Mark-Anthony Middleton is an American politician and Protestant minister. He has served on the Durham City Council since 2017 and as

Mayor Pro Tempore The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

of Durham since 2021.

Career

Ministry

Williams is the senior pastor and CEO of Abundant Hope Christian Church, an African-American Protestant congregation in Durham.

Politics

Middleton was elected to the Durham City Council in 2017. He represents Ward 2. In 2020, he proposed a pilot program that would give a

universal basic income Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive a minimum income in the form of an unconditional transfer payment, i.e., without a means test or need to perform Work (hu ...

to the city's poorest residence. The proposal suggested a twelve to eighteen-month experiment that would provide 200-300 residents with up to $1,000 a month in income. Middleton argued that the program would help reduce other issues in the city, especially gun violence. Williams supported a non-discrimination ordinance protecting

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

residents and supported the Crown Act, protecting women of color in the workplace. He called for the hiring, training, and deploying of unarmed mental health responders to assist with crisis response. In 2021, he was appointed as Mayor Pro Tempore. On March 23, 2023, Councilwoman DeDreana Freeman accused Middleton of bullying black women during an extortion investigation into Councilwoman

Monique Holsey-Hyman Monique Holsey-Hyman (born November 10, 1965) is an American social worker, professor, and politician. Prior to her work in politics and academia, Holsey-Hyman worked as a social worker in New York City. She was a caseworker for the New York Cit ...

. Middleton and Freeman argued in a room outside of the council chamber and, according to ''

Indy Week ''Indy Week'', formerly known as the ''Independent Weekly'' and originally the ''North Carolina Independent'', is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Re ...

'', Freeman attempted to punch Middleton, instead hitting Mayor

Elaine O'Neal Elaine O'Neil may refer to: * Elaine Hamilton-O'Neal (1920–2010), American abstract painter and muralist * Elaine O'Neal (photographer) (born 1946), American photographer * Elaine O'Neal (politician), American politician and judge {{hndis ...

and Councilman

Leonardo Williams Leonardo Williams is an American politician, restaurateur, and former educator. He has served as the mayor of Durham, North Carolina since December 4, 2023. Prior to his term as mayor, Williams was a member of the Durham City Council. He and his w ...

, who were attempting to restrain her. Despite speculation, Middleton announced that he would not be running for Mayor of Durham in the

2023 Durham mayoral election The 2023 Durham mayoral election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the mayor of Durham, North Carolina. Incumbent mayor Elaine O'Neal, the first black woman elected to the position, chose to retire after a single two-year term. The nonpa ...

. He served as president of the NC League of Municipalities until 2025 and, prior to his presidency, he served on the league's board of directors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Mark-Anthony Living people 21st-century African-American clergy 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American Christian clergy African-American Christian clergy African-American city council members in North Carolina American Protestant ministers and clergy Deputy mayors of Durham, North Carolina Durham, North Carolina, city council members North Carolina Democrats Year of birth missing (living people)