Voter Guide – 2024 – Mayor

Cowell– The decline of local journalism makes it harder for the public to stay informed. Restoring voter confidence could include making the website more user friendly, investing in technology that enables two-way communication between Raleigh residents and the City, re-activating CACs. Voter perception of the city is too beholden to developers is fair, noting that only 20% of her donations are development related. If elected, she will avoid conflicts by focusing full time on mayor’s job. Capping individual donations would require careful study to avoid unintended consequences, such as promoting offsetting increases in PAC donations. There should be public input about changing Council elections and include a third party expert in election design. Understand concerns about Council adding a year to their terms without public input or public vote, but wouldn’t categorize their action as an ethics violation.

Fitts– Agrees with voters that city does not do a good job of keeping voters informed. Media does not cover basic city issues like city debt, business departures or rising taxes. City should hold weekly media briefings. New convention center not needed, so keep amphitheater where it is. Current council is beholden to developers, NGOs, partisan organizations, and one particular political party, rather than the citizens. Money in local politics is not as big a problem as the lack of integrity and vision. Focus on more police for public safety, reduce homelessness and bring in businesses. Supports 2-year terms unless voters decide otherwise. Regarding Council giving themselves an extra year in office with no public input and no public vote: it’s done and we should simply move forward. 

Myrick– Strongly supports voter perception that city has not done a good job of keeping residents informed. Offers specific programs to improve transparency and community involvement: quarterly forums, elder outreach, expanded digital access. The influence of special interests, particularly developers, has led to decisions that prioritize profits over people. Supports donor cap of $500. Supports voter preference for 2-year terms. Supports moving to ranked choice voting. Council’s action to secretly change the time and manner of their own election without public input or a vote undermines the democratic process and erodes trust in our local government.

Ruth– The voter poll numbers highlight a critical issue in communication and transparency within the Council. It is essential to establish open, consistent, and accessible channels of communication, with regular updates through multiple platforms such as social media, town halls, newsletters and a transparent city website. Involve residents in the decision-making process through public forums and surveys. The influence of special interests in local governance has been a concern, and it undermines public trust in the Council’s ability to serve the community’s best interests. Implement policies that ensure more equitable and community-focused decision-making processes that prioritize community needs and benefits over special interests. Supports a donor cap of $500. There are pros and cons of changing from 2 to 4 year terms. Before deciding, Council should have put the question to a voter referendum. Council’s action to give themselves an extra year in office with no public input and no public vote represents a failure of the Council’s ethical responsibility to Raleigh residents. Making significant changes to the election process without public input and without a public vote undermines democratic principles and erodes trust in local governance.

Shaugnessy– Agrees that city does not do a good job of keeping voters informed. City’s structure offers little accountability. Agrees that city is too beholden to developers. Disastrous zoning around the city indicates city must play hardball with everyone at the table. Balancing development needs with community interests is crucial for sustainable growth. Needs more information before deciding if state donor cap of $6,400 is too high or low. Strongly supports 4-year Council terms, but should have been put to a voter referendum – Council’s implementation was undemocratic and underhanded. Council’s action to give themselves an extra year in office with no public input and no public vote demonstrated questionable ethics. Time and time again, Council has prioritized their convenience over the ethical obligation to the people. He is committed to changing this ethos and ensuring that the voices of Raleigh’s residents are heard and respected.

Cowell– City staff should facilitate Neighborhood rezoning meetings as a neutral party with expertise. Commits to restoring CAC support eliminated in 2020 and restoring inactive CACs. CACs have not been effective in capturing the voices of renters, younger people and people of color. New communication technologies may help reduce this problem. Needs more information about the best city department to support CACs.

Fitts– Supports better public input on new projects. Engage Councilors in restoring CACs to all areas of the city. Restore and improve CAC support eliminated in 2020. Pay special attention to cybersecurity concerns. Communication between CACs and Housing & Neighborhoods Dept is important, but CACs should not be used for protectionism against all change. 

Myrick– Supports CAC control of neighborhood zoning meetings. Strong support for restoring and improving inactive CACs, employing active outreach and leadership recruitment, leadership training and meeting support, a community engagement campaign to build CAC awareness, participation incentives, and program of regular monitoring and feedback to ensure CACs are meeting the needs of their community. Supports restoring CAC services eliminated in 2020 including preferred meeting space, meeting technology support and city website support. Supports restoring CACs partnership with Housing & Neighborhoods Dept.

Ruth– Supports returning control of neighborhood zoning meetings to CACs, along with incentives to develop diverse membership. Involving CACs promotes more transparent, inclusive, and equitable decision-making processes that prioritize the well-being of residents and the character of neighborhoods. Restore and improve inactive CACs, particularly in minority neighborhoods by allocating sufficient funds, facilitating outreach for diverse participation, providing capacity-building for CAC members and establish regular communications between CACs and Council. Commits to restoring the support eliminated in 2020 based on incentives to diversify and grow the membership. Supports restoring collaboration between CACs and Housing & Neighborhood Dept.

Shaugnessy– CACs should have strong voice in rezoning meetings. Restoring CACs is a job for the Community Engagement Office. Ensuring CACs have support to function effectively will empower residents to actively participate in decision-making processes, enhancing the connection between the community and the Council. Fully supports restoring and improving partnership between CACs and city’s Housing and Neighborhoods Department.

Cowell– Infrastructure is lagging growth. Before annexing, compare cost of services versus tax revenues. Prefer new development that uses existing infrastructure. Aggressively seek federal infrastructure funding. Seek creative reuse of surplus infrastructure. Growth can enhance our quality of life, but should fairly benefit service and public service workers. We need to build more housing and affordable housing, supplemented with stabilization, repair and tax assistance for long-time homeowners. New Comprehensive Plan engagement should focus on underrepresented residents. Staff says lawsuit is limiting opportunities to openly study and discuss Missing Middle infill rule performance and amendments to improve retention of existing affordable units and build more new affordable units. Respect adopted NCODs, HODs & Area Plans.

Fitts– Need adequate infrastructure; less emphasis on parks, more on roads. Quality of life is down because of wrong priorities, like green energy economy. City handled Missing Middle infill rules poorly. Instead, will work with legislature to redevelop underused state property. Respect adopted NCODs, HODs & Area Plans. 

Myrick– Infrastructure is not keeping up with growth. Offers a series of infrastructure assessment, planning and implementation measures focused on sustainable growth and community engagement practices. Agree with voter perception that growth is negatively impacting quality of life. Proposes tax equity measures, affordable housing initiatives, and growth policies that enhance community input to meet community needs. Missing Middle infill rules should be amended with extensive public input to promote affordability and compatibility. Respect adopted NCODs, HODs & Area Plans.

Ruth– Rapid growth strains our ability to meet current and future infrastructure needs. Proposes actions including: comprehensive infrastructure planning for critical systems, increased funding including partnerships and state and federal funds, sustainable development practices, community engagement and regular monitoring and evaluation. Rapid growth also impacts our quality of life. To address these impacts he proposes a detailed list of measures including: smart growth strategies, mobility improvements, affordable housing, environmental preservation and community engagement. Proposes Missing Middle Infill rule improvements: flexible rules and incentives, community input, design compatibility standards and affordability requirements. Any broad changes to neighborhood character protections should be put to a citywide referendum vote.

Shaugnessy– Need adequate infrastructure. He points to new NCDOT I-440 ramps as ‘poorly thought out.’ Need to balance growth benefits & impacts. Supports Missing Middle Infill rules, but with better communication. Mentions compatibility but not affordability. In amending NCODs, HODs & Area Plans, need to balance growth and preservation.

Cowell– Supports a detailed list of funding sources, partnerships & data analysis tools: Use Tax Increment Financing to leverage new development’s higher tax value to subsidize affordable units in the development. Will use State Treasurer expertise to expedite this funding tool. Work with RHA to expand use of city-owned property for more affordable unit production. Partner with churches to develop affordable units on church land. Need improved tracking data for affordable unit loss, retention, production and location in order to set effective goals and progress metrics. 

Fitts– Supports affordable housing tools such as land donation and rate buy downs. Use State properties for housing development. You can’t make housing “affordable” unless you make it available. Lower the cost of homes by retaining ownership of land and offering space to builders (no land acquisition costs means reduced housing costs), creating a taxable space where none existed before. Also, should look at rate buy downs versus downpayment assistance since lower rates create far cheaper payments.

Myrick– Agrees with with strong voter concerns about declining housing affordability. Provides an extensive list of policies, programs & goals and performance metrics tied to Neighborhood Median Incomes, more funding for fixed-income households and new, diverse and inclusive mixed-income communities. Leverage city-owned land for affordable housing production. Strengthen tenant protections and assistance programs. Promote community land trusts. All programs should include measurable goals and performance tracking.

Ruth– Raleigh’s affordable housing crisis demands bold, transformative action. Provides a detailed list: require 30 year affordability for city landbanked projects, require affordable units in every new residential project, expand affordable housing trust fund and community land trust projects, strengthen tenant protections and expand public-private partnerships such as tax credit mixed-income projects and non-profit partnerships. Programs would include measurable goals and performance tracking.

Shaugnessy– To address Raleigh’s deepening affordable housing crisis, he proposes: deregulation and rezoning to increase supply, especially where added car trips are few, subsidize diverse mixed-use developments, expand missing middle housing, increase affordable condos and expand community land trusts, especially in vulnerable neighborhoods. Proposes measurable goals and performance tracking.

Cowell– Improving voter satisfaction with budget priorities needs more effort. Start earlier with many outreach & data analysis tools. Need better objective measures of city’s Strategic Plan goals, including Manager performance. Better budgeting can be achieved via better trend data and benchmarks. The new Comprehensive Plan will help improve future budget decisions. Need more competitive public safety compensation, better non-police emergency response and better police training to reduce misconduct.

Fitts– City budgets should focus on basics, more police pay & staffing & lowering taxes. City Manager is overpaid.

Myrick– Improve voter satisfaction with future city budgets by implementing a more inclusive and transparent budgeting process that engages all residents, including seniors and legacy residents. Provide accessible community budget forums, interactive budget decision tools, continuous feedback to gather concerns and suggestions, and clear communication about budget decisions. Ensure Manager is effectively serving community needs with clear, measurable goals guiding their performance, and accountability maintained through appropriate internal oversight. Top budget changes: more public safety funding, more affordable housing, more community support programs, with measures to ensure fair budget distribution. Supports increased public safety compensation and non-police emergency response teams.

Ruth– To improve voter satisfaction with future city budgets, ensure that the budget development process is transparent and well-communicated, actively involving residents through public forums, workshops, and online surveys. Establish regular feedback mechanisms to gather input from residents on budget performance and adjustments throughout the fiscal year. Prioritize equity in budget decisions to ensure that resources are distributed fairly across all communities. Establish and publish objective performance goals for the City Manager as part of the city’s Strategic Plan. Public evaluations provide residents with insight into the City Manager’s effectiveness and justify salary adjustments based on measurable achievements and performance outcomes. Top budget priorities include affordable housing, critical infrastructure improvements, public safety and health, education and workforce development and environmental sustainability. Budget process to include a list of equity, engagement and accountability measures. Need competitive pay for public safety employees and non-police emergency response teams. Establish independent oversight and accountability mechanisms to help prevent misconduct and ensure transparency and justice. 

Shaugnessy– Sees Community Engagemment Office and revived CACs as ways to align budget with voter priorities. Budget priorities: reduce city debt & high paying city jobs, fund housing, infrastructure and essential employee pay. Raise public safety pay and provide take-home cars, expand Acorn program. Misconduct settlements not paid by city, but by police dept.

Cowell– In addition to Raleigh’s Community Climate Action Plan strategies, wants to focus on tree preservation and creeks as important elements of improving the city’s resilience to storms and flooding. Also wants to improve waste reduction, recycling and composting. Wants to promote innovative development practices that increase density without sacrificing green space.

Fitts– Our climate is in no real danger, but we do need better water supplies. Focus development on underutilized state property to minimize environmental impacts.

Myrick– Environmental challenges include overdevelopment and flooding. Need better planning and development for resilience to climate change impacts. Implement more green infrastructure such as rain gardens and pervious surfaces. Strengthen environmental and floodplain regulations. Promote more efficient and resilient construction. Promote public’s environmental awareness and engagement. Update Raleigh’s Climate Action Plan. Offers a list tools for assessing and improving the environmental performance of new growth.

Ruth– Raleigh’s critical environmental challenges include urban sprawl, greenhouse gas emissions, and loss of green spaces. Environmental initiatives include: expanding green infrastructure, renewable energy production, a comprehensive climate action plan and natural habitat protection. Keys to better growth/environmental balance include: environmental impact assessments, sustainable development practices, community input and impact mitigation and compensation.

Shaugnessy– City faces critical environmental challenges. Proposes a list of initiatives: more public transit, promote electric vehicle use, improve recycling efficiency and build a composting network. To help balance growth and environmental concerns: strongly prefers redevelopment over clearing forests, increase densities in already developed areas and upgrade stormwater systems to handle increased urban demands.

Cowell– janetcowellformayor.com

Elected to City Council At-Large in 2001. Re-elected At-Large in 2003. President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dix Park Conservancy 2021 – 2024.

Fitts– fittsforraleigh.com

Myrick– myrickformayor.com

Ruth– truthforraleigh.org

Appointed to the Raleigh Transit Authority in 2023.

Shaugnessy– shaughnessy4you.com