Six councilors made public statements in support of using a referendum for the voters to make the decision on election reform over more than a year. Most voicing that support as recently as one month before they suddenly changed course and turned their backs on the promise they made to the voters. And, they did so without any explanation for what caused them to abandon their firmly stated positions.
At their May 7 meeting, Council reneged on their PROMISE that they would put a proposal for four-year terms with a nonpartisan primary on the November ballot for the voters to decide. Instead, all on their own, they unilaterally approved staggered four-year terms with a primary beginning in 2026. The councilors arrogantly noted that if citizens didn’t like their backtracking on their commitment, they could “just go collect 5,000 signatures” on a petition within 30 days and force the council to keep their promise of placing the issue on the ballot as a referendum in November.
It was embarrassing to listen to both Fire and RPD ask for additional compensation just to stay competitive with neighboring communities. Raleigh has the best training facilities in the area but we suffer from retaining personnel because, although we are the Capital City, we don’t provide fair compensation or benefits.
INDY Week Readers Name Livable Raleigh Best Local Activist Group – Wake County – 2024. Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the event. We pledge to continue bringing you the kind of local activism you appreciate.
Livable Raleigh has received a “Cease and Desist” letter from lawyers representing Sustainable Raleigh, the new group started by former one-term City Council member David Knight. Ouch! We hope Sustainable Raleigh will “Cease and Desist” making false accusations against us.