Archon William V. Bell, mayor of Durham, North Carolina, handily defeated challenger Thomas Stith III on Tuesday, November 6, fending off a well-funded opponent to win a fourth term by capturing 58 percent of the nearly 32,000 votes cast. Archon Bell credits his win in part to astute voters who recoiled from charges made by Stith that were unfounded and levied in a nasty manner. Bell supporters said they were insulted by Stith's insistence that Durham was riding off the rails. They point to improvements in downtown, numerous cultural amenities and a healthy economy as some of the many positives about the Bull City.

"When you sit on council for eight years, and then start to say all things are bad, I wasn't going to let him get away with that," Bell said of Stith, who did not seek re-election to his at-large City Council seat to challenge Bell.

"I hope this sends a message...that Durham is not the city for that type of campaign."

Bell got a boost when presidential candidate Barack Obama came to Durham last week and endorsed him. He even got to bask in the reflected glow of the charismatic senator, standing behind him on a small podium during Obama's entire speech. That certainly didn't hurt, Bell admitted, but he also pointed to endorsements from local political groups and media outlets as evidence of his broad appeal.

Bell supporter Miguel Rodriguez, 38, said the mayor gives face time to various groups, whether it be big businesses or nonprofits. That's how he has built trust, Rodriguez said.