Highlights from July 5 Council Meetings. Council on hiatus until August 15.
Raleigh Pride, All Talk, No Action
Apparently, it’s only Raleigh that must stay silent out of fear that the politicians on Jones Street might do something to hurt the straight, cis, white residents of Raleigh and we can’t risk that. As long as they are only attacking the LGBTQ+ community, Raleigh’s City Council is good.
Shaw University: An historic campus in trust? Or just another downtown development play?
Years of Jim Crow segregation and neglect have given way to a new era of gentrification. Unimpeded, it will soon sweep away any sense that freed African-Americans were here, emerged from slavery here, lifted themselves up by their bootstraps here, created communities here, and mattered greatly to the Raleigh we became and the Raleigh we hope to be. Unimpeded, it’s entirely possible that Shaw will be swept away too, or moved to a distant place not central to the city to make room for “higher value” development.
Survey Says – Is it Bias or Hypocrisy?
If you watched the two City Council meetings on May 16, 2023, the Work Session discussing election reform at 11:30 followed by the City Council Afternoon Session at 1:00, we wonder if you noticed what we noticed. We were disappointed but not surprised at the way city survey data was perceived differently by some councilors at these two separate meetings.
Election Reform for Raleigh
City Council will meet on Tuesday, May 16 for a second work session on election reform. Here are our recommendations
Give respect, Get respect
Public meetings can be an unnerving experience for some people as they are appearing in an unfamiliar setting for something that is important to them. It’s important to treat every person with these courtesies: 1. Be welcoming to speakers no matter their point of view. 2. Be an active listener. The respectful thing is to pay attention. 3. Avoid debate and argument with the public. It is never appropriate to challenge a speaker.
City Council Afternoon Session – April 18, 2023
A summary of the City Council Afternoon Meeting for April 18, 2023
City Council Work Session – Election Reform – April 18, 2023
Council held a Work Session on the topic of changes to the Raleigh City Elections.
City Council Work Session April 11, 2023
Affordable Housing https://go.boarddocs.com/nc/raleigh/Board.nsf/files/CQSU5A6C24D8/$file/20230411HNAffordableHousingWorkSessionStaffPresentation.pdf Rental Vouchers o Public Housing Authorities are the primary provider for 30% and below AMI households o 3700 vouchers...
Raleigh should use a Primary to ensure majority elections
In the last election for Raleigh City Council, only 2 out of 8 races resulted in a winner that received 50% or more of the vote. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the candidates participating in these races, rather this is the consequence of a plurality election with no chance for a run-off. Raleigh’s home rule charter gives the City Council the power to implement a nonpartisan primary that could be held at the same time as the state and national primaries.