Christina Jones, candidate for Raleigh City Council District E
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Candidates for Raleigh City Council District E 2022
The candidates running for Raleigh City Council District E seat include incumbent David Knight and challenger Christina Jones.
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The News & Observer asked readers again this year to submit their questions for the people looking to lead Raleigh.
We received nearly 200 questions that covered a range of topics important to city residents.
We asked candidates for a yes or no response to 15 questions with a chance to fully explain their position. If candidates did not provide a yes or no answer, we didn’t include their fuller response.
We also included biographical and open-ended questions. Some responses were edited for clarity or length.
Here is how Raleigh Raleigh City Council District E candidate Christina Jones answered the questionnaire. Jones is one of two candidates for the northwest Raleigh seat. District E candidates are elected only by people within the district and serve two-year terms.
All eight seats on the Raleigh City Council are up for re-election.
Early voting for the Nov. 8 election began Oct. 20.
Name: Christina Jones
Age: 37
Occupation: Substitute Teacher for WCPSS
Education: BFA, Southern Methodist University
Endorsements (limit to three): Wake Democratic Party, Run For Something, Police Benevolent Association
Previous political or civic experience? Chairperson - Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council and Parks Board Member
Campaign website: ChristinaForRaleigh.com
How do you identify your political ideology? Democrat
How would you add diversity to the City Council? Being a working-class family, with two young children, I want to give a voice to those of us trying to do it all at once. I would bring the working middle class mindset that I feel is missing from our current council.
What is your favorite locally owned restaurant either in the city or within your district? Dos Taquitos
The city of Raleigh lowered the speed limit downtown to 25 mph. Are you in favor of lowering the speed limit to 25 mph throughout the city?
No. I would need to sit down with transportation and discuss the issue. I would ask questions to help me understand the benefits to lowering the speed limit. I would then hold a meeting to discuss the possible changes and gather feedback.
Should the city help bring a sports and entertainment stadium downtown?
No. We have Carter Finley Stadium and PNC Arena in West Raleigh which already has supporting infrastructure to get people in and out quickly. It would benefit the city, as a whole, to invest in that area and make it a destination spot of its own. Adding hotels, restaurants, and nightlife around PNC will bring another dimension to Raleigh. It allows different areas of the city to shine.
Do you support reinstating Citizen Advisory Councils?
Yes. The City Council never wanted to help push out the message about CACs. If more people knew about them, attendance would increase. By eliminating CACs, they cut off residents’ voices. We have an opportunity to work with the new Community Engagement Department and revitalize what the CAC structure could be moving forward.
Would you vote to increase the police department’s budget?
No. Outside of salary concerns, I would need to look into what the needs of the department are in order to determine if a budget increase is needed.
Would you vote to increase the salary of the city’s first responders, including police, fire and 911 staff?
Yes. We are currently running with three firefighters per engine 70% of the time when it should be four firefighters per engine. Our population is growing rapidly, and it is the council’s job to ensure the safety of its residents first and foremost.
Will you support keeping city buses fare-free indefinitely?
Yes. We need to attract more people to public transportation, and keeping city buses fare-free will help entice residents to make the switch from cars to public transit. The next thing we have to work on is making sure trips don’t take two hours.
The city has received numerous noise complaints about traffic and street racing. Is the city doing enough to enforce its noise ordinance?
No. Along with staffing shortages in many departments, enforcement of noise ordinances fall onto the police department. In the long list of responsibilities a police officer has, noise complaints seem to be at the bottom of that list. The city needs to do better at recruiting, training, and retaining its current Officers so that concerns from the community, such as noise complaints, can be addressed in an efficient time frame.
Would you support the city creating a buffer zone around abortion clinics?
Yes. Abortion clinics are providing a necessary service for those seeking to end their pregnancies. This is no one else’s business and those who have decided to have an abortion should not have to deal with protesters as they walk in to the clinic.
Do you support the city’s missing middle zoning changes?
No. Missing Middle did not include conversation with residents. Many were blindsided after the text change passed. The council is there to represent residents, but if there is no avenue for public conversation, who are they truly representing?
Do you support the city’s $275 million parks bond?
No. As a parks board member, I was honored to vote yes on this package back in March of 2021. In May of 2022, the council asked the Parks Department to lower the amount of the bond by $21 million, and the only projects to reduce funding were city parks that have already waited decades for funding. Dix Plaza and Play still received its full allotment, not including the additional $12 million of tax payer money they had already received through Council reserve funding.
Would you propose additional measures to address the affordable housing crisis for lower wealth residents?
Yes. I would propose strengthening our “Community Benefits” clause when working with rezonings to highlight the importance of including all Raleigh residents in our growth.
Do you support Raleigh’s and Wake County’s efforts in bus rapid transit and commuter rail?
Yes. Moving toward a more sustainable transportation option is going to benefit all Wake County residents.
Should it be possible to live in Raleigh without owning a car?
Yes, it should be possible to live in Raleigh without owning a car, but we do not have the infrastructure, at this time, to support this. Our current plan relies on Bus Rapid Transportation, but we don’t have enough bus drivers to support the expansion. Car-free living is a great end goal, but we need a detailed plan on how to get there. Adding a bus station here and there isn’t going to solve our reliance on cars.
A council-appointed study group made a recommendation to add one seat to the Raleigh City Council. Do you support expanding the size of the council by a seat?
Yes. Our city is growing rapidly, we need to represent all of Raleigh residents. Realigning and adding an additional district to accommodate growth will decrease the total number of people being represented by one councilor. More voices will be heard.
Do you think the current City Council has put Raleigh on the right path?
No. The fast-tracked development mindset this council displays leaves out a huge part of our community. I want to see more discussion of “who” is being left out of Raleigh’s growth and ideas on how to address that. Part of leading is having the difficult conversations, and I don’t feel this council is in tune with what is actually happening
What will you do to ensure Raleigh’s working-class residents don’t get priced out of the city?
While I wish it was as simple as one councilor fighting for affordable housing, we need an entire council committed to focusing Raleigh’s growth on the working class. Affordability needs to be weaved into every housing decision made moving forward. We need a lot of new housing options to accommodate the growth we are experiencing, and we need a council that is going to fight for everyone to be included in that growth. Demanding stronger “Community Benefits” in rezonings and having conversations with residents as to what they consider beneficial to their neighborhoods is where I will begin.
What lessons should the city have learned from public safety challenges like COVID, curfews and George Floyd protests? Would you propose any new policies or changes?
In regards to COVID, I think developing a system that is based on metrics so that everyone understands what is expected will take away some of the frustration of not knowing. Instead of constantly pointing to another agency for guidance, it is important that we show residents what we learned through COVID in case something like that ever comes back. When it comes to the protests and the city’s lack of response, Raleigh needs to step up to the plate and start those difficult conversations of excessive use of force directly with the community. We have been talking “at” the problem for so long that we don’t recognize we need to move beyond the opinion phase and work on solutions.
How can the city limit investment firms from buying entry-level homes?
Preventing anyone from buying a house seems like over reach when you first look at it. However, as we see what the result has been in investment firms buying up entry-level homes, the city needs to think of solutions that bring new homeowners to the table. Buying up a large portion of the housing stock limits who can grow generational wealth in our community. How a city responds to these pressures before it gets to crisis level shows who really matters to the city. I don’t have a solution yet, but I would look to partnering with organizations who have expertise on the topic to help guide the conversation.
Describe a program in another city that you want the city of Raleigh to try. Please be specific.
Sitting on the Sustainability, Wildlife, and Urban Trees committee on the Parks Board, I have spent the last two years learning about Biophilic cities and was proud to be part of Raleigh receiving that designation in April of 2022. This means that we celebrate the idea that Raleigh is a combination of urbanism, evolution, technology and natural design. By incorporating nature into our city’s future planning, we can be part of the solution to climate change. A program that Washington D.C. has is called RiverSmart which offers financial incentives to property owners for installing green roofs, rain gardens and other green infrastructure. This seems a very fitting program to initiate here in Raleigh and give all residents the opportunity to make a positive impact to on our environment.
Raleigh is the center of one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country. How do you personally feel about that?
It is fantastic that people from all over the country want to be part of our community. We have done a lot of work to make this city a desired place to live. Growth is an amazing opportunity that isn’t afforded to every city throughout the country, but we have to ensure that our community’s voices don’t get lost in the shuffle. People are what make an area a great place to live, and we can’t continue to push residents out who have helped establish our city. We need forward-thinking plans that allow for growth at a managed pace. All residents, whether new or old, deserve the best services the city has to offer.
Name one initiative you’d propose in your first 100 days in office.
I would propose to reinstate the CACs as a part of the Community Engagement Department, working directly with the Community Engagement Board.
