Mitchell Silver announces his candidacy for District A in the 2024 municipal election.
If you think you don’t know Mitchell Silver, think again. During his tenure as Raleigh city planner, he oversaw such significant projects such as the Warehouse District, Raleigh Union Station and Downtown South—and is also credited for dubbing Midtown District. Now, he’s back in the mix and ready to run for a seat in local government as a candidate for City Council’s District A.
“[Running has] been on my mind since I returned [in 2021 from a stint in NYC],” former Raleigh planning director and chief planning and development officer Silver told Raleigh Magazine in an exclusive interview in front of his announcement. “I was very active in Raleigh as the planning officer and director for 10 years. I want to offer leadership to make sure the city goes in the right direction.”
Silver, who is largely credited with developing Raleigh into the vibrant, modern city it is today, is also attributed with efforts to develop the city’s comprehensive 2030 plan and Unified Development Code, with the intent of creating “great streets, places and spaces,” connected by 12 transit corridors. “We’re seeing that vision become reality with 60% of our growth in these centers,” says Silver. “Raleigh is a great city, and I want to ensure we have quality growth and we are urbanized in the right places.”
In addition to quality growth, Silver told RM he will be focusing on attainable housing choices and public safety—and ensuring we are making thoughtful and visionary comprehensive plans. He also travels as a speaker and currently serves as principal at McAdams, emphasizing equity and inclusion through urban planning, land use, parks and public space planning.
District A Overview
District A, currently led by city councilmember Mary Black, includes Six Forks, Falls of Neuse and Midtown. Encompassing a variety of green spaces, neighborhoods and development, it also comes with all the obstacles of maintaining the burgeoning district.
For starters, Midtown has seen rapid growth over the last decade-plus—with four high-rises of 10-plus stories since 2017 alone, and two more in progress. With such density—and more development on the way—safety infrastructure has become a hot-button issue for the area.
As population booms, traffic also becomes a mounting concern for those often logjammed in rush hour (and beyond). Much of that traffic, of course, is on Six Forks, which was recently approved by City Council to widen to six lanes in late 2025 (also meaning congestion will likely get worse before it gets better). Beyond that project, district representation will have to fight for the space and funding to build updated safety infrastructure, and develop a low-budget short-term solution to the traffic problems accompanying the rapid development of the area.
Filing dates for the 2024 municipal elections run from July 5 to July 19, and Election Day is Nov. 5. Stay tuned to our May issue for a comprehensive district-by-district breakdown of each candidate and the issues they are bringing to the table.
Election year is upon us, and it’s a big one for local politics. While we don’t cast our ballots for mayor until Nov. 5, the race is already well underway, with six hopefuls spanning diverse demographics declaring candidacy to date (candidates can officially file July 1).
Hot topics driving the voter conversation this year include Downtown safety, rezoning, affordable housing, the RPD shortage, transportation, infrastructure and sustainability. So, naturally, 2024’s candidates are ignited by a deep desire to effect change in Raleigh.
“Things in the city have gotten personal,” first-time candidate Janet Cowell confided to Raleigh Magazine in an exclusive interview. “There seems to be a lot of personal acrimony and division, between citizens, [and between] citizens and Council—a lot of animosity. The whole tenor of the actions seems tense, and it’s making it difficult to get work done. There is a lot of power in reflective listening and making people feel heard.”
Second-time mayoral candidate Dr. Terrance Ruth has thrown his hat back in the ring to address what he sees as the city’s pressing challenges and opportunities. “We need to pivot and make different decisions,” he told RM. “We’re experiencing growing pains of all the significant—good, but significant—growth our city has seen. There’s growing food insecurity, financial insecurity and home insecurity to change.”
For her part, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin remains undeclared as she prioritizes governing. “We have to focus on governing and making decisions—and keep politics out of it as long as possible,” Baldwin told RM, also intimating to expect her announcement in April. Even before Baldwin’s decision, the race for the seat is hotly contested. And for these candidates—and our city—much is on the line. And, clearly, it’s personal.
As this race should be for each of us. Ultimately, local elections are just as important, if not more important, than national elections, as local officials directly affect our day-to-day lives—from how we live to what the city we live in looks like to how safe it is. And this year’s decision will directly impact our trajectory for years to come.
“I feel ready; I feel now is the time,” says the District C city councilman of nine years. The Raleigh native is campaigning on an array of specific “deliverables,” such as securing funding for 2,000+ affordable housing units, widening Rock Quarry Road and providing residents free mental health services.
“We need authentic relationships because that’s what the fabric of local politics is,” says the former state treasurer and Raleigh councilwoman and current Dix Park Conservancy CEO of her run. Cowell has already picked up endorsements from former Mayors Nancy McFarlane and Charles Meeker, and is campaigning on protecting the environment, diversifying housing options, increasing public safety and engaging the public in things such as rezoning for new infrastructure.
“We’re living in a time that requires a different way of thinking to deal with the growing challenges—challenges our city hasn’t seen in years,” says the second-time mayoral candidate. A NCSU professor and former president of the Justice Love Foundation, Ruth’s candidacy is anchored in three core principles: security, representation and change—emphasizing the need for authentic leadership and innovative solutions.
This self-proclaimed conservative candidate plans to crack down on crime and hopes to hire an additional 400 police officers. And this isn’t the first time the sole partisan candidate had his name on the ballot—the mortgage broker previously ran against then-mayor Nancy McFarlane in 2017.
The Civil Rights activist aims to end gentrification, provide affordable housing and win reparations for Black Foundational Americans (aka Freedmen) via his For the People platform.
This William Peace University pre-law student has his sights set on building additional accessible housing options, reducing the budget, revitalizing mental health and updating public transportation.
AJR speaks on inspirations, album art and Raleigh.
After gaining the spotlight with their 2014 hit “I’m Ready,” AJR has evolved their sound via the release of five more albums—and continues to snag spots on the Billboard Hot 100.
We caught up with two-thirds of the trio, Jack and Ryan Met, ahead of their Raleigh show for the intel on which artists inspired their sound, album art inspo and thoughts about their first-ever stadium tour. Come hang out!
Welcome back to Raleigh! What can we expect from your upcoming performance?
Ryan: Our favorite thing about being a band is touring. Our goal is to put something onstage that you’ve never seen before. That’s been the thesis statement of this whole thing: How can we combine Broadway storytelling, magical illusions and cinematic CGI to create something that will make people go, ‘What did I just see?’ For a long time, we had a shoestring budget and not a lot to play with. … This is the first tour we’ve ever done where we can confidently say everything we wanted onstage will be there.
Feelings about four months on tour?
Jack: It’s a lot—especially in a show so choreographed and complex. You can’t go on autopilot; you have to think about it every step of the way. It makes it more stressful, but [also] more fun. It’s cool to have those stakes—it makes touring less boring and monotonous.
Other than Madison Square Garden, what stops are you getting hype about in particular?
Ryan: LA, The Kia Forum is going to be really fun—that’s just a really iconic venue. Denver and Salt Lake City are always great [too].
Jack: And don’t forget about Raleigh!
What are your favorite songs to perform live?
Ryan: The new songs are always the most fun. ‘World’s Smallest Violin’ blew up for us recently on TikTok. Now, the fact that it’s so big gave [it] a new meaning—and it’s really surreal to play a song that was meant to be a deep cut. It was more for us to write a Broadway wacky song and not the most popular one off the album, so it’s cool. Very unexpected.
Any least fave songs to perform?
Ryan: We don’t not like the song but we don’t play ‘I’m Ready’ anymore. That was really fun—but it’s not us anymore.
Apart from your debut album, all your cover art is pretty similar. What’s the scoop on your new look—and why the change?
Ryan: All we had was that successful song (‘I’m Ready’) and that [was] it. We didn’t know anything about being a big band. We went on tour and no one showed up. We realized we hadn’t thought through what the band was [beyond] making catchy songs. [People] want something to connect to—and no one thought that about ‘I’m Ready.’ It’s like a background party song.
We started finding our lyrical voice, and with that came the album and art styles of the weird versions of ourselves in the world we’ve created. We recreated the lyrics, albums and songs to make sure we were being entirely us—and then people started showing up to the shows.
Which artists are your biggest inspirations?
Ryan: [Our] first love was The Beach Boys. I think we fell in love with the harmonies, emotion and ability to write songs about surfing and deep love songs about falling out of love. We base a lot of our sound on them. In a more modern sense, fun. [They] are a really big influence in terms of how theatrical and uncool they could be, [with songs that are] Broadway meets hip-hop. Fun. taught us to be ourselves and do what we really wanna do.
Go-to snack or way to wind down post-performance?
Ryan: Usually sushi. If you walked into the dressing room after the show, there would just be total silence and the sound of us chewing. The adrenaline wears off. We think of parts we can change tomorrow. But it’s pretty silent.
Do you have any advice for new aspiring creatives?
Jack: We’re always aspiring.
Ryan: Figuring out what you can say that no one else can say is a really daunting idea, but if you can figure out exactly the types of words that fit with your voice, that’s the key. A good example is our line in ‘Bang!’: ‘Put quinoa in my fridge.’ I truly can’t think of any other voice that could sing that and have it be a hit on radio other than Jack’s voice. I think there are a lot of things Jack can’t sing about that [other artists] can. That was a big thing, figuring out exactly what our unique sound is. If you can get to that, you’ll be successful.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Ryan: See you in Raleigh! It will be a great show.
As of March 11, NC residents can preregister, create accounts and make deposits, with some sportsbooks baiting bettors to sign up before the launch with raffles and rewards. For instance, Fanatics is offering a free hat and entry into its $250 FanCash Frenzy Sweepstakes for anyone who makes a $100 deposit, and FanDuel is offering to match 100% of your first deposit up to $100.
Note you don’t just have to wager on the outcome of the game to gamble. Proposition betting allows users to bet on everything from who will score the first touchdown to the color of the gatorade the winning coach will be doused with (really). That said, most regular season games will offer prop bets on player stats and penalties, but larger championship games like the Super Bowl will allow sports gamblers to go ham on myriad markets.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission has so far issued eight interactive sports wagering operator licenses ahead of the launch. The commission received nine applications, with more expected to come as four entities—Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC, NC Courage and North Wilkesboro Speedway—have yet to partner with a sportsbook.
As a quick refresh on the sports betting legislation: In order to launch, each sportsbook (with the exception of tribal casinos) must partner with a pro sports team (read: Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, etc.), auto racing track, golf course, or a tournament or league along the likes of NASCAR or the PGA tour. Once partnered, operators must apply for a license to operate through the Lottery Commission.
Here’s where part of your paycheck will be going—er, which sports betting apps* can legally operate in NC. *As of press time
It’s democracy’s favorite time of year: Election Day. And thanks to democracy, the rules of voting have changed since the last time you watched Schoolhouse Rock! Plus, the ballot is long—spanning the presidential election to spots in the Council of State and legislative and congressional seats.
Although positions like NC’s state auditor and insurance commissioner may not seem very glamorous, come November they will have a direct impact on your day-to-day life—making it more important than ever to do your homework before casting votes. Note: To win a party nomination, a candidate needs 30% of the vote plus one… so every ballot counts. Here’s what you need to know before you hit the polls Tuesday. Let’s do our civic duty!
When: Election Day is Tuesday, March 5. Polling places will be open from 6:30am to 7:30pm on Election Day. Any voter in line by 7:30pm will still have the opportunity to vote, so don’t skip out on the polls just because you’re running late.
Bring your ID, as voters are now asked to show photo identification upon voting in NC. This can be a driver’s license, student ID, state ID card, passport, tribal enrollment card or government ID. The address on the ID doesn’t have to match voter registration records.
If you don’t have an ID, still go and vote! Voters without a valid photo ID can still vote, as long as they fill out an ID Exception Form.
Unaffiliated voters may vote in the primary of their choosing. To view your sample ballot before Election Day, visit the NC Board of Elections voter search.
