Mary-Anne Baldwin, current mayor of Raleigh, and Terrance Ruth, an assistant professor in the NC State School of Social Work and Africana studies program, are running for Raleigh mayor. Although the race is nonpartisan, Baldwin is a self-identified Democrat and Ruth is a self-identified liberal; Ruth is endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party. The key issues in the mayoral election are housing, community engagement and development.
Housing
Baldwin: seeks to implement long- and short-term solutions to Raleigh’s housing crisis. Her biggest goals are to end exclusionary housing, expand housing choices, build new, affordable and supportive housing and protect Raleigh’s longtime residents.
During her tenure as mayor, Baldwin has filled gaps in “missing middle” housing and oversaw the approval of the $80 million Affordable Housing Bond in 2020. That money will go toward buying land for future affordable housing, rehabilitating homes and money for first-time homebuyers, among other things. The Affordable Housing Bond will be spent through 2026.
Should Baldwin be re-elected, her short-term goals are to develop affordable housing from previously underutilized properties — think the former Hospitality Inn currently undergoing renovations to become an affordable housing hub — and to incentivize private developers to build workforce and transit-oriented development housing, among other things.
Baldwin served as the director of business development at Barnhill Contracting Company between May 2020 and September 2021, for which she received scrutiny. Its projects include Fuquay-Varina High School, the Davidson County Courthouse and New Bern Riverfront Convention Center.
Ruth: said the $80 million Affordable Housing Bond was “a critical effort that was greatly squandered.” Ruth said the housing stock in Raleigh is not enough to meet the needs of citizens, and the city should consider additional avenues of increasing affordable housing. To increase housing affordability and density in Raleigh, Ruth wants to expand subsidized housing and implement tax assistance programs for low-income longtime homeowners.
According to The News & Observer, Ruth’s plan to address rising housing costs is inspired by Durham County’s tax relief program and longtime homeowner grant program, which provides up to $1,500 in tax relief to eligible Durham homeowners who have lived in their residence for at least five years and make less than 80% of the average median income. Additionally, Ruth wants to generate public-private partnerships to boost housing supply on underutilized public land.
Community Engagement
Baldwin: says “community engagement involves meeting residents where they are.” After Raleigh’s city council dissolved Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs), Baldwin supervised the Office of Community Engagement’s (OCE) establishment. According to its website, the OCE seeks to engage citizens in incremental and measurable projects, programs and activities to incite change in the community.
Ruth: supports reinstating Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs), which were eliminated in 2019 by the Raleigh City Council. If elected, Ruth aims to review plans to create new citizen councils or committees that are diverse and accessible to prioritize citizen participation in the government.
Ruth’s plan to address community engagement also includes empowering community organizations by providing these organizations with city resources and property, inspired by a grant program in Newport News, Virginia that helps fund nonprofit organizations serving the community. Ruth said investing in community organizations can combat issues such as gun violence “…by building bridges and connecting individuals who want to help and be heard.”
According to his website, Ruth wants to implement open access initiatives to increase transparency in the government. He intends to boost public trust in the government by making information accessible to citizens.
Development
Baldwin: supports the robust expansion of transportation options throughout Wake County. Her biggest goals are to establish a commuter rail, expand Bus Rapid Transit and encourage improvements in pedestrian and bicyclist safety. During her tenure as mayor, Baldwin temporarily eliminated GoRaleigh bus fares and seeks to implement this permanently.
As a longtime proponent of the 2022 Parks Bond, which will appear on the ballot for all Raleigh residents, Baldwin seeks to oversee a five- or six-year, $275 million mission to improve Raleigh’s community parks and greenways.
Should the referendum pass, two of the most notable projects are funding Phase 2 of the Chavis Park renovations — which includes a new aquatic center less than four miles from NC State — and construction of the Children’s Plaza & Play area at Dix Park.
Ruth: believes it is necessary to decrease Raleigh’s car dependency and road use. He wants to expand transit plans, including rapid transit and light rail, to more areas in Raleigh, including low-income communities. In Indyweek, Ruth said he supports eliminating parking minimums for developers in some cases to reduce car dependency, but parking requirements for downtown residences is important to ensure city parking is not exhausted. Ruth seeks to enhance pedestrian safety by expanding sidewalk networks and installing flashing crosswalks.
Ruth does not support the $275 million Raleigh Parks bond that voters will consider in the upcoming election; he believes the bond allocates too much funding to downtown parks and neglects many neighborhood parks in low-income communities, according to The News and Observer. Ruth feels more money should be put towards addressing housing and transit.
If elected, Ruth also wants to require non-clear-cutting practices, which would compel developers to avoid simultaneously harvesting most of the trees in an area. He opposes constructing a new sports and entertainment stadium downtown — in The News and Observer, he said current stadium plans do not sufficiently address stormwater drainage, affordable housing and traffic.
