Is council grabbing power for themselves without regard for the "little people" who serve them? Hwa Huang is currently a grad student at NC State University’s Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science Department. He is an advocate for vulnerable communities, and an...
Why does the city ask for our input if the process is not transparent?
Haley Kinsler is a local to Raleigh that is passionate about activism and the environment. She enjoys volunteering and in her free time, she works on her nature photography, and can frequently be seen taking photos at local parks, arboretums, and gardens in the...
City Council, Community Engagement and the Code of Conduct
Tim Niles, a founding member of Livable Raleigh, delivered the following remarks to City Council during Public Comments on January 4, 2022:210 days ago, in a secret plot, with no public notice, no public input and no public vote, you moved your election by eight...
Changes to City Council should be placed on the ballot for referendum
Cole McMullin, a Raleigh resident and an active member of Raleigh Democratic Socialists of America, delivered the following remarks at the January 4, 2022 Raleigh City Council meeting:I am commenting today to let you know what I think about the proposed changes to...
The Rise of the Creative Class
Bob Geary, resident of District D, delivered the following remarks at the January 4, 2022 Raleigh City Council meeting:Good evening, Mayor and Council. “The Rise of the Creative Class” is a book I know that most of you, or maybe all of you, are familiar with. Richard...
Community Benefits are left “On the Table” in 2021. Why?
Livable Raleigh Chair Susan Maruyama delivered the following remarks at the January 4, 2022 Raleigh City Council meeting:Madam Mayor and City Council, Please don’t leave a whole lot of good on the table in 2022 like you did in 2021. In 2021, you approved 96% of the...
District A Resident Presents a Redistricting Alternative
Midtown Raleigh resident Larry Helfant recently sent the following email to City Staff and the members of the Study Group on Council Terms and Compensation who now have been tasked with advising on redrawing of districts required after the recent census. Preliminary...
Humanizing the Affordable Housing Crisis
Longtime Raleigh resident Terry Snyder recently spoke at a Raleigh City Council meeting Over the past 49 years that I have lived in West Raleigh, I have witnessed significant changes in development. One of the most alarming negative consequences is the vanishing...
Decisions made by the city should be informed by the residents who live there; what a concept!
Christina Jones, Chair of the RCAC (Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council), recently spoke at a Raleigh City Council meeting: I recently participated in the Midtown CAC ZOOM meeting, in which we discussed Z-45-21. This is a project that will displace current...
The Nuances of Inclusionary Zoning; where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or not!
Lisa Hughet has lived in Raleigh over 30 years and has become a fierce advocate for affordable housing. Hughet became a volunteer construction lead with Wake Habitat for Humanity so she could make a visible difference and also teach others some valuable...









