Mary Black, candidate for Raleigh City Council District A

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 A candidate Mary Black answered the questionnaire. Black is one of three candidates for the north Raleigh seat.

Incumbent Patrick Buffkin is not seeking another term. District A 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 begins on Oct. 20.

Name: Mary Black

Age: 28

Occupation: Narrative strategist and strategic communication manager at The Chisholm Legacy Project

Education: B.S. Environmental Studies, N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University

Endorsements (limit to three): Wake County Democratic Party, Sierra Club, David Cox, Raleigh City Council District B

Previous political or civic experience? I have one year’s experience working directly on political campaigns as campaign manager, five years’ experience working with nonprofit and environmental community based organizations, and over thee years’ experience advising on community and environmental based boards, most notably with the Raleigh Environmental Advisory Board and the Partners for Environmental Justice.

Campaign website: Mary4DistrictA.com

How do you identify your political ideology? I am an intersectional environmentalist. This is a form of environmentalism that identifies the overarching ways injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected. Approaching politics and advocacy through this lens results in a more equitable future because it requires me to evaluate all issues through a justice and equity lens.

How would you add diversity to the City Council? As a community advocate and environmental organizer, I would add diversity of thought to the council that is grounded in community experiences and considerations. As a young person, I would add diversity in the form of urgency to create a more equitable future. As a Black woman, I would add diversity in background and lived experiences.

What is your favorite locally owned restaurant either in the city or within your district? Kai Sushi and Saki Bar at 7713 Lead Mine Road. Kai Sushi is a hidden gem in North Raleigh and has the best sushi in town. I have been going here since high school and refuse to eat sushi at any other place

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. Data-driven design and community-led input is important for setting speed limits rather than a blanket approach to city speed and safety. Downtown is an area with a high rate of pedestrians and cyclists. Additionally, there are neighborhoods across the city that would be made safer with a 25 mph speed limit. But the same cannot be said on our major thoroughfares like Six Forks Road and Capital Boulevard.

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

Yes. Development and progress do not have to come at the expense of people, community, or the environment. My position on a sports and entertainment stadium is contingent on the developer’s plans to include a community benefits agreement for stormwater protections, permanent affordable housing, living-wage jobs and workforce development. If the public is being asked to make investments into a project then we need community benefits amd protections for our investment.

Do you support reinstating Citizen Advisory Councils?

Yes. Two years ago when the City Council voted to disband the Citizen Advisory Councils, they eliminated a nearly 50-year institution and the city’s only form of community engagement. The CACs needed deeper consideration on structuring, outreach, and communications that ensured that everyone had a chance to attend these meetings. Be that as it may, disbanding the CACs did nothing to solve this. What our city needs now more than ever is a deep and fundamental community engagement model.

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

No. I believe every public worker should be paid a livable wage, and I am in favor of increasing salaries to compete with surrounding cities. However, I do not believe we have to increase the overall police budget to do so. Over the last five years, our city council has steadily increased the police department budget from $97 million in 2016-17 to $117 million in 2021-22.

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

Yes. All first responders in this city deserve to be treated with the respect of being paid a lieable wage. A 2021 study showed the Raleigh metro area was the fourth worst-paying large metro in the United States for first responders. This is juxtaposed with the reality of the increasing rent, home costs and property taxes across the city. These workers are essential to our city, and they deserve paid as such.

Will you support keeping city buses fare-free indefinitely?

Yes. The residents of our city deserve fast, frequent, free and reliable public transportation models. Our bus stops need shelters to protect riders from the elements and our bus drivers need better pay to decrease the driver shortage.

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

Yes. Noise pollution has a significant impact on all people. Officers are currently unable to issue criminal citations for the city’s noise ordinance. Restoring penalties for this ordinance will require a comprehensive evaluation of every city code, modification to ensure they align with new state law, and recodification.

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

Yes. No one should have to face fear, harassment or violence while accessing health care. Recently these clinics in Raleigh have been reporting escalated harassment and intimidation from protesters. I fully support creating a buffer zone around these reproductive health care facilities. Moreover, RPD needs deeper training for proper enforcement of these buffer zone ordinances.

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

No. Missing Middle housing is intended to be a solution that meets the growing demand for housing options between subsidized housing and market-rate housing. What’s missing in the policy is equity, and respect for the character and quality of the community. Currently, nothing requires constructions to be built at approximately the same height and mass as existing single-family homes and most of these properties will be provided at market rate.

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

No. I support investments into our public parks, greenways, and green spaces. However, it seems like a slap in the face to many people in our community to support a bond when Raleigh is in need of over 55,000 affordable and low-income homes. As I have been campaigning for the last year these are the conversations I am having with teachers, public workers, working class and low-income residents that are desperate for a solution.

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

Yes. In the past year, home prices have risen 22%, apartment rent has increased an average of 14%, homelessness has doubled, and we’re losing about 4000 affordable housing units every year. What we do now to address the affordable housing crisis will have ripple effects for the future of affordability in this city for decades to come. I am a proponent of community-led and creative solutions to address the affordable housing crisis.

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

Yes. BRT is a high-quality, efficient mass transportation model. One issue that is overlooked is “green climate gentrification,” where infrastructure planning overlooks the potential negative impacts on socially vulnerable communities. The proposed western BRT could displace residents in a historically Black and the largest Muslim community. As we develop a more sustainable transportation model, we must do so in a way that does not employ “climate gentrification” & cause further displacement.

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

Yes. We need more sidewalks and bike lanes based on data on cyclist usage. My vision of public transit is one that is holistic and responsive to how people in our city live, specifically given that many people do not work, live, and go to school in the same area.

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. Raleigh’s population is nearing 500,000, meaning the existing five districts will average 100,000 residents each. I support adding additional district seats, eliminating at-large positions, and including the mayor’s seat, recommend that there be an odd number of seats in total to avoid tie votes. Additional districts allow council members to effectively represent their constituents, and candidates will be able to run for office without needing to raise exorbitant amounts of campaign money.

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

No. If “right” is the operative word here, my question is right for who? Raising property taxes 22% over the last year and voting for $5 million in developer tax breaks. 600 square foot micro-units priced at $1,500 and called “affordable housing.” Disbanding the city’s only formal community engagement process. Who is this right for? Our City Council prioritizes profit over people by any means necessary, and I do not believe they are leading us down a path where everyone can thrive.

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

Raleigh, like the rest of the country, faces a worker shortage due to rising house costs combined with the lack of affordable public infrastructure to travel into the city. Currently, about 100,000 Raleigh residents are at risk for homelessness. I propose a property tax subsidy program to combat displacement and help keep homeowners in their homes. In Telluride, Colorado, they’ve begun experimenting with more innovative ideas, such as providing down payment or rental assistance to local buyers, placing deed restrictions on properties so they have to be sold to area workers, placing appreciation caps on properties to keep them affordable over time, and providing cash incentives to property owners to shift from short-term to long-term leases. Additionally, we have to invest in a regional public transportation system because if you can’t afford to live in Raleigh and have to move, there is no alternative to a car.

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 lessons that came from the summer of 2020 is how deeply militarized our police force is. I would propose to immediately end and ban training and exchanges between Raleigh’s police department and the Israeli military. As one of the many peaceful protesters who were sprayed with expired tear gas, I propose banning the use of tear gas on protesters. Most of Raleigh’s police budget goes to technology and surveillance. In lieu of increasing the police budget while still providing officers with a living wage, I propose diverting the surveillance budget to pay livable wages for officers. Additionally, we need better definitions and transparency around what constitutes a curfew. The city made curfews with limited communication or transparency, did not post the announcement on the city website, and provided no provisions for the people who could have been driving to or from work.

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

In the first half of 2022, more than 4% of home sales in Raleigh and Durham came from investors out of state. Specifically, these investment firms are focusing on buying up the stock of relatively inexpensive single-family homes built since the 1970s in growing metro areas. There are many factors at play, including a low supply of affordably priced homes and skyrocketing demand in the pandemic-disrupted economy, therefore more research is needed on this specific phenomenon. Following in the footsteps of Atlanta, I would be interested in pursuing the efficacy of limiting the number of homes at a specific price point that can be purchased across the city or county by corporate investors. Additionally, I would support home owner associations placing a cap on the number of homes that can be rented in a particular neighborhood and requiring new buyers to live in a home or leave it vacant for six months before they can rent it out.

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

The Durham Community Safety Department launched four new crisis response pilots that aim to connect people experiencing non-violent mental health crises or quality-of-life concerns with the right care by sending new responses that better match residents’ needs. The Crisis Call Diversion team will embed mental health Clinicians in Durham’s 911 call center. The Community Response team will dispatch unarmed three-person teams as first responders to non-violent behavioral health and quality of life calls for service. The Care Navigation team will follow up with people within 48 hours of meeting with one of our first responders to help connect to the community-based care they need and want. Lastly, the Co-Response team will pair Clinicians with police officers to respond to behavioral health calls for service that pose a greater potential safety risk. As we look to develop alternative community safety models I find this one very inspiring.

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

I personally think it’s exciting. I welcome growth that is sustainable and equitable. However, our current direction of development is rampantly displacing families and working-class folk. To me, sustainable development isn’t just greenways, parks and climate change. It also has to do with community participation, thoughtful design and implementation, and development that does not destroy communities or leave people behind. We must balance between being welcoming to new people who want to participate in our wonderful city and preserving our existing communities. Currently, priority is being given to new wealthy residents versus holistically investing in the current people of Raleigh and the infrastructures that make this city so inviting. I do not believe we are prioritizing a city where everyone can THRIVE.

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

I’d propose a climate and equity review process that is aligned with the city’s climate action plan for all rezoning and development. Raleigh’s Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) admittedly has no power to enforce curbing greenhouse gas emissions across the city by 80%. Additionally, the CCAP says growth and development under this council is “increasing the social vulnerability of low-income individuals and communities of color … Many socially vulnerable populations lack access to affordable housing, jobs, and other resources and services.” However, overwhelmingly City Council votes do not align with the equity mission, environmental protection, carbon reduction and sustainable growth principles within the CCAP. This is something we saw with the vote on the Downtown South project as well as with the Azalea Falls rezoning vote.