Bill Bell (mayor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Bell
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina
In office 2001–2017
Preceded by	Nick Tennyson
Succeeded by	Steve Schewel
Personal details
Born	William V. Bell 1941 (unconfirmed) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Judith C. Bell
Children	William V. Bell II Tiffany Anne Bell Anjanee Nicole Bell Kristen Vaughn Bell
Alma mater	Howard University, New York University
Profession	electrical engineer

William V. Bell is an American politician and engineer. He served as the mayor of Durham, North Carolina. A mayor is the leader of a city government.

Before becoming mayor, Bell was a senior engineer for IBM. He was first elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 1972. This board helps manage the county. He served on the board until 1994. He returned to the board from 1996 to 2000. From 1982 to 1994, he was the chairman of the Durham County Commissioners. Bell was first elected mayor of Durham in 2001. He was re-elected seven more times after that.

Bell is currently an Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He works for UDI Community Development Corp., which is a non-profit organization. Non-profit groups work for a cause, not for money. He is also a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. This is a group of mayors from different political parties. Their goal is to make communities safer by removing illegal guns. Mayors Thomas Menino of Boston and Michael Bloomberg of New York City started this group.

William Bell's Re-election Campaign in 2007

In 2007, William Bell ran for re-election as mayor. His opponent was Thomas Stith, III. Stith criticized Bell on several city issues, including crime.

Debate Over City Safety

In October 2007, two people were murdered in Durham. Bell tried to calm the public. He said the city was safe and the murders were not random. The next day, Stith argued that Durham's murder rate had increased. Stith claimed he would fight crime more strongly than Bell. Bell responded that Stith had six years on the town council to address crime. Stith wanted more police officers on the streets. Bell stated that the current police officers were well-equipped.

Concerns About Drinking Water

Later in October 2007, lead was found in Durham's drinking water. Stith sent out a campaign message. It said that Bell knew about the dangerous water but did not tell people. Bell called this message "a complete lie." He also said that Stith did not have enough leadership experience.

Election Outcome

The election was held on November 6, 2007. Bell won the election. He received 58% of the votes. Stith received 42% of the votes.

More About Durham Mayoral Elections

• 2001 Durham mayoral election
• 2003 Durham mayoral election
• 2005 Durham mayoral election
• 2007 Durham mayoral election
• 2009 Durham mayoral election
• 2013 Durham mayoral election
• 2011 Durham mayoral election
• 2015 Durham mayoral election