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Terrance Ruth: A Breath of Fresh Air
In a recent interview with mayoral candidate Terrance Ruth, the Indy’s Jane Porter began by asking why he is running. His answer was plain and to the point: “because I have seen the slow dissolving of public trust in our city.”
Dr. King’s Unfinished Work: Economic Justice
American culture for the most part has grown comfortable with the “I-have-a-dream” Martin Luther King. We love his wonderful words like, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin...
Jane Harrison calls out INDYWeek’s Convenient Scapegoat narrative
Jane Harrison submitted a Letter to the Editor of INDYWeek with her thoughts on their coverage of Downtown South “In your writeup of what you’re watching for 2021, you mention NIMBY opposition to Downtown South—a convenient scapegoat to dismiss authentic and varied community concerns,”
“The Only Thing Worse Than A NIMBY Is A YIMBY,” and other truths about affordable housing and what the “Yes” crowd really means
Instead of building condos for the people who don’t need houses, and hoping that eventually market forces will slowly reduce prices at every level, it’s possible to build for the people who do need houses. There is also no need for progress to involve bulldozing beloved historic places.
Two Raleigh Women Spot a Local Tax Scandal
Did you hear about this tax increment thing that’s happening in Raleigh? Sounds a little sketchy to me! Mega-developer John Kane wants hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to pay for his Downtown South sports stadium.
In Historic Victory, Hillsborough Becomes First North Carolina Municipality to Pass LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Protections Since Sunset of HB142. What About Raleigh?
Monday, Jan 11 the Board of Commissioners in Hillsborough, North Carolina voted to pass an ordinance broadly protecting members of the LGBTQ community from discrimination. The vote makes Hillsborough, a town with a population of 7,000 people, the first municipality in...
Do Black Lives Matter in Raleigh? (And what’s with the mayor’s dismissive response of “whatnot”?)
At the Jan 5 City Council meeting, two residents spoke eloquently asking the city to create an African-American Affairs Board. Watch the clip to hear these comments and Mayor Baldwin’s denial of their reasonable request. Why did this Council approve a Hispanic and Immigrant Affairs Board, but not one for the African-American community?
Lack of Progress and Accountability in Raleigh’s Community Engagement Project
On Tuesday, January 5th I spoke to the City Council about the progress of the City's community engagement project. Below are my comments. — Michael Lindsay Hi Mayor Baldwin and City Council members. Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you. I hope all of you...
“Let’s Be Clear: Downtown South does not have any affordable housing”
At City Council last night, Bob Geary, 202 East Park Drive, made the following comments about the Downtown South project. He is a former columnist for the Independent Weekly and a former member of the Raleigh Planning Commission. Good evening, and Happy New Year! Just...
We now have 3 promising challengers for Raleigh mayor and City Council seats.
Yesterday we noted Terrance Ruth's entrance into the 2021 mayoral race as well as Jane Harrison's announcement on New Year's Day that she will be running for the District D Council seat in the October elections. We should've added that Joshua Bradley, a Bernie...
Two promising challengers emerge as ’21 Raleigh election year begins
Terrance Ruth is challenging Mary-Ann Baldwin for Raleigh Mayor. Ruth announced his candidacy earlier today. Baldwin announced her re-election bid at the end of December. Watch Terrance's Announcement Video Campaign website Truth For Raleigh Facebook Truth...
Raleigh’s Leaders’ Moment to Listen
Raleigh is at a pivotal moment, a moment where leaders must listen. For a city that has received so much praise for its quality of life as a great place to live, work, and raise a family, Raleigh’s leadership is being questioned by its most important stakeholders, the community.
Citizens Speak Out: When Council Silenced the CACs, Black Communities Suffered Most
The son of one of Raleigh’s first Black City Councilors speaks out against gentrification in Raleigh. He says this Council’s abolition of CACs “leaves Raleigh’s heart open to knives that will cut neighborhoods and communities up”.
I helped Mayor Clarence Lightner create the CACs. Why is the current City Council so unwilling to listen to citizens?
“The lack of serious communication in the past few days is also symptomatic of an unwillingness to listen.” — Henry Sarnoff, Prof. Emeritus, NCSU
Downtown South Needs a Makeover
During the holidays we are re-posting some of our favorite guest blogs while we take some time away from our normal hectic schedules. Here is a recent message from Jane Harrison. Jane Harrison, Ph.D., works at North Carolina State University for NOAAs Sea Grant...
After Downtown South — what’s next?
Let’s advocate for meaningful community engagement as the Downtown South project moves forward. We need to ensure that concerns about gentrification, affordable housing, flooding, and traffic are addressed and not swept under the rug.
The Question of Equity. Or, Why “Downtown South” is, so far, Right for Kane, Wrong for South Raleigh
“Exclusive is what Kane wants. Inclusive is what Raleigh needs.” The public hearing on Kane’s “Downtown South” project is tonight at 7 pm.
Quality of life hinges on the details in rezonings – my experience
When major commercial development comes knocking onto residential’s door, it is wise for residents to learn from past rezonings. The news of the Downtown South project brings back memories of my involvement with the St Albans rezonings a few years ago. Kane Realty and...
Planning Commission votes 8-0 to deny current Downtown South Project and calls for a revised and improved project.
After six weeks of special meetings and intense analysis, the Raleigh Planning Commission found the Downtown South Project, the largest development proposal ever in Raleigh, to be fundamentally inconsistent with Raleigh’s adopted policies for environmental protection,...
The Public Interest: Can The Raleigh City Council See It?
Raleigh’s city leaders have a civic duty to create spaces for public dialogue; to encourage and listen to diverse viewpoints; offer honest analysis and synthesis toward recommendations that advocate for the public interest; and act in the public interest, which...