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City Attorney insists hybrid meetings are illegal even while the UNC School of Government disagrees
Why do you put up barriers to hear from your citizens in a public forum? You should be removing barriers, making it easier to hear from those you are here to represent. I was one of those new individuals that started participating during the pandemic because it was virtual.
Raleigh is losing Emergency Responders every week
My name is Elizabeth Fulks and for 6 years I have worked as a telecommunicator for Raleigh Wake Emergency Communications, well until Sunday. Our 911 center has reached critical staffing levels that is putting the safety of the citizens and our first responders in danger. We are working below minimum staffing daily. 12 hour shifts without lunch breaks and mandatory overtime on our days off. If these trends continue over the summer there is a good chance when you call 911 it might ring for several minutes before someone answers. Minutes that can be the difference between life and death for someone you love.
City Council Work Session Highlights
Budget was approved 6 to 2 with Councilors Cox and Buffkin objecting.
Growth in Raleigh is up, up, up. So why aren’t city tax rates going down?
Something is rotten in the way we pay for development.
With Raleigh among the fastest growing cities in the country — with tall buildings springing up everywhere and all the small houses torn down to make room for McMansions — why are Raleigh taxpayers getting hammered by rising property tax rates?
Be Kind Indeed!
I have lost count as to how many times I have spoken before you. I will say that over the last 18 months, I have learned how quiet you actually are. The excuses that have come out of you on a multitude of subjects is baffling. From community engagement, to affordable housing, to first responder pay! Your priorities are skewed and it’s led to placing anything and everything ABOVE the people you represent.
Protect your constituents’ rights to healthcare and privacy
You as a city council can take the charge on this — back in 2019 the Charlotte City Council created buffer zones and put in place noise ordinances so that people seeking reproductive care could receive their healthcare in peace. And recently in Austin, Texas, some of their city council members wrote a resolution to decrimininalize abortion by restricting city funds from being used to investigate any abortions and make investigations of abortion-related crime as the lowest priority for their police department.
Councilors need to return contributions to donors who support Anti-LGBT+ bigotry
It is no secret that John Kane donates to anti-LGBT politicians, including our very own Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, who has taken to calling people like myself “filth.” And yet, we have council members and a mayor who refuse to return John Kane’s donations and to call him out on his anti-trans sentiments and funding.
June 7, 2022 City Council Meeting
Council voted to eliminate residential zoning throughout the City by a vote of 6 to 2 with Councilors Cox and Forte dissenting
June 6, 2022 Council Budget Work Session
Council discussed increasing funding for sidewalk and street improvements, a traffic analysis tool, a slight adjustment to leaf collection, raising police and firefighter salaries, and raising their own salaries.
Raleigh’s Council of Greed
I wish the people of Raleigh whose life of hard work is being thrown out the window by this Mayor and City Council would rise up and for their sakes VOTE them out in the November 8, 2022 election.
Baldwin lies about incident with young hockey fan
In first media interview, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin claims she was the victim and was so traumatized she left the hockey game before it ended. Proof has emerged showing this to be a LIE. In a follow-up to our initial report, Mayor Baldwin bullies little girl to...
Who Does Council Serve? – Part 2: Eliminating Big Money Influence
"Rotten to the Core"Our system of paying for political campaigns is "rotten to the core", says Bob Phillips of Common Cause NC, a leading clean government watchdog. In a recent Indyweek article, Phillips said "We need a better way ... to eliminate the influence of big...
Mayor Baldwin bullies little girl to tears.
Mayor Baldwin shown here being advised by PNC Arena Security to stop harassing a ten year old child after the Carolina Hurricanes are eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin brought disgrace upon the office of Mayor and to the City of...
Raleigh beware: how greed turns good intentions into urban disasters
Bob Mulder, former Chair Raleigh Planning Commission recently wrote to the City Council about density: The comments and photos below are from my brother in Portland, Oregon. Letter from Portland Three adjacent buildings with no parking. One slab sided with no windows:...
Who Does Council Serve? Part 1: Follow the Money.
72% of Raleigh voters say city government is too beholden to developers. City Council has tried to hide the corrupting influence of big money in a growing list of backroom decisions, but three out of four Raleigh voters see it and feel it every day – as rapid growth drives up their cost of living, drives down their quality of life and drives modest income families out of town.
Don’t Gut Zoning Protections for Neighborhoods
Raleigh’s zoning laws guided the growth of a city often found at the top of “Best Places to Live” lists. They protect us from inconsiderate neighbors. They give us the confidence to buy a house or sign a lease because we can roughly predict what the surroundings will be like in the future. Let’s continue to offer a variety of environments to call home, including vibrant mixed-use areas and quiet, family-friendly neighborhoods.
The People Have Spoken
There has not been a municipal election in Raleigh in over two and a half years. But as you know, this week there was a NC State Senate race involving Patrick Buffkin, a member of the Raleigh City Council. I view the outcome of this race as a proxy for the opinion that the people in Senate District 13, and more broadly across the city, have regarding the Raleigh City Council and its performance over the last two and a half years. Just as elections have consequences in the direction of the next council, so the actions of the council have consequences in the direction of the next election.
Patrick Buffkin – Rejected in Landslide
Raleigh City Councilor Patrick Buffkin asked the voters who know him best to promote him to a seat in the NC Senate. Their answer was a resounding NO! The Tuesday, May 17th primary was the first electoral test for a sitting member of Raleigh's City Council and the...
On Raleigh’s housing supply, actions speak louder than words.
This is a follow-up to a recent Letter to the Editor published in the N&O. Here we are able to provide more details than can fit in a LTE. There is a copy of that letter at the end of this piece. City Councilor Stewart is quoted in the N&O saying "This...
5/17/22 City Council Meeting
HIGHLIGHTS Councilor Buffkin absent again for all of work session and some of afternoon session (many recent absences seem to coincide with his NC Senate campaign activities, showing his priorities) Several councilors express concerns about lack of transparency and...