Durham mayoral candidate stands for personhood and right to life

Durham mayoral candidate stands for personhood and right to life

By Harlan Brown
Oct. 3, 2013

DURHAM, NC — Durham mayoral candidate Sylvester Williams is taking a stand for personhood and the right to life. Primary election day is Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Williams was the only candidate to respond to a candidate questionnaire sent Sept. 27 to each of the candidates for mayor or city council in Durham. The content of his campaign website is consistent with his answers to the questions.

Candidate questionnaire

The questions were as follows:

  1. Do you believe that every human being is endowed by the Creator with an unalienable right to life?
    Yes    No    Undecided
  2. Do you believe that every human being is a unique person and should be regarded as a person under the law?
    Yes    No    Undecided
  3. If elected, would you support a personhood ordinance that puts every human being in Durham under the protection of the 5th and 14th amendments? (Amendment 5 says, "No person shall ... be deprived of life ... without due process of law." Amendment 14 says, "... nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.")
    Yes    No    Undecided

The answers and other candidate information are as follows:

Candidate 1. 2. 3. Website Email
     Mayor
Michael Valentine NR NR NR valentinefordurham.com Michael@valentinefordurham.com
Sylvester Williams Yes Yes Yes www.sylvesterwilliamsformayor.com info@sylvesterwilliamsformayor.com, sylbar@hotmail.com
William V. (Bill) Bell NR* NR* NR* durhamnc.gov/ich/mayor/Pages/Home.aspx wbell51126@aol.com,
billbell@udicdc.org, bill.bell@durhamnc.gov
    City Council Ward 2
Eddie Davis NR NR NR eddiedavis4durham.com eddiedavis.citycouncil@gmail.com
Franklin O. Hanes NR NR NR FranklinOHanes.com votefohanes2013@gmail.com
Del Mattioli NR NR NR www.delmattioliforcitycouncil.com delamttioli@gmail.com
Omar Beasley NR NR NR www.beasley4countycommissioner.com obeasley@nc.rr.com
*Two years ago Mayor Bell said that he believes the right to life begins at birth.

Candidate's pledge

Pastor Williams's website says under MY PLEDGE:

  • Promote the well-being of ALL people in Durham.
  • Defend the right to life for all innocent persons from fertilization to death.
  • Defend the God-given institution of one-man, one-woman marriage

Election schedule

According to the Durham County Board of Elections website, early voting at the Board of Elections office ends at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. The top two vote getters in each of the two primary election races advance to the municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which also includes wards 1 and 3.

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