Chelsea Cook

Chelsea is an activist and an attorney who is passionate about Durham. Chelsea loves their community [hard] and works for them [even harder]. For the past 5+ years, Chelsea has practiced at a nonprofit as an eviction defense lawyer, serving on behalf of Durham tenants and among local providers to help address the growing crisis of housing insecurity. It was the relationships built in doing this work that led Chelsea to apply for a vacant seat on the Durham City Council in late 2023.

Since being appointed unanimously to the City Council, Chelsea has brought their legal skills and community-centered lens to every meeting, work session, and constituent interaction. Chelsea is known for “asking the questions” - for Chelsea, information and transparency are crucial to good governance, as well as intention, open-mindedness, and care.

A different kind of campaign…

We are not interested in drawing large sums of money away from our community to run this campaign. In fact, we want to use this campaign to put more money where it’s needed most – into the hands of Durhamites who serve this community day in and day out. That’s why this campaign will be all about service, relationship building, and mutual aid. If you can help us cover the costs of running, great. If that feels difficult right now, no problem at all – join us for an event, connect with a local nonprofit, and most importantly, come have a meaningful conversation with Chelsea and your neighbors about the Durham you want to see.

transparent campaign finance

We are being intentional about how this campaign’s money is raised and spent. Outside of standard operating costs, the bulk of our expenditures will go directly to benefiting Durham. At the end of our campaign, all excess funds will be donated to local non-profits.

Volunteer focused

We are dreaming of building a large enough coalition of volunteers so we can focus on door knocking and conversations Instead of blasting out a bunch of impersonal mailers. We want to help Durham learn more about Chelsea’s vision and also hear about your hopes for Durham.

Community Events

Our campaign events will center the people and organizations in the community that are already doing the work. Come out, give back, and help us strengthen the things that make Durham so amazing.

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