Jennifer Robinson, 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: Jennifer Robinson
Age: 52
Occupation and employer: Global Government Strategic Advisor, SAS
Education: BA - English Language and Literature, Studio Art
Political or civic experience: Council member, Cary 1999-present; Board member for TJCOG, GoTriangle, North Carolina League of Municipalities, National Association of Regional Councils, NW Cary YMCA, Taylor Family YMCA, Read and Feed, Cary Community Foundation, Cary Women’s Giving Network
Campaign website: RobinsonforCary.org
What is Cary doing right, and wrong, on managing growth?
Our goal has been to meet the infrastructure demands created by growth and to offer our citizens the best value for their money. In spite of having the lowest tax rate in Wake County, we offer a high quality of life. We continue to invest in initiatives that make Cary a place that people want to call home — for their families and their businesses. We are consistently ranked one of the safest communities in the U.S. We maintain and improve upon our transportation system, provide a sustainable water supply, an environmentally sound wastewater treatment and we have a great network of greenways, parks and open space. With that said, there is always more work to do. New issues arise, prompting the need to refine our land development ordinances and programs to address challenges created by growth and infill development as well as the need to enhance our transportation network to address future congestion on our roads as more jobs are created in and around Cary.
What do you think Cary should do, if anything, to address racial injustice issues, and what kind of changes would you propose?
Every person has a role to play in addressing racial bias and systemic bias. The Town of Cary has added a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office to help our organization recognize and address bias and inequities as well as promote justice. We recently created a Human Relations, Inclusion and Diversity Task Force with a mission to “improve the quality of life for the organization and community by encouraging fair treatment and promoting mutual understanding and respect amongst all people.” With over 66 nationalities represented in Cary and almost a fourth of our citizens born outside of the United States, we want to be a place that is welcoming to all people. I look forward to receiving the recommendations that the Task Force has for our Council and anticipate that the Council will put them into action.
How should Cary increase the availability of affordable housing within the town?
We approved the Cary Housing Plan in 2021 which outlines strategies and actions to meet the housing needs of Cary’s residents over the next decade. Some of the measures that we are already taking include: buying land and creating a mixed-income community which provides workforce housing; amending zoning regulations to expand the potential for Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) development; supporting the rehabilitation of existing affordable housing by offering grants to homeowners for roof repairs, HVAC and other needs; and providing funding to nonprofits to build affordable housing; and building out a viable transit network.
Future initiatives to address affordability include piloting a low-interest loan fund for landlords to make repairs to rental housing; supporting state legislation that permits municipalities to establish their own housing ordinances; and investigating land trust programs that allow people to buy a home, generate wealth in it, but keep it affordable upon its sale.
Would you support a property tax increase for an affordable housing fund? Explain your answer.
No. Tax increases are done when a government’s budget cannot accommodate its expenses. Cary has funded affordable housing initiatives without having to increase taxes and we do not anticipate needing a tax increase to continue to do so.
What new steps should Cary take to recruit businesses to the area?
Our number one recruiting tool in Cary has been to offer businesses a community with premier services and infrastructure. Cary Fire, Police and Parks are all nationally accredited (which is rare). Our Fire Department’s ISO rating is a Class 1 which helps lower our property insurance rates. We focus on being a predictable and friendly place for businesses to operate. We revamped our permitting process and continually look to improve our relationships with our business community. And, we make sure that we have office-zoned land and office spaces available for purchase or lease. We will need to continue to focus on providing excellent services and infrastructure. We must keep track of our non-residential inventory. We will need to continue to protect land that has been planned or zoned for non-residential use from being re-zoned for straight residential use. We will need to continue to foster relationships with our business community to ensure that we are meeting their needs.
What is a specific need within your district? And how would you address this issue, if elected?
Most of my district was built in the 1990s and early 2000s. As a result, the infrastructure in my district is aging and will require proactive maintenance. While we are investing in our downtown core and our western frontier, we will need to keep an eye on the problems that arise when roads, pipes and park equipment reach their life expectancy. If elected, I will advocate for investing in maintenance. Many of the neighborhoods in my district were built before we improved our development standards to require sidewalks and to prevent building within flood plains or close to streams. If elected, I will advocate for remediation projects that get neighborhoods connected with sidewalks and stormwater issues addressed. Finally, with aging commercial centers and rising land costs, there may be redevelopment. I have always worked hard to ensure that citizens have a voice in the entitlement process and I will continue to do so.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
As the amount of our land mass available for development drops below 10%, we will face new and more complex challenges.
- We will see more infill and redevelopment occur, impacting existing neighborhoods and our environment.
- We will feel budget pressures as our revenue growth slows and our infrastructure ages.
- And, we will have a housing inventory that cannot meet demand which will impact affordability and necessitate better transportation
My highest priority for the next year is continuing to position Cary to be a great place to live, long after I am done serving. I will continue to work on my pet project, securing the CSX corridor for a transportation corridor for future generations. I will also continue my effort to change our land development ordinances to require higher environmental standards, most notably green or useful rooftops and the inclusion of solar energy.
What unique skills or life experience would you bring to town governance?
Experience, knowledge, innovative thinking, fresh ideas, high standards, great relationships, respect from my peers and a resolve to get things done. To address the challenges we face, our town needs leadership that has experience that is built upon a deep understanding of our past, that fosters a big picture perspective, and fuels a vision for our future that is both ambitious and realistic. I continue to research innovation in other communities and bring fresh ideas to our Council table. I have developed relationships with leaders across the state, having served on and chaired the governing boards for the TJCOG, GoTriangle, and NC League of Municipalities. I don’t let politics get in the way of public service. In my work at SAS, I help local governments across the country to use data analytics to serve their citizens better. I will continue to be a strong advocate for the citizens of Cary and I will continue to work to make Cary a place that people want to call “home.”
