Voter Guide – 2024 – District E
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)
Cerqueira– Public confidence in Council has been degraded by argumentative meeting behavior. Criticizes Council for wasting time on foreign affairs debates, but also calls for respecting differences of opinion. Criticizes secret voting blocs and agendas, and the lack of transparency, civility and cooperation. Wants a more representative level of citizen engagement for a more balanced view of issues, but all parties need to be welcomed and involved for us to evolve together. Understands voters’ perception that the city is too beholden to developers, but disagrees with it. Calls for increased transparency, citizen engagement, balance and dialogue to help overcome this perception and create win-win situations. Opposes donor caps. Sees pros and cons of changing from 2 to 4 year terms, but the issue should first be put to a public referendum before voting to make a change.
Our Comments– Declined to criticize Council’s action, opposed by Gov. Cooper, to secretly give themselves an extra year in office with no public input and no public vote. Declined to directly answer whether Council’s action was an ethical failure, [but hinted that COVID complications justified acting in secret, with no public input and no public vote.]
Jones(Incumbent)– did not respond to our questionnaire.
Record in office– Was excused from the meeting where the vote to move to 4-year terms was taken. Would have voted against it saying it should have been put on the ballot for the voters to decide.
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)
Cerqueira– Suggested that developers might not lead rezoning meetings. Would like to study other communities that have developed successful procedures for zoning meetings and work on best practices to ensure Raleigh can be a leader in balancing the community with the need for affordable and sustainable growth. Wants to reach out to heads of inactive CACs to evaluate their awareness and ability to reactivate their CACs. Supports citizens’ ability to organize and be heard. Supports partnership between CACs and Housing & Neighborhood Dept.
Jones(Incumbent)– did not respond to our questionnaire.
Record in office– Holds regular District E community meetings to engage with constituents. In Feb 2024, made the motion to reinstate CACs but has taken no concrete action to make that happen since.
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
Cerqueira– Growth’s impacts on infrastructure should be judged by data, not by public perception. Would review impact studies and best practices to judge the adequacy of infrastructure and what improvements may be warranted. Agrees that growth can have a negative impact on some aspects of life in Raleigh, such as increased congestion and accidents along Glenwood Avenue, but notes that growth also brings a range of desirable amenities. Adding public transportation investments and focusing growth around existing infrastructure are critical as growth moves toward outlying areas. Insufficient public notice has led to confusion about the Missing Middle infill rules. A formal education and feedback session should be conducted. Respect adopted NCODs, HODs & Area Plans.
Jones(Incumbent)– did not respond to our questionnaire.
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.
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)
Cerqueira– Would engage with affordable housing developers to work in concert with the city to find/acquire/lease land, potentially City and State owned, with subsidized discounted financing to build critical mass of affordable units. Work with experts to set and track affordable unit production metrics and present them at an annual accountability session.
Jones(Incumbent)– did not respond to our questionnaire.
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)
Cerqueira– Would like to see budget considerations posted while being considered so the public can engage in public comments. Would also like to see a representative public poll of residents’ budget priorities. Given the Manager’s level of compensation, responsibility, and stakeholder impact, high levels of accountability such as published objective performance goals, are appropriate. Has no specific budget changes in mind, except prioritizing city services staff over internal overhead. Sees merit in ensuring the budget is allocated fairly in all areas of the city. Public safety for all citizens is paramount and should be the top priority in our budget. Safety and security are the foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and should be prioritized accordingly.
Jones(Incumbent)– did not respond to our questionnaire.
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)
Cerqueira– Top environmental concerns:
Jones(Incumbent)– did not respond to our questionnaire.
Record in office– Voted to rezone a property in the Falls Lake Watershed.
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.
Cerqueira– john4raleigh.com
Jones(Incumbent)– christinaforraleigh.com
Elected to City Council District E in 2022. Chair Northwest CAC 2017-2022. RCAC Vice Chair 2018-2019. RCAC Chair 2019-2022.