June 16: The week ahead in Raleigh
BREAKING NEWS: LiveableRaleigh’s attempt to force onto the 2024 ballot Raleigh City Council’s ordinance implementing the Council-appointed Study Group’s recommendation to move to 4-year staggered terms starting with the 2026 election has failed. The group needed to collect 5,000 signatures by June 13. According to the State Board of Elections, they collected just 2,562.
The same group is also seeking to expand the size of Council from 8 to 11 by adding 3 additional district seats. They have until May of 2025 to collect 5,000 signatures. To date they have collected 1,514. If they collect the required 5,000 signatures, the question will go on the ballot sometime in 2025. RaleighForward opposes this effort. City Council considered a Resolution to add 3 district seats in May. RaleighForward was the only group that appeared before Council asking it to reject the Resolution. It also met with individual Councilors to explain the risks of upsetting the balance between at-large seats and district seats. Those arguments are set forth in a recent “Open Letter to Council” delivered to Council in May. Those efforts succeeded as Council declined to adopt the proposed Resolution.
If you want to share your thoughts on this important issue, please reach out to eric@raleighforward.org.
Meetings, events and items of interest this week:
Take the City’s Downtown Mobility Study to help determine the future of active mobility.