Chase McGrath, candidate for Cary Town Council, District A
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Candidates for Cary Town Council, District A
Who is running for the Cary Town Council? Get to know the candidates running for District A.
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Two candidates are running for the District A seat of the Cary Town Council.
District A covers a middle portion of the town, surrounding Bond Park and bumping up against Morrisville.
Incumbent Jennifer Robinson, who has served on the board since 1999, is being challenged for the seat by Chase McGrath.
Normally the Cary municipal elections are held in November of odd-numbered years. But last year’s elections were postponed due to a delay in the U.S. Census releasing redistricting data.
Early voting in the May 17 election runs from April 28 to May 14.
To find polling places and full details on early voting, visit wakevotesearly.com or contact the Board of Elections at 919-404-4040 or voter@wakegov.com.
Name: Chase McGrath
Age: 25
Occupation and employer: Platform Strategy Lead at Infinia ML
Education: B.S. in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and M.S. in Analytics from Georgia Tech (In progress - expected graduation Summer 2022)
Political or civic experience: Lifelong volunteer and Eagle Scout
Campaign website: www.facebook.com/groups/364374418878117
What is Cary doing right, and wrong, on managing growth?
Long-term planning for investment of town resources must be improved with more timely collection of data and input from our citizens to ensure these plans align with rapidly changing conditions. For decades, Cary’s annual growth was consistent and manageable, allowing us to plan ahead and respond more slowly to change. Multiple years of heavy growth have revealed that we need to invest more in studying the impact of this growth on our community. In revising our plans for the town’s future, the need for new development must be balanced against the potential impact on traffic congestion and housing affordability, required infrastructure investments from the town, and increasing standards for environmental impact mitigation.
What do you think Cary should do, if anything, to address racial injustice issues, and what kind of changes would you propose?
Strengthening our town’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance is one small, tangible step we can take to address racial injustices. Additionally, town efforts to improve housing affordability and access to homeownership opportunities are another important measure to better support everyone in the Cary community.
How should Cary increase the availability of affordable housing within the town?
Unprecedented growth in the Triangle real estate market has made affordability and housing security a primary concern for many current and prospective Cary residents. We must accelerate investments in expanding the town’s stock of high- and medium-density affordable housing options, establish a community land trust to achieve longer-term goals for affordable housing, and continue revising Cary’s Housing Plan to respond to evolving conditions in our local housing market. Additionally, Cary must provide the right set of incentives to developers to encourage investment in construction or renovation of housing that meets the town’s needs for increased middle-market housing stock. We must also achieve this within the constraints of the Town’s operating budget without raising taxes and take advantage of available state and federal funding opportunities to meet the financial needs of this program.
Would you support a property tax increase for an affordable housing fund? Explain your answer.
No. Increasing property taxes defeats the purpose of any policy measures to make housing more affordable for Cary residents. Rising property taxes are already a challenge for cost-burdened residents in our town and region. I support an affordable housing fund, but one that is funded by existing town General Fund allocations and the organic growth of Cary’s tax base.
What new steps should Cary take to recruit businesses to the area?
Cary has proven to employers both large and small that it’s a great place to do business. We have the talent, the infrastructure and the business climate that continue to attract large enterprises like Apple and smaller ones like Bull City Ciderworks to open shop here in Cary. To maintain that momentum, Cary has to demonstrate that it can continue to provide housing opportunities for the workers these new employers bring to our area. Whether workers are making $15 an hour or $150,000 a year, they all deserve an opportunity to live where they work. Given Cary’s current housing affordability crisis, the town has a lot of work to do to keep that promise to prospective employers and their employees.
What is a specific need within your district? And how would you address this issue, if elected?
We need to widen Chapel Hill Road (NC Highway 54). Since downtown Cary has become a bigger destination for people in Cary and surrounding towns, Chapel Hill Road is a critical artery that leads into downtown from western Cary and Morrisville. After an NCDOT study in 2016, there were plans to undertake this project to alleviate traffic congestion and improve pedestrian safety, but these have not been put into action yet. In the interim, new development continues to be proposed and built on both sides of Chapel Hill Road, worsening these traffic and safety problems. I would advocate for the NCDOT to accelerate this project and improve Chapel Hill Road for residents of District A.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
- Establishing an affordable housing fund with reliable sources of funding and financing one to two pilot programs that further the goals in Cary’s 2021 Housing Plan
- Improving Cary’s Housing Plan to set precise and measurable targets for progress on the goals outlined in the 2021 Housing Plan
- Amending the town Non-Discrimination Ordinance to match the ordinance adopted by Wake County in October 2021
What unique skills or life experience would you bring to town governance?
Possessing an undergraduate degree in business, I know that the best solutions to problems don’t always come from government, but from the private sector or public-private partnerships. A graduate education in analytics has taught me how to use the right data and information to make informed, objective decisions. Years of experience working in client-facing roles to deliver complex projects has prepared me to ask the right questions for my constituents and listen to their needs. And, as a homeowner in Cary, I understand that the town must fulfill its obligations within the constraints of its operating budget provided by our community’s tax base. Finally, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I know how important it is to have visible representation in government and policy-making positions like the Cary Town Council.
