Here’s how Raleigh City Council candidates addressed COVID-19, housing and police reform
Police reform, COVID-19 and affordable housing topped the list of topics during a candidates’ forum Sunday for the Raleigh City Council District D seat.
But unlike previous candidates forums, the finalists weren’t making their pitch to the public. Instead, they’re trying to sway the opinions of the current members of the Raleigh City Council.
It will be the council — and not the public — who chooses the next Raleigh City Council member. The District D seat, which covers southwest Raleigh, was recently vacated by Saige Martin.
The five finalists were picked out of more than 50 applicants by the council to participate in the virtual forum Sunday. The Raleigh City Council will appoint someone to fill the seat during a special meeting Tuesday.
Each of the candidates was asked five questions, selected from more than 200 questions submitted by the public.
The candidates
Here are the five finalists with biographical information provided from their applications:
▪ Carmen Wimberley Cauthen, 60, is a retired administrative clerk from the N.C. General Assembly. She’s the cofounder of Wake County Housing Justice Coalition and has founded or served on other community organizations.
▪ Stormie Denise Forte, 49, is an attorney who currently hosts a community radio show on Saturday mornings on Choice FM 92.1. She is an active member of the RWCA and the Wake County Voter Education Coalition.
▪ Jane Lindsay Harrison, 34, is a coastal economics specialist for N.C. Sea Grant. She has been involved in social and environmental justice organizations for 20 years.
▪ Joseph Todd Kennedy, 45, is a senior scientist and project manager for Moffatt and Nichol, a global infrastructure advisory firm. He has served on city boards and commissions, including as vice chair of the city’s Environmental Advisory Board and chair of the Human Relations Commission.
▪ Jennifer Katherine Peeler Truman, 30, is an apprentice with Matthew Konar Architect who has volunteered as secretary for SouthWest Community Engagement Group (former SWCAC) and as an administrator for the District D Facebook group.
COVID-19
While the response to COVID-19 is largely in the county and state’s hands, candidates were asked about what measures the city could take if coronavirus cases surged unexpectedly. Some praised Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin for requiring a mask before the state’s mandate and some said there should be greater enforcement of social distancing and mask-wearing.
“We may have to close some places again that have reopened,” Cauthen said. “I know that’s not necessarily a popular idea.”
But the city has to consider essential workers who have been unable to work from home, she said.
Not only must the city do its best to keep the city safe, it also has to find ways to help businesses survive this crisis, Truman said. The city should work to open sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor dining and shopping to keep customers safe and businesses alive, she said.
Kennedy said he was frustrated like many other people about the restrictions, but “COVID is going to be here for quite some time.” The city needs to step up enforcement of its mask and social distancing rules, he said.
Affordable housing
Many praised the council for moving forward with an $80 million affordable housing bond that will appear on the ballot this November.
“We have to think of those who are being rapidly priced out of this city,” Harrison said. “I want our retail workers, I want the people who work at the Food Lion down the street from me to be able to live near their jobs.”
But some, including Forte, said there needs to be more transparency in how the council plans to spend the bond money if it is approved.
“Certainly we got some affordable housing spaces now that are rental units,” she said. “Some of that money could be used to get those units out of disrepair and in. a more livable space.”
There needs to be a focus on housing for the poorest among the city, Cauthen said. There are people who are living in hotels so the city must focus some of its bond and housing efforts on people who make less than 30% of the city’s area median income.
To addressing housing affordability, Raleigh could relax some of its building rules, Truman said.
“I think we need private solutions that help increase supply as well as public subsidy,” she said. “Affordable housing comes in many shapes and forms. And we can create a lot of affordable housing in the market by making it easier to build that missing, gap housing.”
Police reform
Candidates were also asked if they were in favor of law enforcement reform, including advocating for an oversight board with subpoena power and moving resources away from the police department to other uses like housing and mental health.
Harrison suggested looking at other cities or counties for examples of how they diverted 911 calls away from police to nonprofits and recommended that police undergo additional training, including in mental health.
The community says there is over-policing, Kennedy said, adding he wants to collect the data to do a “deep dive” to help guide his decisions.
“I’m in a real listen and learn mode,” he said. “As a white person, I think that is important. I am not going to pretend to have all the answers with regard to policing and some of these other issues.”
Forte suggested creating an ombudsman program that would allow law enforcement to submit complaints against other officers without fear of repercussions. She’d also be in favor of speaking with Wake County legislators about “a reasonable path to move forward” with regard to a police oversight board with subpoena power since the General Assembly is the body that can grant that power.
The full 90 minute forum can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/cityofraleigh.
