They say politics makes strange bedfellows. Not so strange, however, when the thing they have in common is big-money backers like our good friend developer John Kane.
Dix Park Edge Study – Be Bold
To say the Dix Edge area study is long-awaited is like saying that Wolfpack football is a little overdue. The fact is that this study by the city’s planning staff of how to manage growth in the Dix Edge area – the large swath of land and neighborhoods east and south of Dorothea Dix Park – is 10 years late.
Council’s 2023 Retreat: Another Baldwin Shell Game?
Mayor Baldwin knows the most important goal of City Council’s upcoming 2-day retreat is to set strategic priorities for action in the coming term. She also knows that the chances of her priorities prevailing will depend on her ability to prevent other competing Council priorities from being adopted. That is why the first line of defense in Baldwin’s retreat agenda this year is to make sure it is chock-full of plausibly interesting things to see and do, minimizing the time available for other Councilors’ ideas about the future of Raleigh.
Baldwin “Reconsiders” Giving Money to Other Democrats?
Mary-Ann Baldwin, the mayor of Raleigh, has some $500,000 banked for her election campaign. It’s a tribute to how completely she’s owned by Raleigh’s developers – led by mega-spender John Kane, a right-wing Republican known for backing, among other crazies, our very own GOP Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. (And, of course, Trump.)
City Council — Uphold the Midtown Area Plan that YOU approved in 2020
This Mayor and Council need to be reminded that they unanimously supported the Midtown – Saint Albans area plan in December 2020! We have asked the developer, Kane Realty, to address fundamental or conditional changes in Z-67-21 before the Council hearing on July 5.
Councilors need to return contributions to donors who support Anti-LGBT+ bigotry
It is no secret that John Kane donates to anti-LGBT politicians, including our very own Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, who has taken to calling people like myself “filth.” And yet, we have council members and a mayor who refuse to return John Kane’s donations and to call him out on his anti-trans sentiments and funding.
Plan the work; work the plan
To be clear, we support development, but we do not support the scale of development that would result from this Rezoning Application. At both of the neighborhood “meetings” held by Parker Poe on behalf of the Applicant, there was a consensus among residents that the Rezoning Application was simply too much. These comments have not been provided to the Commission in any materials I reviewed. However, the public comments included in the Staff packet echo many of these comments and concerns. In addition, I am a proponent of the idea that you “Plan the Work and Work the Plan.” In this instance – that “Plan” is the Walkable Midtown plan.
Kane Realty continues growth on steroids at the expense of safety, traffic, and quality of life; where’s the public benefit?
The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of Z-67-21, located at the intersections of I-440 at Lassiter Mill Road and Lassiter Mill Road at Six Forks Road. This despite strong concerns expressed by area residents concerning the impact on fire safety,...
Raleigh Mayor and Councilors take campaign cash from anti-LGBTQ bigot.
NC Lt. Gov Mark Robinson is an embarrassment to our state. His anti-LGBTQ+ comments and anti-Semitic comments seem designed to fan flames of hatred and sow divisiveness. One of his biggest financial supporters, developer John Kane, is also a favorite of many on...
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...