Midtown Raleigh resident Larry Helfant recently emailed the Raleigh City Council to share his concerns about a rezoning (Z-41-19) near Shelley Lake. The Public Hearing is June 2nd. Apparently the City Council plans to go ahead with public hearings and other business as usual, despite a pandemic and civil crisis.
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.
Since Baldwin & Co’s election, early dismissals from the Planning Commission have come at a rapid pace. Who’s getting dismissed? Anyone not employed by the development industry or beholden to the Baldwin bloc on Council.
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.
The network of CACs benefited the Black community. It was an opportunity for Black people to voice their concerns on City issues. Also, it empowered the Black community to organize against gentrification. This is why it was dismantled.