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.
A recent raise got everyone talking about how our local government works—and why they earn what they do.
Few things have caused a stir in Raleigh quite like the announcement of the city manager’s pay raise at a December City Council meeting. The second-consecutive 10% pay increase raising Marchell Adams-David’s annual salary to $356,375 effective Jan. 1 (up from $323,978) effectively makes her the highest paid city manager in the Triangle—and second only statewide to Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones.
That substantial raise—and income—has been the talk of the town all winter. Whether in the boardroom or at the bar, the banter was ubiquitous… sparking the repeated question: Why?
Pictured left: City Council; Pictured right: Marchell Adams-David
Why such a high salary?
Essentially, the City of Raleigh is the organization, and the Office of the City Manager is the administrative center, with the city manager at the helm. Thus, Adams-David executes and oversees the day-to-day operations of city government—think hirings, budget and beyond. In addition to coordinating and overseeing all City Department undertakings, supervising ~4,000 full-time city employees across those 20 departments, and proposing the city’s annual $1.3 billion budget to City Council, she serves as direct staff support for the mayor, City Council and committees, and as director of Raleigh’s future plans.
What does City Manager Adams-David do?
In short, Marchell Adams-David, who was appointed after serving ~6 1/2 years as assistant city manager, oversees a city of 472,540. Beyond her responsibilities to Raleigh’s nearly half-million population, her direct reports include four deputy/assistant managers who assist in research, public policy proposals, public program evaluation and direction of City Council, as well as a chief of administrative services, a chief of council services and, if approved in the budget, a new community relations analyst.
Why do city managers earn more than mayor/city council?
In North Carolina, according to the NC League of Municipalities, as dictated by General Charter, most municipalities—including Raleigh—are run in the form of council-manager, meaning the city manager is the chief policymaker, with city councils acting as the legislative body.
The city manager is thus the chief executive—similar to mayors in other major metropolitan areas, with one major caveat. She isn’t elected. Instead, the city manager is appointed as an administrator to implement the policies of the mayor-council, and execute and oversee the day-to-day operations of city government—think hirings, budget and beyond.
What does the mayor make?
According to the City of Raleigh, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin earns an annual base income of $37,606 per the current adopted budget (FY23), up from a former $24,550 base. Implemented in December 2002, the boost was in accordance with a pay plan recommended by a September 2021 community study group as part of a concerted effort to increase mayor and council pay to full-time-worthy living wages.
The mayor pro-tem earns $33,203 and councilmembers $30,743, the latter up from an $18,021 base. As a point of note, these base salaries exclude additional compensation for car, technology, educational courses and other expenses. Insurance is also paid on their behalf.
According to the budget highlights in the FY24 Proposed Budget, “the City Council’s adopted budget includes personnel increases ($88,825) based on the new pay plan that was adopted by Council during the FY23 budget process,” as well as “benefit adjustments ($9,533) that account for increases in health care.”
City Manager Salaries
City Manager: $356,375 Deputy City Manager: $243,248 Asst. City Manager: $208,684 Asst. City Manager: $206,679 Asst. City Manager: $188,100
Election year is upon us, and not only is it a big year for national politics, but local as well. While we won’t cast our ballots for mayor until Nov. 5, the race is already taking shape.
Although hopefuls have until July 19 to file, a number of candidates spanning diverse demographics have already thrown their hat in the ring—and many have been campaigning for the municipal role since last year. Why it matters? Baldwin’s 2022 victory came at the end of a tight race, edging out then challenger Dr. Terrance Ruth, who grabbed 41% of the vote.
This year, hot topics include zoning debates, Downtown safety, affordable housing, the RPD shortage, transportation, infrastructure and sustainability.
Corey Branch The city councilman of nine years 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.
Delmonte Crawford 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.
Janet Cowell The former state treasurer and Raleigh councilwoman and current Dix Park Conservancy CEO announced her candidacy Jan. 22 and is campaigning on protecting the environment, diversifying housing options, increasing public safety, and planning and engaging the public in things such as rezoning for new infrastructure. The most recent to throw her hat in the ring, Cowell has already picked up endorsements from former Mayors Nancy McFarlane and Charles Meeker.
James Shaughnessy IV This William Peace University pre-law student has his sights set on building additional accessible housing options, cutting spending, revitalizing mental health and updating public transportation.
Paul Fitts This conservative candidate plans to crack down on crime and hopes to hire an additional 400 police officers—and this isn’t the first time he’s had his name on the ballot. The mortgage broker previously ran against then-mayor Nancy McFarlane in 2017.
Local elections are just as important, if not more important, than national, as local elected officials directly affect your day-to-day life. When you vote for a candidate, you are putting the future of your life, home, commute and job in their hands. So, be sure to study up and mark your cals to head to the polls for the general election Nov. 5! Stay tuned for updates as more candidates file.
Those big black boxes popping up around Downtown are a big win for Raleigh.
Making good on the promise that not all who wander are lost are the newly installed digital wayfinding kiosks in DTR. Like your own adventure concierge, IKE Smart City kiosks are complete with interactive multilingual touch screens to activate the pedestrian experience.
Need a proximal bite or bev? Check. Retail fix or a place to rest your head? Yup. Event finds? You bet. Real-time transit info? In progress. Addiction recovery services, safe shelter, critical social services resources and emergency call system (plus future real-time emergency messaging from the city)? Indeed. Even a built-in photo booth (selfie, who?). Have a need or craving? Essentially these big black boxes you see popping up around Downtown—and already utilized in 16 U.S. cities—have you covered.
“In 2016, I was on a ski trip to Denver [and] used an IKE kiosk to help me determine when the train was coming,” said Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin at the mid-November ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It helped me pick out a restaurant for dinner, and it also showed some of the fun things going on in Larimer Square—which we all decided, yeah, let’s walk over there and see what’s happening. … And I said to myself, ‘Why can’t we have this in Raleigh?’ And lo and behold [IKE] was looking at Raleigh. And that’s when the conversation started.”
With over 3.5 million unique visitors to DTR and a core bustling with locally owned retailers (~90%) and restaurants (~80%), our storefronts are essential to the Raleigh experience, said Downtown Raleigh Alliance President Bill King in his ribbon-cutting speech. “One of our challenges is businesses are scattered around and not always easy to navigate,” he added, and “we want to make sure Downtown is the best experience it can be. Bringing digital wayfinding is a critical tool to helping our many visitors, residents and workers be able to support and patronize our locally owned businesses and give Raleigh this distinct feel of community and home.”
But this super-cool city communication platform is about so much more than where to stay and play. “It’s not just about entertainment—it’s also about social services,” said Baldwin. “It’s about helping people find that bus. It’s about true communication on so many levels. It’s taken seven years, but the fact of the matter is: IKE’s here and that’s exciting.” And in case you weren’t already convinced, Baldwin maintains, “Raleigh is cool now.”
“Breaking through the tremendous amount of noise and information can be difficult, but these help us to do so in a way that can better support DTR.” —Bill King, President, DRA
Navigating the Navigation
Users of IKE’s interactive touch screen kiosk will be presented with multiple applications covering everything from activities and events to arts and culture spots to shops and restaurants/bars to places to stay—as well as social service resources (think shelters and the like).
► Browse through the options or use the search bar to find exactly what you’re looking for (like, say, the name of a specific hotel). ► Each kiosk is based on proximity, so the closest spots to the IKE you’re using will appear first. ► Once you select your destination, the kiosk will provide options on how to get there, whether by public transit, scooter or on foot. ► IKE will then provide a QR code you can scan to get the directions directly on your phone.
Law enforcement is implementing policies to increase safety in Glenwood South.
A month ago in our September issue, we reported on Glenwood South crime and chaos to mixed reviews—including community backlash accusing us of sensationalizing the issue. But there’s no question the district is experiencing disorder.
David Millette, general manager of Smoky Hollow’s Midwood Smokehouse and future father, died Sept. 1 as the result of injuries suffered from a brutal assault in Glenwood South the Saturday prior at the intersection of Glenwood and Johnson streets. Ruled a homicide, Millette’s tragic death served to draw further attention to the recent crime-riddled district.
Extensive measures are now in the works to mitigate crime and increase safety in the area. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin shared with Raleigh Magazine plans for Raleigh Police Department to return to community policing—aka “walking the beat”—where officers make rounds on foot, both in Glenwood South and across Downtown. And to further increase street surveillance, RPD is buying bicycles to patrol problem areas.
Beyond modes of transit, on weekend nights, “the Raleigh Police Department has provided additional staffing in the Glenwood South area to support our patrol personnel,” says RPD Public Information Officer Lt. Jason Borneo. Now, 25 officers are fully dedicated to Glenwood South, while the street is blocked off to prevent through-traffic and street cruising. The road closure and high police presence encourage patrons to head home as soon as the bars close, preventing potential crime and excessive noise after 2am.
But with 91 current RPD openings, the increased police presence isn’t a long-term solution. “We’re a big city with a lot of people,” says Baldwin. “We have issues in every part of the city, and it’s not sustainable to continue to pull officers from other parts of the city to cover one area, so that’s why we are leaning into these unarmed security teams.” While the private security officers can’t make arrests, they can detain until police arrive.
Baldwin’s plans to bring in private security teams to surveil Downtown serves to put more eyes on the street in hopes of preventing crimes from escalating—or from happening at all. And this comes not a moment too soon as a shooting rattled Glenwood South at 1:42am, Saturday, Sept. 16. Three men were detained in connection to the shooting, two of whom were charged for concealed carry.
Ultimately, given Glenwood South’s station as Raleigh’s central hospitality district—responsible for $1.2+ billion in economic impact annually—leaders and citizens alike are united in a goal to restore stability to the palatable playground.
Crime by the Numbers:
In our September issue, we provided a snapshot of summer arrests and citations in Glenwood South from July 1–Aug. 6. Here, we worked with RPD for updated stats from Aug. 7–Sept. 4, as well as a year-over-year comparison for both timespans.
