Do Black Lives Matter in Raleigh? (And what’s with the mayor’s dismissive response of “whatnot”?)
At the Jan 5 City Council meeting, two residents spoke eloquently asking the city to create an African-American Affairs Board. Watch the clip to hear these comments and Mayor Baldwin’s denial of their reasonable request. Why did this Council approve a Hispanic and Immigrant Affairs Board, but not one for the African-American community?
Lack of Progress and Accountability in Raleigh’s Community Engagement Project
On Tuesday, January 5th I spoke to the City Council about the progress of the City's community engagement project. Below are my comments. — Michael Lindsay Hi Mayor Baldwin and City Council members. Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you. I hope all of you...
“Let’s Be Clear: Downtown South does not have any affordable housing”
At City Council last night, Bob Geary, 202 East Park Drive, made the following comments about the Downtown South project. He is a former columnist for the Independent Weekly and a former member of the Raleigh Planning Commission. Good evening, and Happy New Year! Just...
We now have 3 promising challengers for Raleigh mayor and City Council seats.
Yesterday we noted Terrance Ruth's entrance into the 2021 mayoral race as well as Jane Harrison's announcement on New Year's Day that she will be running for the District D Council seat in the October elections. We should've added that Joshua Bradley, a Bernie...
Two promising challengers emerge as ’21 Raleigh election year begins
Terrance Ruth is challenging Mary-Ann Baldwin for Raleigh Mayor. Ruth announced his candidacy earlier today. Baldwin announced her re-election bid at the end of December. Watch Terrance's Announcement Video Campaign website Truth For Raleigh Facebook Truth...
Raleigh’s Leaders’ Moment to Listen
Raleigh is at a pivotal moment, a moment where leaders must listen. For a city that has received so much praise for its quality of life as a great place to live, work, and raise a family, Raleigh’s leadership is being questioned by its most important stakeholders, the community.
Citizens Speak Out: When Council Silenced the CACs, Black Communities Suffered Most
The son of one of Raleigh’s first Black City Councilors speaks out against gentrification in Raleigh. He says this Council’s abolition of CACs “leaves Raleigh’s heart open to knives that will cut neighborhoods and communities up”.
I helped Mayor Clarence Lightner create the CACs. Why is the current City Council so unwilling to listen to citizens?
“The lack of serious communication in the past few days is also symptomatic of an unwillingness to listen.” — Henry Sarnoff, Prof. Emeritus, NCSU
Downtown South Needs a Makeover
During the holidays we are re-posting some of our favorite guest blogs while we take some time away from our normal hectic schedules. Here is a recent message from Jane Harrison. Jane Harrison, Ph.D., works at North Carolina State University for NOAAs Sea Grant...
After Downtown South — what’s next?
Let’s advocate for meaningful community engagement as the Downtown South project moves forward. We need to ensure that concerns about gentrification, affordable housing, flooding, and traffic are addressed and not swept under the rug.