The filing period for candidates in Raleigh’s November 8th Mayoral and City Council elections closed Friday, July 15, at noon. It’s an interesting slate of candidates, with a mix of returning incumbents, unknown newcomers and even a couple well known Council retirees coming back for another run. Raleigh voters will be able to count on Livable Raleigh to provide all the information needed to be an informed voter in November.
Who Does Council Serve? Part 1: Follow the Money.
72% of Raleigh voters say city government is too beholden to developers. City Council has tried to hide the corrupting influence of big money in a growing list of backroom decisions, but three out of four Raleigh voters see it and feel it every day – as rapid growth drives up their cost of living, drives down their quality of life and drives modest income families out of town.
In the Senate District 13 Democratic primary campaign, Patrick Buffkin stands out. In a bad way.
Livable Raleigh is not making endorsements in state legislative primaries. But we’re tempted in the N.C. Senate District 13 Democratic race. One of the candidates, Lisa Grafstein, is someone we know only by reputation, but it’s a stellar reputation. The other...
Raleigh’s Future is in Voter’s Hands
Livable Raleigh Chair Susan Maruyama recently sent this opinion piece to the News & Observer. They published an edited version and we wanted to share the complete version here. Fifty years ago, when Clarence Lightner, Raleigh’s first and only black mayor, created...
Voting begins. But, not for Raleigh City Council
Early voting has started in North Carolina. Many cities are electing their City Council representatives. BUT NOT RALEIGH. The citizens of Raleigh will have to wait until November to elect their City Council. A full year AFTER the current council's term was supposed to...
INDY Reader Misses the Point(s)
We previously wrote about INDY Daily's comments on Raleigh Council's undemocratic actions here: INDY Daily BLASTS City Council's Undemocratic Behavior. One of their readers disagrees with their take on it and writes: "This is not a good take with respect to the...
Experts say City Council is violating the Voting Rights Act
City Councilors believe they can violate the voting rights of minority communities in Raleigh without consequence. UNC School of Government begs to differ! On March 1, at a Public Hearing to comment on a redistricting proposal, Raleigh City Councilors...
City Council misstates law and mischaracterizes public input
At the March 1 public hearing to review and approve new District Maps for Raleigh's City Council, the City Attorney claimed Raleigh is not covered by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and City Staff claimed that the Advocacy Groups who reviewed the proposed maps...
INDY Daily BLASTS City Council’s UNDEMOCRATIC behavior
Jane Porter, Editor-In-Chief of INDYWeek, writes a daily email newsletter, INDY Daily. The March 4, 2022 edition takes on Raleigh's City Council for their most recent undemocratic decision. She asks that we share the newsletter with our friends. So, we reprint it...
Bob Hall Comments on Raleigh City Council’s Abuse of Democracy
For more than 50 years, Bob Hall has been North Carolina's foremost advocate for the idea that government should be for the people, ALL the people and not for the corporations and the wealthy. Below are excerpts of what Bob had to say when he spoke at Livable...