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
Profiles in Courage
As the largest development proposal ever seen in Raleigh, John Kane’s Downtown South Project challenges all the normal processes for judging community impacts and benefits. The political pressure for quick approval is equally off the charts, so much so that the City...
The Wake County Housing Justice Coalition gives voice to Raleigh residents threatened by a perfect storm of pandemic-magnified racial, environmental and economic injustices
Kudos to the Wake County Housing Justice Coalition (WCHJC) for their Virtual Public Forum on November 23, lifting the voices of those who would be most impacted by John Kane‘s Downtown South project. With the decline in local, independent investigative news reporting,...
The more people want to speak to City Council, the less Mary-Ann Baldwin wants to hear. Really.
If more people sign up to speak to City Council, Baldwin suggests, that should result in all of them getting less time.
Raleigh Community Engagement: Where’s the Beef?
It has now been 260 days since the Raleigh City Council abolished its support of Raleigh's CACs (Citizen Advisory Councils). This was done in a surprise vote on February 4th that was developed in secret, with no community engagement, and with a demand for no...
Community engagement: where are we after 3 months?
On Tuesday, September 15th I spoke with the City Council about Mr. Mickey Fearn’s community engagement presentation from September 8th. I watched Mickey's presentation to City Council that day, and then watched it again several more times during the following week....
City Attorney clarifies that developers may meet with CACs
City Attorney clarifies that developers may meet with CACs
An LR List: Top-10 Reasons Why City Manager Ruffin Hall Is Bailing on Mayor Baldwin.
Speculation, of course. But would Ruffin quit with Raleigh in turmoil, the city looking to him for leadership, and no new job in sight, unless his working conditions were intolerable?
UpZoning 102: Making Your Community’s Voices Heard
Based on the collaboration of neighbors facing the upzoning Z-41-19 near Shelley Lake Park, here are 7 Actions developed by WeLoveShelleyLake that you can implement to make your collective voice known to city leadership and advocate for responsible, equitable development of our city.








