, Townhomes on Wake Line.” News and Observer, 20 Sept. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article279468029.html.
8. Hammond, Colleen. “By Split Vote, Durham Rejects Annexation for Development in Falls Lake Watershed.” News and Observer, 20 Jan. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article271320677.html.
9. “Durham City Council May 20, 2024.” YouTube, 21 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYlIzuMeVI4.
10. Moore, Mary Helen. “Name of Longtime Developer Who Accused Durham Council Member of Extortion Revealed.” News and Observer, 16 May 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article275444346.html.
11. Anderson, Ashley. “Former Durham councilman files lawsuit against city, various leaders after ‘categorically false’ extortion claim.” CBS17.com, 15 Mar. 2024, www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/durham-county-news/former-durham-councilwoman-files-lawsuit-against-city-various-leaders-after-categorically-false-extortion-claim.
12. Geller, Lena. “Durham Council Member Cleared by State Investigators Over Developer’s Extortion Allegation, Claims of Using City Staff for Campaign Work.” INDY Week, 19 Sept. 2023, www.indyweek.com/news/durham/durham-council-member-cleared-by-state-investigators-over-developers-extortion-allegations.
13. Moore, Mary Helen. “Inside ex-Durham Official’s Lawsuit Against the City and Developer Over Extortion Claim.” News and Observer, 21 Mar. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article286531350.html.
14. Index of /Boe-ftp/Campaign Finance/Open Committees/Candidate Committees. www.dcoftp.net/boe-ftp/Campaign%20Finance/Open%20Committees/Candidate%20Committees.
15. Moore, Mary Helen. “‘You Tried to Ruin My Life’: Accused Durham City Council Member Confronts Colleagues.” News and Observer, 23 Sept. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article279610749.html.
16. “Durham City Council Condemns Freeman for Placing Blame on City Attorney for Outburst.” WRAL.com, 29 Mar. 2023, www.wral.com/story/durham-city-council-condemns-freeman-for-placing-blame-on-city-attorney-for-outburst/20785473.
17. Moore, Mary Helen. “‘Are You Going to Hit Me Again?’: Tensions Reignite at Durham City Council Meeting.” News and Observer, 27 Nov. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article282199063.html.
18. Moore, Mary Helen. “Durham City Council Calls for Healing as Allegations of Physical Altercation Surface.” News and Observer, 4 Apr. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article273909285.html.
19. Hartman, Matt. “Chaos in the Bullring: Ahead of Municipal Elections This Fall, Durham Grapples With What’s Next for a Scandal-Plagued City Council.” INDY Week, 6 Sept. 2023, www.indyweek.com/news/durham/ahead-of-municipal-elections-this-fall-durham-grapples-with-whats-next-for-a-scandal-plagued-city-council.
20. Pequeno, Sara. “After City Council Controversy, Mayor Elaine O’Neal Must Lead Durham Forward | Opinion.” News and Observer, 28 Mar. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article273568160.html.
Thanks for clearing that up. From local coverage, would have had no idea.