Voter Guide – 2024 – District A
Our Voter Guide provides candidate responses to voter concerns gathered from our citywide poll.
For incumbents, relevant Council record items are included.
Click on candidate images to view their Full Questionnaire Answers
See Poll Findings Here: Polling Results
Finding More Details
If you don’t see an issue you care about addressed for an individual candidate, they may not have addressed the issue in the answers they gave in response to our questionnaire. Click on a candidate’s image to review their full responses.
Restoring Confidence in Council
Declining confidence in Council marked one of the biggest changes from two years ago. In our new poll, 73% of voters said the city does not do a good job of keeping residents informed, up substantially from 49% in 2022. The undue influence of special interests is still a big concern, with 71% of voters saying the city is still too beholden to developers. To correct that imbalance, 73% of 2024 voters said Council campaign donations should be capped at $500. Only 23% of voters approve of Council doubling their terms to four years. (See Questionnaire Items Q1 – Q6)
Black(Incumbent)– Effective city-resident communication is crucial. Supports improved dialogue to rebuild trust. Committed to holding developers accountable for inclusive, sustainable & equitable projects. Supports publicly funded elections. Strongly opposes Council’s action to secretly add a year to their terms.
Record in office– Voted against the move to 4-year terms saying it should have been put on the ballot for the voters to decide.
Hill– Council’s ability to inform and be informed is limited by staff. Developer influence is promoted by staff. Supports donor caps. Strongly opposes Council’s action to secretly add a year to their terms.
Silver– Council needs to build trust & confidence with open communication & respect. Supports growth consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Supports campaign finance reforms.
Our Comments– Hired by a developer proposing 30-40 story buildings next to an historic neighborhood, Silver misrepresented Comp Plan protections to Planning Commissioners and Councilors, but was eventually corrected by staff. This is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
Empowering Residents
In the 2022 election citizen engagement was a top campaign issue. Our polling has found that the city has gotten worse at keeping residents informed since then. 73% say the city does a poor job of keeping residents informed compared to 49% in 2022. 74% of respondents say neighborhood rezoning meetings should be returned from developer control to CACs. (See Questionnaire Items Q7 – Q10)
Black(Incumbent)– Include CACs in rezonings w/ report to Council. Restore & improve full CAC support, especially inactive CACs.
Record in office– Holds regular District A community meetings to engage with constituents. In Feb 2024 voted to reinstate CACs but has taken no concrete action to make that happen since.
Hill– Supports CAC run rezoning meetings. Restore full CAC support, including inactive CACs.
Silver– CACs & other public participation is essential. More engagement ensures better Planning Commission & Council decisions.
Mitigating Growth Impacts
Raleigh’s Missing Middle rules were another big issue in the 2022 election. Our poll shows only 29% of voters support these new rules. Criticisms include failing to inform the public about rules affecting their most important investment and enacting rules promoting market profitability at the expense of best practices that would incentivize affordability, neighborhood compatibility and walkable access to transit. (See Questionnaire Items Q15 – Q18)
Missing Middle was a prominent issue in the 2022 election. Four new members of council (Black, Patton, Harrison and Jones) were elected on promises of reforms and/or repeal. The other current councilors (Melton, Forte and Branch) all voted in favor of implementing the Missing Middle policies during the previous council. There has been little to no meaningful action taken in the nearly two years since the current council was seated. Council has been hiding behind the two lawsuits that have been filed against the city on the issue saying they can’t discuss Missing Middle in public while the lawsuits are ongoing.
We disagree. One lawsuit was about a specific project and its failure to meet the city’s UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) provisions for Compact Subdivisions. This suit was resolved AGAINST the city in July. The other suit, still outstanding, is against the city for alleged failure to properly notify affected property owners of proposed Missing Middle changes. To date the court has denied all attempts by the city to have this suit dismissed.
We see no reason why either of these suits should have stopped any public discussion of reforms for Missing Middle. Neither of the suits is about the Missing Middle policies. In March 2023, the Planning Director told the council they could Repeal or Reform Missing Middle. Watch: Time for reform
Black(Incumbent)– City lacks essential infrastructure – add to all new developments. More tenant justice & legislative reforms. More existing affordable unit preservation. Supports Housing First for homelessness with targeted assistance. Respect adopted NCODs, HODs & Area Plans.
Record in office– With regards to abiding by NCOD, HOD and Area Plan Guidance, voted against removing property from the Prince Hall HOD and against rezoning Shaw University property which is located in a protective Downtown Transition Area.
Hill– Special interests get prefered tax treatment & pay for less infrastructure. Business growth is good, but protect vulnerable populations. Housing shortage partly due to city’s red tape. Opposes Missing Middle rules except unbuilt areas for high density inside beltline. Respect adopted NCODs, HODs & Area Plans.
Silver– Focus growth per Comprehensive Plan. Will listen & address concerns of residents & stakeholders. Missing Middle rules: inadequate public engagement. Will abide by NCODs & HODs, but not necessarily Area Plans.
Our Comments– Proud of past work as Planning Director and thinks the solution to most current decisions on development would be solved by “Sticking to the Plan.” However, actions when representing clients at Public Hearings indicate possible conflict of interest, as in the following example: Hired by a developer proposing 30-40 story buildings next to an historic neighborhood, Silver misrepresented Comp Plan protections to Planning Commissioners and Councilors, but was eventually corrected by staff.
Expanding Affordable Housing
Raleigh’s highly ranked growth rate has increased the cost of living in Raleigh, with low and fixed income households being especially hard hit. Given the strong voter sentiment that current efforts are not keeping up with Raleigh’s deepening affordable housing crisis, what changes you would enact – beyond existing programs? What measurable goals and performance tracking would you set so the public can hold Council and staff accountable on this top issue? (See Questionnaire Item Q19)
Black(Incumbent)– Preserve existing affordable units. Expand: community land trusts, housing vouchers, mixed income projects, RHA collaboration, support for affordable housing providers. Set performance goals & metrics for affordability, displacement & community feedback.
Hill– Set goals & schedules for adding affordability at all levels. City must stop slow-walking zoning changes, permits & inspections.
Silver– Housing is a human right. Supports list of affordability policy, funding, tax relief & equity items.
Improving the City Budget Process
In our citywide poll, only 1 in 4 voters said this year’s city budget reflects their priorities. What would you do to improve voter satisfaction with future city budgets? (See Questionnaire Items Q11 – Q14)
Black(Incumbent)– Improve worker pay, target affordability & homelessness, free transit fares & transport equity. More participatory budgeting & fair budget distribution. Set Manager performance goals & metrics. Fair pay for 1st responders. Improve non-police response. Pay police misconduct settlements via officer liability insurance.
Hill– More budget input & transparency & less admin control. Strongly improve Manager accountability. Need budget transparency to eliminate waste. Supports non-police safety services.
Silver– Budget priorities: more public input & transparency. Set best practice criteria, goals, & expectations for City Manager, Attorney & Clerk. Budget changes: meet challenges & community needs according to equity, sustainability & affordability. Lead other cities in public safety pay. Supports non-police response teams.
Improving Our Environment
Promoting urban densities can conflict with environmental protection, such as clearcutting forested land, including infill and teardown lots. What are your key considerations for deciding if the growth benefits of a project outweigh environmental impacts? (See Questionnaire Items Q20 – Q21)
Black(Incumbent)– Need strong action: protect water supplies, reduce carbon emissions, reduce growth impacts, stronger zoning for resilience & climate action plan, more environmental justice. Set performance goals & metrics. Promote growth/enviro balance with better enviro impact data & stakeholder input.
Record in office– Voted to rezone a property in the Falls Lake Watershed.
Hill– Biggest problem is toxic runoff. Need more trees & natural fertilization. Wary of density & clearcutting. More tree canopy, higher pervious development ratio & water systems mgmt.
Silver– Climate change is one of Raleigh’s main threats. More: parks, stormwater capture, trees planted fairly, green roofs, renewable energy. Reduce impervious surfaces & city fossil fuels. New Comp Plan should help define the best growth/enviro balance for Raleigh.
Local Government Experience
Each Candidate’s campaign website is listed. We also include here any experience a candidate has in Raleigh government whether as a member of City Council or a member of any of the city Boards and Commissions.
Black(Incumbent)– mary4districta.com
Elected to City Council District A in 2022.
Hill– whitneyforraleigh.org
Silver– silverforraleigh.com
Served as Raleigh Planning Director from 2005 through 2014. Served as Chief Planning & Development Officer from 2011 through 2014.