The N&O has twice [April 15 & May 30] quoted Livable Raleigh describing council candidate Mitchell Silver as a “development lobbyist.” Raleigh residents have every right to question where Silver’s allegiances lie. Just ask the Glenwood-Brooklyn neighbors who were hit twice with his trendy but false pitch for 30-40 story towers next door.
The UNC School of Government advised us: “If they’ve already formally adopted the ordinance, a member will need to make a motion to repeal. That motion would need to pass by a majority vote to repeal the ordinance.”
This decision further undermines any trust with your decisions and who you are truly representing. It’s unfortunate because you could have really made a difference with this vote and you failed and further undermined any trust and transparency.
Join with us and these City Council candidates to help us get 5,000 signatures on the Election Reform Petition. Hold City Council to their promise and let the voters decide.
Six councilors made public statements in support of using a referendum for the voters to make the decision on election reform over more than a year. Most voicing that support as recently as one month before they suddenly changed course and turned their backs on the promise they made to the voters. And, they did so without any explanation for what caused them to abandon their firmly stated positions.
At their May 7 meeting, Council reneged on their PROMISE that they would put a proposal for four-year terms with a nonpartisan primary on the November ballot for the voters to decide. Instead, all on their own, they unilaterally approved staggered four-year terms with a primary beginning in 2026. The councilors arrogantly noted that if citizens didn’t like their backtracking on their commitment, they could “just go collect 5,000 signatures” on a petition within 30 days and force the council to keep their promise of placing the issue on the ballot as a referendum in November.
At-Large block voting has been called the oldest trick in the book. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg cited this method as a preeminent second-generation way to deny equal opportunity for minority voters and candidates. Congress has banned At-Large voting for all federal elections. It’s been discarded by most states. No voting method has been subject to more litigation for its discriminatory impact on local elections. Yet, while the covers are off the discriminatory impact and intent of At-Large voting, it persists in hundreds of local jurisdictions.
When elections finally occurred in 2022, Knight was ousted by the voters, and 4 new members of Council were elected, each with Livable Raleigh’s support.
Come November, Raleigh voters may be willing to chalk up the vote to sack CACs as a bad rookie error. More telling will be if voters accept candid apologies for subverting our voting rights. If so, voters may be willing to give Branch, Forte or Melton another chance in office.
As both a real estate appraiser and a broker, I have been fielding a lot of questions from friends and clients who are very worried about how much higher their property taxes might become. There are people in Wake County who can absorb a higher tax rate, but here are a lot of folks who will not be able to do so.
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