One of the most striking and tone-deaf responses was this, in response to Leo and I’s question on if he supports (among other procedural changes) raising the salary of the Mayoral position to allow for more non-wealthy residents to run and perform the job:
…That is literally why we believe raising the salary of this position is a step forward, so that elected officials don’t have to have a better paying full-time job outside of government or aren’t already starting from atop a pedestal of wealth and privilege - and the assertion that “they are living comfortably enough” is extremely tone-deaf, IMO, as they are all living comfortably because they were wealthy and successful in their careers before being elected to these positions - so that still does nothing for the average joe who has a basic city management degree, or who’s done lots of community service and organization who would like an opportunity to represent their city in a bigger capacity. What he essentially said with that answer, to me, is: “We shouldn’t raise the salary of Raleigh’s Mayoral position because rich people can afford to be mayor.” Not a good look for someone who wants to shape the future of one of the fastest growing cities in the US… I don’t want my only options going forward for representation in my city gov’t to be wealthy, well-off people who probably can’t even relate to the vast majority of their constituents.