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Mary-Ann Baldwin implements Phase III of her “Revolutionary” citizen engagement system
PHASE I You may recall Phase I when Baldwin and her council majority abolished Citizen Advisory Councils, CACs, Raleigh's nearly 50-year-old formal method for two-way communications between citizens and their government. This first phase occurred on Feb 4, 2020, in...
Raleigh City Council’s Slow-Moving Coup
At their June 8 work session, the Raleigh City Council majority announced a self-serving and unprecedented power grab designed to keep themselves in office for an extra year. With NO public engagement and NO public vote, they unilaterally announced several decisions...
Time & Money spent, but NO new Community Engagement
A year ago in early June, Mickey Fearn signed a $72,000 10-month contract with the City of Raleigh. The contract called for designing new community engagement functions to replace Raleigh's CACs (Citizen Advisory Councils) during Phase 2. That should have happened by...
Raleigh’s budget priorities should not include tax giveaways to developers
Long-time Raleigh resident Terry Snyder shared these remarks as part of the City's budget hearing. I am opposed to the City Budget FY22 because many of the funding priorities do not match the greatest needs of our diverse community. First and most important is...
Mayor Baldwin dismisses Raleigh’s Black community again and again
Raleigh citizens should not be surprised by Mayor Baldwin’s bewilderment about “Is North Carolina losing interest in racial justice and equity?”. (N&O Editorial, May 27, 2021) An excerpt from the editorial is here. The full piece is available at the link above:...
Enloe HS students harassed by protesters – a parent speaks out
Mayor Baldwin has made a complete mess when it comes to how Raleigh Police should respond to protesters. We’ve seen peaceful protesters arrested. Meanwhile, we have scenes like this one — described in a note to us from parent Amy Lee — where the RPD stands back,...
City Council Wants to Throw Your Tax Money Down the Drain – Let Them Know You Object
It’s budget season for Raleigh City Council and one line item has us scratching our heads: $190K for two new Community Engagement positions. Are we expecting two paid bureaucrats to do the work that dozens/hundreds of citizen volunteers used to do for free through...
Neighbors ‘shocked’ as Nicole Stewart justifies legalizing noxious industrial use next to their homes.
Trisha Posey was shocked when Councilor Nicole Stewart justified continuing and legalizing a noxious industrial activity next to her neighborhood. Tryon Woods HOA President Trisha Posey shared her letter to Council with Livable Raleigh: Dear Ms. Stewart, I watched...
News from INDYweek: TIGs & ‘Best of the Triangle’ poll
Hello from Livable Raleigh. We have news! Raleigh's budget a TIGgy Bank? City Council went ahead and adopted its ill-conceived “Tax-Increment Grant” (TIG) policy. But Livable Raleigh's efforts to expose what’s wrong with their scheme are bearing fruit.For...
Raleigh’s Burning Question: When is the Next City Council Election?
A question that has been weighing on the minds of many Raleigh citizens is “When will the next city council election be held: October 2021 or March 2022?” This question was first raised last February, when the U.S. Census Bureau announced it was unable to release the...
Council is playing a Shell Game with your tax money and a TIG. Can you find the benefit?
On May 12th, INDYWeek published an editorial critical of City Council's new Tax Increment Grant (TIG) policy. Here are some excerpts from the piece: "While the TIG is being sold as an economic development tool that will secure public benefits for Raleigh residents,...
Budget Busting Bus Shelters
At-Large Councilor Melton is excited to spend an extra $720,000 on designer bus shelters. Bus rider Lenora Southerland just wants a place to sit while she waits. Instead of moving quickly to add bus benches and shelters at more than 1,000 bus stops with neither,...
Predatory Towing in Raleigh
Imagine waking up in bed one morning, walking outside to your car to start your day, only to find that your car is gone, vanished; it’s not in front of your home where you parked it last evening. This may sound like an unlikely scenario to many Raleigh residents, but...
Will Council Reward this Illegal Industrial Attack on our Environment and Neighborhoods?
Trisha Posey is concerned that Council may legalize this illegal industrial wasteland next to her neighborhood. Trisha Posey holds an MBA from Campbell University, serves as the association President for her community, and has served 20+ years in public education with...
Another Test of Council’s Anti-Environmental Agenda
A resident asks for Open and Fair Rezoning Governance. Tom Kwak is a Raleigh resident concerned with the future environmental health of our City and especially the potential to disregard environmental impacts as Raleigh navigates through its growing pains. He...
TIGs Feeding Off Raleigh Taxpayers
Tax Increment Grants — TIGs for developers — are about to be turned into a perpetual slush fund, with Baldwin’s Council handing out the goodies and Raleigh taxpayers saddled with long-term debt.
Racing toward a TIG
Livable Raleigh Chair Susan Maruyama sent the following email to Councilor Melton, chair of the Economic Development & Innovation Committee. The EDI Committee met on April 27 to further discuss the Tax Increment Grant (TIG) Policy. Hello Councilor Melton, I just...
At-Large Councilor Melton doesn’t think Citizen Engagement needs to be delivered in a year.
At Raleigh City Council's retreat, March 12-13, At-Large Councilor Jonathan Melton had this to say when categorizing priorities into two sets: "I think community engagement can move into the bottom set. I don't know that we need a one year deliverable in community...
City Council Appears to Listen
During the Public Comment session of the City Council meeting on April 22, both Susan Maruyama and Chantelle Miles addressed the recent N&O article concerning the lack of benches at 70% of Raleigh bus stops. They asked the council to show compassion to...
Raleigh Affordable Housing: a Step in the Right Direction
The News & Observer reported on April 15 that the City of Raleigh has purchased almost 4 acres of land for future affordable housing. The land is along New Bern Avenue where the City is planning a future bus rapid transit line. This is a perfect location for more...