A Look at Baldwin’s Tenure

by Melissa Howsam | Oct 28, 2024 | Buzz, November 2024

Whatever you may think of Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, you likely think something—strongly. We look back at the “notorious” city leader’s provocative tenure.

Love her or loathe her, the one thing everyone can agree on is Mary-Ann Baldwin has struck a chord in Raleigh. And she loves it. 

Dubbed “Notorious MAB” by INDY Week when she announced her run for mayor with the intent to “lead the city into a bold progressive future” on the heels of the “Council of No,” Baldwin retorted by proudly—albeit facetiously—splashing the “notorious” moniker across T-shirts. Five years later, the two-peat mayor has boldly fulfilled that promise every day since. And, now, as she’s set to pass the baton as the Cap City’s second-consecutive—and third-ever, behind Nancy McFarland (2011–19) and Isabella Cannon (77–79)—female mayor, she opens up to Raleigh Magazine about her time at the helm. 

The blunted “moonshot” mayor began with so much hope. Elected on the heels of her already notorious five-term run as at-large Raleigh City Council member (think “Drunktown,” pro-development, etc.), she famously dreamed 2020 would be Raleigh’s shot for the stars. That is, until a pandemic ~90 days in turned the town—and the world—upside down. A handful of years later, the mayor of COVID, social unrest, development starts and stalls, and Citizen Advisory Council (CAC) conflict cedes a city that looks far different than its prepandemic persona. 

And it is arguably the pandemic that has most shaped her public perception. But despite the economic and social upheaval, Baldwin—alongside an initial-term “pro-development” council—made good on plenty.

From the jump, Mary-Ann Baldwin publicly devoted herself to zoning reform and solving what she calls “the missing middle” by allowing Accessory Dwelling Units and increasing housing supply to level the homeownership playing field in response to rapid growth. But that commitment was met with an all-out war from residents wanting to “Save Our Neighborhoods” from an influx of townhomes and duplexes, specifically in Five Points, famously dubbed “ground zero for Raleigh’s housing fight” by Axios. Essentially, the public feared the price of housing volume would come at the cost of character.

“Townhouses are usually somebody’s entree to homeownership,” explains Baldwin of her push. “When I was first elected, you could only build a townhome in 20% of our city. I talked a lot about housing choice. It’s not affordable housing. It’s really about housing affordability and choice—quads, duplexes, etc.” 

One of the stats she says she is most proud of is, over the past two years, about one-third of the building permits issued are missing middle. “The whole missing middle—while some people consider it controversial—it’s for the better of our city. And it’s also what you see trending as a way to address the housing shortage in cities across the country,” she maintains. “Bottom line is we don’t have enough supply. … And what I’m proudest of is what we’ve done with affordable housing. It’s been pretty amazing.” 

She cites the $80 million affordable housing bond greenlit by voters on her watch, and projects like the  ~$1.5 mill Idlewild, city-owned historic land sold for a dollar to make way for the city’s first cottage court permanent affordable housing.  “And, just the other day, we approved $5 million for a new program that will help our unsheltered. We’re looking at getting 40 unsheltered families into permanent housing.” 

Add to that a handful of historic bonds, including $275 million for parks and rec that paves the way for McFarland’s and mayoral candidate and former Dix Park Conservancy President and CEO Janet Cowell’s Dix vision, and, of course, the now-extended four-year terms and staggered two-year elections. 

When it comes to passion, “I’m really focused on sports as an economic driver,” says Baldwin. “There’s been a lot of talk about Major League Baseball coming here. We have one of the best women’s soccer teams in the world, and our men’s soccer team is also great. So how can we leverage that and ensure this opportunity comes together?” 

Baldwin reflects on her role in what is the city’s largest economic development project to date via the expansion of Lenovo Center (formerly PNC Arena) and the surrounding Entertainment and Sports District development. “I want to give the state—as well as Wake County—a lot of credit because they really stepped up and partnered to help make this happen,” says Baldwin. 

Often compared to Atlanta’s The Battery, which brings in a behemoth ~$3 billion a year, the sports and entertainment buildout is expected to be a boon unlike any other the Cap City has ever seen.

Taken all together, love it or loathe it, Raleigh’s roster with Baldwin at the helm points to progress. “There’s not one thing I could single out,” Baldwin says when asked what stands out during her time as mayor. “I think it’s everything—getting things done is what keeps me going. Part of what makes me notorious is that I do move things forward. I’m not somebody who’s going to sit around—making a difference is what keeps me charged.”

Turning a hundred or so pages, people will remember landing the Omni Raleigh Hotel and securing the Convention Center expansion and renovation. They will remember a government that finally approved BRT and the Civic Tower (unifying the civic entities on one campus) after 10 years of talk, thus serving to ignite a region, improve efficiency, and enable better communication and collaboration. 

And in what was easily the most contentious council vote in modern history, we could write a master’s thesis on the differentiator initiating, retaining and relocating  Red Hat Amphitheater has been—and thankfully will continue to be—for Downtown, as well as for the city as a whole, both in terms of economic impact and urban appeal for residents and visitors alike.

But people will also remember a pandemic, civil unrest, mask mandates, economic upheaval, her push to disband CACs, and the horrific tragedies that occurred during her tenure: a mass shooting and the death of local 11-year-old Hailey Brooks as a result of a parade tragedy. Still a contentious topic regarding the city’s handling, the 2024 Veterans Day Parade has just been canceled, and the Brooks family is now suing the City of Raleigh.

Pointing more specifically to people’s direct dislike of Baldwin, they will also remember her fingerprints on the skyline. For every pro-development constituent, there are arguably more who have publicly condemned the mayor of having her hands in developers’ pockets—so much so that she stepped down from her day job at Barnhill Contracting Co. due to speculation.

“If we want to continue to be a desirable city, we have to be bold,” says Baldwin. “We’re not going to stop growth—and we can’t just sit back. We have to have a vision for where we’re going. And whoever the next mayor is needs to be able to articulate that vision and get people behind it so we can move forward.”

Beyond her growth mindset, Baldwin’s favor fell drastically in response to the ongoing mask mandate and her handling of the upheaval that all but deemed Downtown unrecognizable after businesses were set aflame and ransacked—and the curfew that could have helped prevent it. While it was then-Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown who was obliterated for her now infamous quote saying she “would not put officers in harm’s way to protect property and insurance,” many DTR business owners and residents hold Baldwin just as accountable for not stepping in sooner to instill a curfew. 

“Bless her little heart. I know she wanted that job [of mayor] for a long time, but she flunked the very first test,” said Clyde Cooper’s BBQ owner Debbie Holt in the aftermath—one of many DTR business owners who didn’t feel protected by the decisions Baldwin made. 

“What you learn is there’s always going to be people who are unhappy with the decisions you make,” says Baldwin. “As I’ve said publicly when asked if I regret [not calling a curfew]—absolutely. But I learned a really valuable lesson from that. My gut was telling me to call for a curfew. The bottom line is we didn’t know paid protesters from out of state were coming here. … I was told at the time, if you call for a curfew, we won’t be able to enforce it. And I regret it. But the lesson I learned from it was to always trust your gut. Don’t let that happen again.”

But, as they say, first impressions are everything. For many, the trust lost to that failed first test couldn’t be reconciled. Never mind the devastating scene is one DTR is still recouping from economically and socially to ameliorate public perception and bring Downtown back.

Now, as Raleigh again sits at a crossroads between NIMBYs and YIMBYs; yesterday and tomorrow; growth and conformity; status quo and progress—between then, now and what’s next—a new leader looks to take the helm. 

When asked what—or who—needs to be next for Raleigh, Baldwin’s answer is simple. “Janet Cowell is the only candidate with experience—both on the state and local level,” she says, nodding to the vision Cowell has shown in her role at Dix Park, and as a former Raleigh city councilor, state treasurer and state senator. “Other people running have good intentions, but they lack the experience. I firmly believe a city of almost 500,000 people needs an experienced leader who has vision.” 

Cowell, she explains, understands we need housing affordability and choice, that transit is crucial to our future, and that parks and recreation are critical to our physical and mental health. “She understands how our state government works and will seek out partnerships that move our city forward—she is the clear choice to be our next mayor of Raleigh,” maintains Baldwin.

Reflecting on her own experience as mayor, she adds: “When I was elected, COVID hit, followed by social unrest. If I had needed to have a learning curve—if I didn’t know the city or budget or staff—combined with a learning curve of holding office, it would have been a disaster. People say to me, you picked a great time to be mayor—and actually I did because that’s where I was supposed to be. I was the person with experience, and if it had been any other way, it could’ve been a disaster.”

It all stacks up to what you could easily call a self-fulfilling prophecy that germinated from that playful, snarky pre-mayoral nickname. When asked if she still embraces “The Notorious MAB,” she talks openly about how women in leadership are perceived—and attacked—across the country, something their male counterparts openly admit they don’t face. 

“While I might be notorious, if I were a man, it might be said, ‘Oh, he’s a great leader,’” she postulates. “Misogyny is alive and well in our country, and women are treated very differently than men,” she adds, nodding to infinite messages she’s received calling her every derogatory name you can fathom—and some you can’t.

“So what I would say about ‘notorious’? Hell, yeah, I embrace it,” she admits. “I’m going to own it and go with it. But that also has a lot to do with being a leader. People were ready for change—we want more housing; we want more density. They were tired of the NIMBY and controlled. … The fact is our city is going to change.”

“It is changing. I had an agenda. There were things I wanted to get done. And we’ve done it.”

When asked how she feels about not running again, in a word, “conflicted.” She says getting to this decision was extremely difficult. “After my breast cancer and everything I went through, I was more notorious than ever. It brought out all the strength. And I was like, I’m doing this again.” Then, her husband, Jim, had a heart attack, and she started to reflect on spending time with her family and granddaughter. 

And as for what’s next for “The Notorious MAB”—likely something a little less notorious: time to be a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and time to travel, all while fostering her careerlong commitment to affordable housing via her role at Cooper Charitable Foundation.

“I just came to the conclusion that, at this point, some other things are more important,” Baldwin emphasizes.

And starting my new job at Cooper Charitable Foundation has really helped solidify my decision because I recognize I could still work in an area that’s important to me and make a difference. My heart will still be filled.” 

So, as her chapter as mayor comes to an end, one thing is for certain—Raleigh will definitely never forget her.