Raleigh District A Election Pits Activism Against Expertise

None of the three candidates running to represent the Raleigh City Council’s District A fit neatly into a box.

There’s an incumbent who’s disillusioned with business-as-usual city politics. An anti-displacement advocate who has the support of deep-pocketed developers. And a Republican who says he “ought to be the poster child for Livable Raleigh,” a left-leaning neighborhood activists’ group.

On a Tuesday evening in September, they sit elbow-to-elbow inside a North Hills community center and introduce themselves to an expectant group of about 60 voters.

First up is Whitney Hill, 68, a small business owner who ran for this seat in 2022 and got 29 percent of the vote. He launches into a speech about how crime is up and the police force needs more officers. Housing is his other top issue, and he reflects on how regular people can’t afford to live in Raleigh anymore.



https://indyweek.com/news/wake/raleigh-district-a-election-pits-activism-against-expertise/