Jakob Lorberblatt, candidate for Raleigh City Council District B

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 City Council District B candidate Jakob Lorberblatt answered the questionnaire. There are five people whose names will appear on the ballot, including candidate Zainab Baloch who dropped out of the race in September.

Incumbent David Cox is not seeking another term for the northeast Raleigh seat. District B 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: Jakob Lorberblatt

Age: 42

Occupation: Principal consultant (Technology)

Education: Certificate in Computer Information Systems Analysis and Design

Endorsements (limit to three): None

Previous political or civic experience? None

Campaign website: JakobForRaleigh.com

How do you identify your political ideology? Non-partisan, at the city level I believe we should be focused on problem solving and coming to effective compromises or decisions. Beyond that I support the idea that our governmental bodies should be attempting to help people and guide the growth of our region in a productive long term way.

How would you add diversity to the City Council? Diversity and equality are of utmost importance, and I would support any attempt to ensure that we take into account all the people of the city.

What is your favorite locally owned restaurant either in the city or within your district? El Rey del Taco deserves a shoutout here. District B is loaded with excellent taco trucks, but this one is definitely my favorite.

The city of Raleigh lowered the speed limit downtown to 25 mph. Are you in favor of lowering the city’s speed limit to 25 mph throughout the city?

No. In general the speed limit should be reduced to improve pedestrian and cycling safety, however some major traffic conduits should be allowed to operate at a higher speed with appropriate safety considerations.

Should the city help bring a sports and entertainment stadium downtown?

Yes. I would like to see the city have additional venues to offer entertainment and tourism potential. I do have concerns about the profitability and potential loss of residential housing near downtown. I would definitely need to see these concerns addressed in a meaningful way before agreeing to this.

Do you support reinstating Citizen Advisory Councils?

Yes. I believe community advocacy is needed in our city and there should be channels by which people can communicate with their city council. However I also believe the structure, format and role of whatever did get created should be changed from what we had before.

Would you vote to increase the police department’s budget?

Yes. Cost of living in the city of Raleigh is only growing, and in order to stay competitive, wage increases will be needed. Beyond that, only for programs that will improve the training to improve the bilingual officer count, mental health response training and continued training regarding appropriate use of force.

Would you vote to increase the salary of the city’s first responders, including police, fire and 911 staff?

Yes. We have open positions in all areas of first responders and there is not a better way to fill those spots then by offering a more competitive wage. These are people who are saving lives and keeping us safe they should be taken care of adequately to ensure the quality of these services.

Will you support keeping city buses fare-free indefinitely?

Yes. A free pass for people of lower income levels that is easy to obtain is the least we can do to assist these people. If we did r-instate fares I would like to see that these people are protected.

The city has received numerous noise complaints about traffic and street racing. Is the city doing enough to enforce its noise ordinance?

Yes. Traffic noise by itself is a factor of increased traffic and proper noise barriers and green spaces are the only real way to deal with that in of itself. However street racing is potentially a safety issue in addition and should be addressed by areas of greatest incidence.

Would you support the city creating a buffer zone around abortion clinics?

Yes. Any private service a person seeks, especially when it is health or medical in nature should feel safe to both the providers and the participants.

Do you support the city’s missing middle zoning changes?

Yes. In order to provider a greater quantity and variety of housing options, mixed development is the best way to proceed. Ultimately it allows a neighborhood to support more residents.

Do you support the city’s $275 million parks bond?

Yes. If we don’t factor in green space now while the city is building it will be near impossible to add later.

Would you propose additional measures to address the affordable housing crisis for lower wealth residents?

Yes. This is a difficult question and I don’t have solution out of the gate, nor have I heard one proposed. I would definitely support any measures that we can to preserve the livability of our city for working class residents.

Do you support Raleigh’s and Wake County’s efforts in bus rapid transit and commuter rail?

Yes. Traffic congestion is becoming a major issue in the last four to five years and there is a limit to what can be accomplished by widening roads or improving traffic controls. We will need to improve our mass transit to make it usable by our average commuters as well as for common use.

Should it be possible to live in Raleigh without owning a car?

Yes. It’s going to take some time admittedly. We are a large enough city that the mass transit and pedestrian/cycling options should be good enough that a person could get to at least the most commonly traveled regions in a reasonable amount of time. In my opinion we are nowhere near that level currently.

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. Eventually it will be needed, however redistricting can prevent proper representation of the city if not evaluated carefully.

Do you think the current City Council has put Raleigh on the right path?

Yes. Wow, this is a difficult to answer question. I like the direction a lot of our programs are leading, but I also disagree with other decisions. I have mixed feelings on the topic.

What will you do to ensure Raleigh’s working-class residents don’t get priced out of the city?

Affordability is a difficult initiative as the costs are increasing across the city. We need to ensure that some level of density is being considered in all housing and in new development that some portion is either mixed or a base level of affordability guaranteed. Also establishing some limits for large investment firms as far as the amount of the available property can be purchased will be needed to control the price increases.

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?

A long term plan for better handling the next issue of this magnitude needs to be considered. It doesn’t have to be social unrest or pandemic, it could be a weather event, or an influx of people from another region who were evacuated due to weather or other large-scale event. If we don’t have a plan and guidance in place ahead of time it is very difficult to make effective policy decisions when the event takes place.

How can the city limit investment firms from buying entry level homes?

This is an excellent question and one that needs to be addressed soon. I would recommend any program that can fairly and without adding unneeded overhead help limit the amount of entry-level real estate that can be owned by any single entity.

Describe a program in another city that you want the city of Raleigh to try. Please be specific.

Housing stipends for teachers and other lower-income public employees who would otherwise have difficulty living within the city but are here to provide it value.

Raleigh is the center of one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country. How do you personally feel about that?

It is great but also terrifying. So much good can come out of all this potential the city has, we need to take care now not to create the problems of tomorrow.

Name one initiative you’d propose in your first 100 days in office.

Improve pay to civil servants and first responder positions.