Joshua Bradley, candidate for Raleigh City Council At-Large

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 At-Large candidate Joshua Bradley answered the questionnaire. Bradley is one of seven candidates for two at-large seats. At-large candidates are elected by the entire city 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 begins on Oct. 20.

Name: Joshua Bradley

Age: 48

Residence: 1324 Springlawn Court

Occupation: Accounting manager

Education: Graduated from Brevard High School. Went to NC State until I ran out of money.

Endorsements (limit to three): North Carolina Green Party, Triangle DSA, Livable Raleigh

Previous political or civic experience? I have been an activist since Occupy Raleigh in 2012. I was policy chair of the Wake County Progressive Democrats for five years before leaving the party. I was chair of the Northern Piedmont Local of the Socialist Party for two years. I ran for City Council in District A in 2019.

Campaign website: BradleyForRaleighWorkers.com

How do you identify your political ideology? Eco-Socialist

How would you add diversity to the City Council? I am an activist, a worker, and not wealthy.

What is your favorite locally owned restaurant either in the city or within your district? Hady’s Restaurant International Cuisine off of East Martin Street.

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. While I would support a speed-limit decrease in neighborhoods, I would not want to apply a decrease to larger arteries like Six Forks Road, Wake Forest Road, etc

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

No. Raleigh currently has the PNC Arena, Walnut Creek Amphitheater and the Red Hat Amphitheater. Until we address the housing crisis and infrastructure needs that have yet to be addressed in Raleigh, adding another sports and entertainment stadium downtown will displace nearby Black and brown communities. In other words, our housing crisis and the impacts of gentrification must be addressed first.

Do you support reinstating Citizen Advisory Councils?

Yes. The CACs should not only be reinstated, they should be expanded and better funded. While not perfect, they were much more democratic than what has replaced them. Some of the CACs are still active, without city funding, and continue to be a way for residents to get information about what the city government is doing in their neighborhood. Adjustments could be made to make them more equitable and accessible, which would have been much better than eliminating them.

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

No. I would have an audit done of the police department’s department and eliminate wasteful spending. It is by far the largest part of the city budget. The focus of the budget should be salaries and training, especially de-escalation training, rather than the militarization of the police.

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

Yes. As of right now, our first responders are increasingly unable to afford to live in the place they work, leading them to take jobs in other municipalities that offer better pay. Knowing this, work must be done to ensure that first responder salaries include market-rate adjustments so they can afford to live here. As noted previously, I think an audit is necessary for RPD’s budget specifically, but the takeaway here is that our budget should reflect the necessary work that first responders do.

Will you support keeping city buses fare-free indefinitely?

Yes. Buses are essential for low-income and unhoused residents. Keeping the buses fare-free helps ensure that all residents can access services that they need without facing a cost barrier, especially as many city services are being pushed out of downtown. The city should commit to covering transit costs, especially given that pricing riders out of our bus system can lead to lower ridership, and eventually, higher fare costs over time. I am committed to keeping buses free at the point of use.

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

Yes. As it is still going on, obviously not enough is being done. As this is as much of a safety issue as it is a noise issue, the city should look at traffic calming measures and enforcement from a safety standpoint.

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

Yes. Bodily autonomy is a basic human right. We must do everything we can to ensure people can access reproductive health care safely and without fear, and for this reason, I support implementing buffer zones around all health care clinics. The city should meet with clinic staff at any health care clinics within Raleigh to develop a plan to ensure staff and patient safety, as these solutions must be led by the health care providers that are doing this work on the ground.

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

No. I do not support these zoning changes as they have shut residents out of the zoning process. Every zoning has important elements that have to be considered: environmental impacts, location, building height, use, density, and so on. Knowing that nearby residents are best informed on their community and their immediate needs, their voices should be heard, and I oppose any text change such as this one that limits community engagement.

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

No. Residents are currently facing displacement, rising property taxes, rising rents, low wages, and often are shut out of conversation with council members about the issues they face. While parks are important, asking Raleigh residents to front the costs of parks through their tax dollars while they struggle to make ends meet is unfathomable. We need to address these issues first, by ensuring that people are first housed and able to make a thriving wage.

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

Yes. I would challenge the state’s ban on rent control and restrictions on municipalities setting property taxes, and I would utilize city-owned properties to develop low-income housing for those at 30% or below AMI. I will fight for community benefits in all rezonings to ensure that low-income housing needs are prioritized. A true “housing first” policy means that our low-income and unhoused residents are given access to housing first, as they face the greatest housing insecurity currently.

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

Yes. The only way to avoid the perils of cities who did not invest in infrastructure alongside density is to institute a reliable mass transit system. Commuter rail is needed in Raleigh and the Triangle at-large. Gentrification has displaced residents to nearby cities, leading to a greater number of people that travel between cities for work. The Raleigh City Council should coordinate with other municipalities so that a commuter rail is designed based on the needs of low-income residents and workers.

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

Yes. There are many people in Raleigh who don’t own a car. The more cars we can take off the road the better for the sake of the environment and addressing climate. Beyond that, workers often can’t afford a car payment and maintenance costs when they are already burdened by high housing costs. The only beneficiary of a car dependent society is the automotive industry.

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. As the city grows, the number of city councilors should grow in order to be sure all residents are represented. I am also in favor of eliminating the at large seats, and adding two additional districts. I believe that moving to a council composed of a mayor and eight district councilors will better represent the people.

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

No. This City Council and mayor have only had one goal, personal gain. They have not shown accountability to the impacts of gentrification and have instead focused on furthering their own political careers while working people, especially Black and brown people, are being displaced and forced out of their communities. Community engagement, accountability and a willingness to represent our most vulnerable residents is needed moving forward.

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

I pledge to refuse approval of any rezoning that leads to the destruction or redevelopment of naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) until the housing crisis is resolved in Raleigh. There are a number of different ways that the council can increase the supply of low-income housing while preserving NOAH: The Raleigh City Council should challenge the NCGA on any restrictions on inclusionary zoning. As the capital city for North Carolina, we lead as an example for the state in housing policy, and Raleigh’s housing crisis has severe impacts for nearby counties. Knowing this, our council members should be willing to pressure the NCGA to have greater leverage in rezoning requests from developers. In lieu of inclusionary zoning, the city should build entirely low-income housing on existing city-owned properties by hiring their own builders, architects and contractors. As needed, the city should purchase more properties for development, and even make use of eminent domain to do so.

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?

The biggest lesson that was learned is that sending in riot police at the beginning of peaceful protests only escalates the situation. The use of tear gas is a war crime and should not be used on residents of the city. I think another lesson that was learned was that the police tend to protect far right and white supremacists, while being overly aggressive with human rights protesters. A serious re-evaluation of police response to and training for protests is needed.

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

The city will need to work with the NCGA to obtain the tools to combat this. The City Council could make it know that it opposes this and will not rezone these houses in the favor of the investment firms.

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

The STAR Program in Denver, which sends mental health and crisis response units instead of police to situations involving people in crisis. The following article illustrates how important it is to help folks in crisis with people trained in crisis response, rather than police who spend more time in weapons training than de-escalation or mental health training. Unnecessary deaths would be prevented by using a program like this. It was also shown to be more cost effective than sending police units, while ensuring better outcomes for all involved. Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm2106

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

We live in one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and the pressure that that puts on us will certainly change us. We must decide whether we want a city that works for all or a city that works for the developers and monied interests. I am firmly in the camp of the former. We must be a city that serves the interests of all who live here. We must fight to oppose discrimination; we must fight to lift folks up rather than push people out. Our strength is in our unity and our diversity. It is often said that the government should be run as a business, but this is wrong. Governments should be run in a way that ensures everyone who lives is able to have the support they need to thrive, not in a way that caters exclusively to the wealthy. It is not the developers that make this city run, but the workers.

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

I would seek to quickly reinstate and fund the Citizen Advisory Councils. I would connect them with the Office of Community Engagement to help ensure that the CACs are accessible and promoted to reach the largest number of people possible.