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Highlights of City Council Meetings – January 18, 2022
HIGHLIGHTS Voted 5-3 to provide $10k in temporary funding to Iglesia La Semilla’s COVID efforts while the organization is vetted for a $56k request.Public comments focus was on engagement, affordable housing, police, and priorities.Community engagement related to...
A New Year’s Resolution: Engage with us! Negotiate for us!
Dear Mayor and City Council, As we start a new year, it is typical to make resolutions for self-betterment and better times in the upcoming year. I am no different. However my resolutions are for the Mayor and Council as we move forward in 2022. On behalf of the...
Gatekeeping: Raleigh City Council Making the People Even More Powerless Through Changes to Elections
Is council grabbing power for themselves without regard for the "little people" who serve them? Hwa Huang is currently a grad student at NC State University’s Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science Department. He is an advocate for vulnerable communities, and an...
Why does the city ask for our input if the process is not transparent?
Haley Kinsler is a local to Raleigh that is passionate about activism and the environment. She enjoys volunteering and in her free time, she works on her nature photography, and can frequently be seen taking photos at local parks, arboretums, and gardens in the...
January 11, 2022 Council Meeting Highlights
Safe, Vibrant, and Healthy Communities Council Committee Discussed Z-68-20, but took no action in advance of public hearing on January 18. Many residents spoke very eloquently about their desire that development in this area be guided by the Cameron...
City Council, Community Engagement and the Code of Conduct
Tim Niles, a founding member of Livable Raleigh, delivered the following remarks to City Council during Public Comments on January 4, 2022:210 days ago, in a secret plot, with no public notice, no public input and no public vote, you moved your election by eight...
Changes to City Council should be placed on the ballot for referendum
Cole McMullin, a Raleigh resident and an active member of Raleigh Democratic Socialists of America, delivered the following remarks at the January 4, 2022 Raleigh City Council meeting:I am commenting today to let you know what I think about the proposed changes to...
The Rise of the Creative Class
Bob Geary, resident of District D, delivered the following remarks at the January 4, 2022 Raleigh City Council meeting:Good evening, Mayor and Council. “The Rise of the Creative Class” is a book I know that most of you, or maybe all of you, are familiar with. Richard...
Community Benefits are left “On the Table” in 2021. Why?
Livable Raleigh Chair Susan Maruyama delivered the following remarks at the January 4, 2022 Raleigh City Council meeting:Madam Mayor and City Council, Please don’t leave a whole lot of good on the table in 2022 like you did in 2021. In 2021, you approved 96% of the...
District A Resident Presents a Redistricting Alternative
Midtown Raleigh resident Larry Helfant recently sent the following email to City Staff and the members of the Study Group on Council Terms and Compensation who now have been tasked with advising on redrawing of districts required after the recent census. Preliminary...
JANUARY 4, 2022 CITY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS Council retreat will be March 4 & 5COVID numbers remain high, yet Councilor Buffkin wants to resume in-person meetings immediately. Council agreed to review at January 18 meeting.Dr. Aretina Hamilton hired as Director of Equity and Inclusion.178...
Raleigh City Council and Pay to Play Cronyism
Tim Niles, a resident of Raleigh, delivered the following comments to the City Council on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. Mayor Baldwin and members of City Council. Good afternoon, One of the first actions taken by this council was to abolish recognition for CACs and...
Humanizing the Affordable Housing Crisis
Longtime Raleigh resident Terry Snyder recently spoke at a Raleigh City Council meeting Over the past 49 years that I have lived in West Raleigh, I have witnessed significant changes in development. One of the most alarming negative consequences is the vanishing...
Decisions made by the city should be informed by the residents who live there; what a concept!
Christina Jones, Chair of the RCAC (Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council), recently spoke at a Raleigh City Council meeting: I recently participated in the Midtown CAC ZOOM meeting, in which we discussed Z-45-21. This is a project that will displace current...
Livable Raleigh’s Statement on City Council Terms, Compensation and Districts
Livable Raleigh welcomes the chance to comment on proposed changes to the compensation and terms of City Council members and on adding seats to the Council. We hope there is no repeat of the secrecy that surrounded the extension of current Council terms and the...
The Nuances of Inclusionary Zoning; where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or not!
Lisa Hughet has lived in Raleigh over 30 years and has become a fierce advocate for affordable housing. Hughet became a volunteer construction lead with Wake Habitat for Humanity so she could make a visible difference and also teach others some valuable...
December 7, 2021 Council Meeting
HIGHLIGHTS Text change to reduce the distance between fuel sales and neighborhoods passed 6 to 2 with Councilors Cox and Forte dissenting. Self-proclaimed environmentalist Councilors Stewart and Knight voted to promote more fossil fuel sales. Rezoning Z-68-20 -...
Adding Density without Infrastructure Planning Makes No Sense; So Why Are We Doing It?
Midtown Raleigh resident Larry Helfant shares his insights and concerns about deficiencies in Raleigh’s planning for growth. The recently announced phase of the North Hills expansion (Z-67-21) will result in a further degradation of neighborhood quality to the people...
Stop Signs, Stop Lights, and the Environment
Janis Ramquist submitted this blog to Livable Raleigh. She has been a Wake County resident since 1981. Janis says “I want my grandchildren to enjoy a clean environment, especially with simple choices that are safe and less costly.” Have you noticed the explosion of...
How can you help protect Raleigh’s trees?
Raleigh residents regularly contact Livable Raleigh to express their concerns about loss of tree canopy and clear-cutting during development. They want to know more about tree protection, tree planting, and tree preservation. We all know that, beyond their aesthetic...