What we need is a real moonshot budget that prioritizes Raleigh Human Services and an Affordable Housing bond that deals directly and effectively with the horrifying impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which are tearing at the fabric of so many Raleigh lives, particularly the lives of homeless mothers and their children.
Livable Raleigh offers some suggestions for improving community engagement at Council meetings.
Although Councilor Buffkin did share the concern that citizens weren’t provided alternate methods to access CAC meetings as justification to abolish that system, he is MISSING IN ACTION when it comes to providing access to his own district meetings.
Raleigh’s affordable housing bond survey lacks important sampling methods and validation techniques required to produce an unbiased picture of public sentiment. Intentionally or not, the survey ignores low-wealth residents and confuses the public’s true feelings about the affordable housing bond.
Councilor Nicole Stewart expressed frustration during the May 5 council meeting that Councilor David Cox hadn’t provided advance notice to her that he would raise the issue of the RDU quarry, though of course he didn’t bring it up; three citizens did.