Mary-Ann Baldwin implements Phase III of her “Revolutionary” citizen engagement system
PHASE I You may recall Phase I when Baldwin and her council majority abolished Citizen Advisory Councils, CACs, Raleigh's nearly 50-year-old formal method for two-way communications between citizens and their government. This first phase occurred on Feb 4, 2020, in...
Raleigh City Council’s Slow-Moving Coup
At their June 8 work session, the Raleigh City Council majority announced a self-serving and unprecedented power grab designed to keep themselves in office for an extra year. With NO public engagement and NO public vote, they unilaterally announced several decisions...
Time & Money spent, but NO new Community Engagement
A year ago in early June, Mickey Fearn signed a $72,000 10-month contract with the City of Raleigh. The contract called for designing new community engagement functions to replace Raleigh's CACs (Citizen Advisory Councils) during Phase 2. That should have happened by...
Raleigh’s budget priorities should not include tax giveaways to developers
Long-time Raleigh resident Terry Snyder shared these remarks as part of the City's budget hearing. I am opposed to the City Budget FY22 because many of the funding priorities do not match the greatest needs of our diverse community. First and most important is...
Mayor Baldwin dismisses Raleigh’s Black community again and again
Raleigh citizens should not be surprised by Mayor Baldwin’s bewilderment about “Is North Carolina losing interest in racial justice and equity?”. (N&O Editorial, May 27, 2021) An excerpt from the editorial is here. The full piece is available at the link above:...
Enloe HS students harassed by protesters – a parent speaks out
Mayor Baldwin has made a complete mess when it comes to how Raleigh Police should respond to protesters. We’ve seen peaceful protesters arrested. Meanwhile, we have scenes like this one — described in a note to us from parent Amy Lee — where the RPD stands back,...
City Council Wants to Throw Your Tax Money Down the Drain – Let Them Know You Object
It’s budget season for Raleigh City Council and one line item has us scratching our heads: $190K for two new Community Engagement positions. Are we expecting two paid bureaucrats to do the work that dozens/hundreds of citizen volunteers used to do for free through...
Neighbors ‘shocked’ as Nicole Stewart justifies legalizing noxious industrial use next to their homes.
Trisha Posey was shocked when Councilor Nicole Stewart justified continuing and legalizing a noxious industrial activity next to her neighborhood. Tryon Woods HOA President Trisha Posey shared her letter to Council with Livable Raleigh: Dear Ms. Stewart, I watched...
News from INDYweek: TIGs & ‘Best of the Triangle’ poll
Hello from Livable Raleigh. We have news! Raleigh's budget a TIGgy Bank? City Council went ahead and adopted its ill-conceived “Tax-Increment Grant” (TIG) policy. But Livable Raleigh's efforts to expose what’s wrong with their scheme are bearing fruit.For...
Raleigh’s Burning Question: When is the Next City Council Election?
A question that has been weighing on the minds of many Raleigh citizens is “When will the next city council election be held: October 2021 or March 2022?” This question was first raised last February, when the U.S. Census Bureau announced it was unable to release the...