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Buffkin’s COVID Grandstanding Puts Public Health at Risk
It was announced on social media Wednesday, August 11th, that the Raleigh City Council was returning to virtual meetings as a safety precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Not long after, District A Councilor Patrick Buffkin criticized the decision on...
One more reason to recall Baldwin – Raleigh does exist outside the belt line – Guest Commentary
Kris Door, a North Raleigh resident, submitted the following commentary to the N&O as a letter to the editor. It was not published. We are publishing it here as part of our series of Community Voices. There are many reasons why Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin should...
What if Mayor Baldwin was a Republican?
I recently submitted a letter to the editor about Mayor Baldwin and her pattern of undemocratic behavior. The News & Observer deleted my main points (in red), and left just my partisan comments. With that heavy edit, the N&O should have titled my LTE “What if...
Comment on Missing Middle Housing by 8/14 – How to Make Raleigh’s Missing Middle Policy Better
Daniel Parolek coined the phrase "Missing Middle Housing." He recently held a webinar explaining the common mistakes made when implementing this policy. Raleigh is making most of those mistakes with this text change. The Top Five Missing Middle Housing Implementation...
Democracy Dies in Darkness
Raleigh resident Larry Helfant submitted a response to a recent editorial by Gerry Cohen published in the N&O. An edited version was published on Aug 1, 2021. We are publishing the full, unedited response here. The True Cost of Delayed Elections I read a recent...
Nicole Stewart throws Staff and the Legislature under the bus with her lies
Councilor Nicole Stewart communicates with the citizens of Raleigh through a "Dear Friend" newsletter. In a recent edition, sent July 13, she discusses, among other issues, the movement of the City Council election from October 2021 to November 2022. A delay of over a...
This week in INDY Backtalk
INDY Week Published Backtalk the same day they published the winners of their "Best Of" series and we now have a bit more understanding of why the readers chose us as Best Local Activist Group. The readers' comments in "Backtalk:Wants to be Charlotte So Bad" sound...
Poor Communities Are Not Devoid of Hope or Role Models, Just Resources
In the current issue of INDYWeek, Courtney Napier challenges Raleigh City Councilor Buffkin's assertion that the children of poor people need wealthier people as role models. What follows are some excerpts from her piece: As I was putting the finishing touches on a...
What really happened at the July 6 Council Meeting – don’t be fooled by the clickbait!
If you were to consult local media, you would think the most important things that happened at the July 6 City Council meeting involved hairstyle discrimination and exotic snakes. Or you might mistakenly think that Council took action to address affordable housing...
Councilor David Cox – TC-5-20 and the Elimination of Single Family Zoning
David Cox, PhD, the three-term District B representative on Raleigh’s City Council, delivered this statement at a City Council meeting on July 6, 2021 and submitted it as a “Guest Blog” to Livable Raleigh for publication. TC-5-20 is a Trojan horse that promises...
City Council Afternoon Session, July 6, 2021
Five former mayors (Fetzer, Coble, York, Meeker, McFarlane) on hand to help honor City Clerk Gail Smith for 50 years of service. Appointed Denise Smith Kline as new Civil Service Commission Chair. STC-04-2021 in consent agenda – public hearing scheduled for August 17....
‘Density Anywhere’ rules will backfire, intensifying traffic congestion, stormwater runoff, loss of tree canopy, and making Raleigh’s affordable housing crisis worse.
As written, TC-5-20 will accelerate the demolition of affordable units in affordable neighborhoods in favor of high-profit infill as shown here. Without affordability protections, TC-5-20 will only increase housing costs and accelerate Raleigh’s affordable housing...
UPDATE — TAA: Turning Pandemic Pain into Profits and Power — UPDATE
As the NC Council of State has voted to end the state’s eviction moratorium, we feel now is a good time to re-examine the relationships between members of Raleigh’s City Council, the Triangle Apartment Association and a Full Service Eviction Service who notes now is a good time to clean out less than desirable tenants.
ALERT: Major Changes in Development Regulations Being Proposed for Lower Density Neighborhoods
See footnote for more information about image above. Longtime Raleigh resident Philip Poe weighs in on TC-5-20. Phil has served as Chair of the RCAC, Chair of the Five Points CAC, and was a member of the UDO Advisory Group Whenever City Council schedules an important...
As if things aren’t already bad enough for trees in Raleigh
On April 5, 2021, House Bill 496: Property Owners’ Rights/Tree Ordinances was filed in the House of the NC General Assembly. On May 11 it was passed by the House 72-43 and sent to the Senate on May 12. It was subsequently sent to the Senate Committee Rules and...
Happy Pride Month in Raleigh? No Non-Discrimination Ordinance despite Campaign Pledges!
It's LGBTQ Pride Month. But, in Raleigh, we don't have as much to celebrate as we should have. As LGBTQ Pride Month comes to a close, we recall in January 2021 we reported about the lack of progress of the Raleigh City Council in enacting non-discrimination...
Stewart’s self-praise contradicts her endlessly anti-environmental votes
Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Stewart began a recent self-promotional blog by asking how we can “work together to build housing that is both good for our people and better for the environment?” Based on Stewart's voting record, she doesn't know the answer. In fact, Raleigh...
Will Patrick Buffkin be able to get off the Merry-Go-Round he stepped onto with his “Role Model” comments?
Historic Chavis Park Carousel It's Patrick Buffkin who needs a role model - like Carmen Cauthen Carmen Cauthen responds to the Councilor's "Role Model" comments? So today was about the dedication of the new John Chavis Park. What many of you may not know is that this...
Mary-Ann Baldwin seems confused
Mary-Ann Baldwin's campaign sent out a recent fund-raising email and she and her campaign team seem very confused. If her grasp on reality is this fragile, can you trust her to run the City of Raleigh? Here are excerpts from her campaign email:Those of you who are...
Patrick Buffkin Wants Taxpayers to Buy Him a Bridge to Wegmans
Longtime Raleigh resident Larry Helfant spoke at Livable Raleigh's June 14 Forum on Tax Increment Grants. His remarks appear below. As most people know, the Midtown area has seen explosive growth over the last ten years, especially in the Saint Albans/Wake Forest Road...