When you go to the polls to vote this year, you may notice something missing from your ballot. You were supposed to be able to vote on whether Raleigh City Council term lengths should be extended from two years to four years.
But, Council Members Melton and Forte took that choice away from you after assuting you for more than a year you would have that choice.
At their May 7, 2024 meeting, City Council (except for Councilors Black and Patton who voted “no” and Councilor Jones who was absent but has said she would have voted no) reversed their ASSURANCES to you that they would put the proposal for four-year terms on the November ballot for the voters to decide.
Instead, on their own, they unilaterally approved an ordinance changing the City Charter and implementing four-year terms to start in 2026.
They gave no explanation for this reversal of their assurances.
They took this action despite the city’s own polls (here and here) showing significant public opposition to four-year terms.
Here are clips from January 16, 2024 of Council Members Melton and Forte making public statements expressing their intent to put the issue of four-year terms on the November 2024 ballot as a referendum question for the voters to decide.
1/16/24 Mayor Pro Tem Melton notes there is a consensus for adding a referendum to the November 2024 ballot. On May 7, Mayor Pro Tem Melton voted to make the change without a vote of the people.
1/16/24 Councilor Forte states her support for adding a ballot referendum in the fall for term lengths. On May 7, Councilor Forte voted to make the change without a vote of the people.
REFERENDUM REFERENDUM
On May 7, 2024 when the motion was made, Mayor Pro Tem Melton said this:
“I really don’t know what I think about this issue. We’ve talked about it a lot. What I heard a lot was, referendum, referendum.”
Mayor Pro Tem Melton expressed his concern about the sudden reversal from a ballot referendum to enacting the change at the table on their own without a vote of the public.
Despite reconfirming the council’s intent to put the question to the voters with a referendum, he went ahead and voted for the council to make the change to four-year terms unilaterally and to take the choice away from the people.
It was Melton who provided the 5th vote necessary for this change to pass.
Livable Raleigh Editorial Team
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