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Dr. Terrance Ruth throws his hat in the ring.
Sure, you’ve heard of Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. But now meet Terrance Ruth, PhD. Poised to take aim at the office of mayor as the first opponent to challenge incumbent Baldwin, Ruth—a 37-year-old NC State lecturer in the School of Social Work—plans to revitalize and unify our great city. As executive director of the Justice Love Foundation (a group of community change-makers seeking social justice—aka justice and love) and proud family man to wife Kiara and first-grader son Miles, Ruth pledges to “embrace all of Raleigh with optimism about its future.” In his effort to be fair and transparent—and put “people first over self-interest or politics”—Ruth intends to work cohesively with the community to “ give everyone a voice in how we operate our city.” While no doubt the race promises to heat up as more candidates compete for our primary seat (two years ago, six candidates fought for your vote to reign as elected head of Raleigh), for now, let’s get to know more about mayoral candidate Ruth.
10 Things to Know About Dr. Terrance Ruth
By: Lauren Kruchten
Incumbent Mary-Ann Baldwin has a new opponent in the race for Raleigh’s next mayor this year. Dr. Terrance Ruth, an NC State lecturer and former executive director of the NC NAACP, threw his hat in the ring in January with the goal to restore, rebuild and unite Raleigh. Here are 10 things to know about Ruth in preparation for the Oct. 5 mayoral election.
- Born in Texas, Ruth grew up in Florida and moved to Raleigh in 2010 to become a Wake County Public School teacher—and, later, principal.
- Upon moving to Raleigh, he taught special education at Longview School, served as assistant principal at Holly Ridge Middle School and principal of AMIkids Infinity Wake County.
- Ruth was born into a military family—his father was in the Navy; his mother, in the Army—as the fourth born of five siblings, including an older and younger sister.
- Ruth earned his PhD from the University of Central Florida in public affairs.
- In 2017, Ruth began his role at NC State’s School of Social Work.
- He and wife Kiara have a 6-year-old son, Miles.
- Instrumental in founding the Justice Love Foundation, a nonprofit that supports social justice activists fighting for social change, Ruth now serves as president of the organization.
- When he’s not working or campaigning, you’ll find him spending time with his family, or playing basketball, football and golf—he’s currently upping his golf game with his son.
- A big pizza fan (one go-to pizza spot is Oakwood Pizza Box) and a lover of great food in general, Ruth’s current favorite Raleigh restaurant is Crawford and Son.
- If elected mayor, Ruth hopes to “see a dramatic increase in public trust in our city’s leadership and a reengaged community that is dedicated to rebuilding a strong Raleigh after such a difficult year.”
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Dr. Terrance Ruth certainly has my vote! As a Raleigh native I would love to see TRUTH prevail so Raleigh can restore, rebuild, and unite.
I grew up with Dr. Ruth in Florida and have been friends with him for about 26 years. I can’t say enough about how great of a person he is. For anyone who may be on the fence, please take a second look at this man. He’s a kind and honorable person who cares deeply about all people. Raleigh will be a better place to live under his leadership. Good luck, Doctor!
I am so excited to hear about Terrance Ruth running for Mayor of Raleigh. I have had a couple of opportunities to be in his presence. On several occasions I have done work in his home. What I observed is that he truly is a family man and very passionate about what he believes. It doesn’t take long to understand the character of a person. Just watch them when they think no one is looking. This guy is the real deal. You won’t have to worry about him blowing smoke up your A**.
I pray you win Dr. Ruth so you can make things better not just for equality; but for the homeless-homeless Vet’s. For many years the homeless has been looked over, snubbed, and stepped on because of being homeless when nobody really knows the story of “why?” I would like to see you make a change for the good of humanity. A lot of those protesters downtown Raleigh ( not the ones for whom destroyed property) were homeless; so when curphew hit, and they were told by Police to go “home” their was no home to go to. So all they could do was walk around downtown Raleigh while being watched until they disappeared into the dark. God bless you, and your family Sir.
So excited to see that Dr. Terrance Ruth has announced his candidacy for Raleigh Mayor! I have known Dr. Ruth since high school and have always found him to be kind, thoughtful, and genuine. Since then, I have enjoyed watching his career soar and his commitment to education strengthen. I know he will serve his community in new and exciting ways. I wish you the very best on your campaign Dr. Ruth!
Very excited to learn that Dr. Ruth has thrown his hat in the race! I met him once at a workshop for the Justice Involved and was very impressed with him as a person and leader, he has my vote!!
The biggest question is will he vote on every bill the Democrats put out, if so he’s not paying attention to those that voted him in. Does he believe in law and order, No sex Ed in k thru 6, no CRT, cashless bond, has he answered any of these questions or even been asked. Is he going to vote with Biden for a nuclear war with Russia and keep paying Ukraine’s bill when we can’t feed our families.