Top 4 advance per a couple of sources.
https://amp.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article314575875.html
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It’s paywalled show me where that is?
Rinehart probably inherits most (if not all) of Zamot’s supporters.
So then it comes down to how Bledsoe’s votes split.
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We gotta aggressively get Bledsoe voters.
I have to say that I was surprised by Zamot’s weak performance.
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He announced on Instagram that rather than going somewhere to follow results, that he was going to give his bike a tune up last night, which was kinda a bad sign to me. Although it looks like he deleted that post now.
It felt like a slip at the Candidates Forum when he talked about running for Congress someday and felt more like an advocate on stage, than a city councilor. You can make that transition but it didn’t feel he had yet.
Do i ok to the top 2 advance to the general election?
The Indy didn’t do endorsements this year. Check your research.
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So sounds like @Yimbyforlife can only blame himself for voting for someone he… doesn’t agree with??? WTF lmao
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I recall being a bit worried about Melton not choosing to continue his tenure on the City Council at a time when we need him most… this is incredibly disappointing. He should’ve absolutely waited another election cycle before pivoting to a higher office. Feels like he was truly just getting starting on the CC and now we don’t have him doing anything for us in any capacity. UGH.
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I wish he would’ve stayed on city council
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Raleigh shifting from two-year terms to staggered four-year terms (like nearly every other jurisdiction) will better facilitate political advancement campaigns (Mayor or county commissioner) from a safe seat by running for it mid-term.
Also promotes building institutional knowledge and memory as Council members can find their legs and mentor newbies instead of everyone being in always-running mode.
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For the nonpartisan at-large Raleigh Council race, yes. Then in November, that’s the pool of four that gets narrowed down to two who go onto council. In the one-seat races (e.g., District C), the top two advance to November. The N&O article was explaining this relatively new system for Raleigh, sometimes known as the “jungle primary.”
For partisan primary races, the Democratic Party only advances as many candidates as there are seats. There are two open at large Wake County commissioner seats, so the top two Democrats advance to November to face off against (err, trounce) the two Republican candidates.
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I was also put off by that response but read his Indy questionnaire… he had the clearest, most concrete responses by far imo. I feel like a lot of these ideas would be popular with people here, and I hope the winning candidates adopt this general mindset. Some excerpts (I know this is long, but really worth a read):
If elected, I will approve cases for rezoning single neighborhood lots to small-scale commercial or mixed-use in order to build neighborhood-scale development that brings groceries and other essentials within walking distance of more residents. I will also support UDO text change to reduce the minimum lot size per dwelling in residential zones.
I will also initiate an effort to make Vision Zero a standalone department instead of a subset of Transportation, as it currently is. Transportation is responsible for efficient movement of people and goods, Vision Zero is responsible for reducing traffic violence. Separating the departments will reduce that conflict of interest and provide the resources and “teeth” to build safer infrastructure.
Finally, I will support a transit system that is simpler, more frequent, and better connected across the city, so people have more convenient alternatives to driving. Currently, buses run in a hub-and-spoke system with few cross-town options. Creating more cross-town connections will make the bus system more efficient and useful for more residents.
Car dependency in Raleigh makes living here more expensive and generates tragic amounts of injury and death in the City. My job on Council will be to make the alternative options more viable for more people by making them safer and more convenient. This means funding more protected infrastructure and working with Transit to make more cross-town routes that run frequently.
The second major issue is affordability. It’s hard to be affordable when transportation costs $12,000 per year. But what about housing itself? In order to make housing affordable, we need to increase housing supply. In addition to the high-rise towers that get so much attention, we need to focus on building density into neighborhoods, too. This means legalizing smaller dwellings, subdivided lots, and neighborhood retail. These form the backbone of vibrant, walkable neighborhoods.
Too often, Raleigh leadership is drawn toward high-profile, flashy, and expensive projects instead of simpler, more pragmatic solutions that are easier to deliver and manage.
It is far easier to say yes to an exciting project like the Six Forks Road widening, even when funding is only approved and not fully secured, than it is to pursue straightforward options like repurposing an existing travel lane for protected bike or bus infrastructure. Raleigh already has enough roadway. We need to use it more efficiently, not keep adding pavement and impervious surface. Making the decision to repurpose lanes is incredibly difficult and controversial, but it’s in the best interest of the people by moving towards a more equitable transportation system. These are the exact types of courageous decisions I will make on Council.
The same dynamic applies to transit. It is much flashier to announce a major project like New Bern Bus Rapid Transit than it is to simply run articulated buses at higher frequency on an existing route like Route 15. What riders actually experience is frequency and reliability, not branding and an idea that’s ten years away from being a reality.
This issue is personal for me since I worked on City staff.. I participated in several presentations to construction firms during the long effort to attract bidders for the New Bern BRT project. In conversations outside the group setting, multiple representatives cited poor past working relationships with the City, including delayed invoice payments, as reasons they were hesitant to bid. If Raleigh wants projects to stay on track and within budget, the City must be a reliable partner that respects its contractors, consultants, and staff.
The city should make small commitments often instead of big ones rarely.
To be clear, I think the flashy projects like BRT are important too. But I liked his points that the little things matter just as much, if not more, and that bureaucratic red tape/studies can lead to everything being a decade away when there are simpler, pragmatic things we can do sooner.
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Yes, but obviously in Wake County the Democratic primary is the de facto general election. Congratulations to Christine Kushner and Mona Singh, who are effectively the new county commissioners-elect.
Sure, in retrospect that’s easy say, but it was solid plan that just came up a little bit short. The county commission has a huge influence over housing policy, and obviously they cover a much larger jurisdiction. It was a great office for him to run for, and it was very a realistic ambition. Sometimes the breaks don’t go your way. I will say that, from everything I’ve heard, Mona Singh should be fine. She seems like she will also be a strong advocate for pro-housing policies.
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I liked his platform but I thought it was odd that he went with the no-signs approach. It may be old school but if you weren’t on IG or plugged into local news/events, was hard to tell that he was running. Plus he has a unique last name, I think that would have given him a boost.
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I said that from the beginning. Maybe not on here, though. I’m a supporter and a fan, but it seemed like the wrong move to me, and dare I say it, but I felt like he became less engaged as soon as his sights were elsewhere. Regardless, looking forward to his next steps.
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Exactly, and I wish Melton had considered running one last time for the At-Large seat while this shift occurred. Felt like an odd time to try running for a different office when he could’ve actually (finally) had a 4-year-term on the City Council.
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Sana Siddiqui is (un)Livable Raleigh’s candidate. She must have answered their two questions in their survey to their satisfaction. That is to say that she’d oppose recent rezonings at Peace/West and in North Hills. I suppose I could go read it for myself, but I don’t have any inclination to waste my time engaging that group’s website more than I have to.
That said, I wonder how much of James’ and Cameron’s votes Clark can pick up? IMO, in order to blunt Livable Raleigh’s “circus”, a clear thought out and reasonable message needs to be articulated that could not only serve Clark well, but position all on council who understand the value of higher density development (particularly downtown) and the role it plays in the quality of life for all Raleigh residents. That message needs to have a strong WIFM bent to engage and energize suburban voters in the city and speak to what’s important to them. When done correctly the message will be a win/win for us downtowners & boosters, as well as for those who rarely choose to even come downtown.
On a side note, was there a Republican primary for District C? I haven’t seen any results that would indicate that there was.
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