‘Here to get things done:’ Raleigh Mayor Baldwin, City Council member Black say farewell
In her final meeting, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin charged the City Council with continuing to do “the people’s work.”
Baldwin was first elected to the council in 2007 and as mayor in 2019, serving two terms. She chose not to run for a third term this year. Janet Cowell, a former Raleigh City Council member, state senator and state treasurer, will succeed her next month.
Along with Baldwin, first-term District A Councilwoman Mary Black is leaving the council after losing her re-election bid.
“I want to thank everybody for just really being participatory and wanting to make a difference in our community,” Baldwin said Tuesday. “We’re not here for the pay, for sure. We’re not here for the glamour. We’re here to get things done.”
‘We’ve managed to get it done’
Baldwin thanked city staff, the council and her husband for their commitment to the city and cited several accomplishments during her tenure.
“Fifteen years, it’s a lot,” she said. “You give a lot. You take a lot of abuse. But there’s also incredible satisfaction in making a difference.”
Baldwin has been an advocate for housing affordability, helping the city’s unhoused population and economic development. She said Oak City Cares, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness, was “one of my proudest things that I’ve done,” including working with the council to pass the city’s missing middle housing policy, expanding options for residents.
Baldwin also praised city staff for their role in 6,647 affordable housing units that will be completed by 2026.
“We’ve done really well, especially in challenging times when you saw interest rates go up, you saw financing more difficult to get,” Baldwin said. “We’ve managed to get it done.”
Other achievements such as allowing residents to build accessory dwelling units, or “granny flats,” receiving applications for tiny home villages, repairing 1,400 homes for residents, and assisting 343 first-time home buyers, were also among Baldwin’s proudest moments, she said.
Another feat? The city purchased the former N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters on New Bern Avenue.
“That can be a shining example of how we redevelop on a (Bus Rapid Transit) line and include affordable housing and services that people need to make their lives better,” Baldwin said.
This fall, the Lenovo Center, formerly PNC Arena, was renamed after 12 years. The center is home to the Carolina Hurricanes and the N..C. State Men’s basketball team. Soon, the area will undergo renovations that will add retail, nightlife and a concert venue.
The deal was the largest “economic development project in the history of our city,” Baldwin said, adding that investment in sports could shift the city.
“Let’s not lift our foot up off the pedal that could be the driver for this community, like something we’ve never seen before,” she said.
For projects in the works, Baldwin said the City Council needs to issue a new bond for affordable housing or add another penny to the city’s penny on the tax rate for housing. She also said there should be a decision made on Person and Blount streets, which are under consideration for improvements.
Baldwin didn’t use her remarks to address some controversial issues she faced in office, or critics who pressed her and the council to issue a ceasefire resolution on the war in Gaza.
“You have left your handprint on this city for the better,” City Manager Marchell Adams-David said, telling those gathered, “(Baldwin) loves this community, she loves the people, but more importantly, she loves this staff.”
‘The power of the people’
Black was elected in 2022, becoming one of the youngest members elected to serve and was outspoken about the city’s environment, homelessness and economic growth.
This past year, she pushed the council to vote on a ceasefire resolution to the war in Gaza. Last year, Black endured a racist attack from a Zoom bomber during a presentation.
In her remarks, Black thanked fellow members Christina Jones, Megan Patton and Jane Harrison for their work and friendship. She also thanked city staff, Adams-David and said she was happy to no longer be an elected official because “I don’t have to deal with the stress of this job.”
“But I do, however, feel a loss for the issues that I wanted to dedicate more time to and I believe are essential for Raleigh’s future,” Black said. “Remember that the power of the people will always be stronger than the people in power.”
“The most historically dispossessed, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, refugee, immigrant, working class, homeless and renter communities are not your adversaries,” Black said. “They are your greatest allies.”
As the only renter on the city council, Black said she hopes the members will prioritize bold tenant protections. She also urged them to consider young people and the climate.
Five speakers for Tuesday’s meeting thanked and praised Black for her service.
“(Black) had the courage to stand by her convictions and something that hasn’t been talked about is the level of vitriol and attacks that she had to face over the last few years,” said resident Jeremy Gilchrist. “She stood for the Palestine community. … She always stood her ground for that cause.”
Mitchell Silver, an urban planner, will serve Raleigh’s District A for the next two years.
The new mayor and city council members will be sworn in on Dec. 2 at the Meymandi Concert Hall at 5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 8:28 AM with the headline "‘Here to get things done:’ Raleigh Mayor Baldwin, City Council member Black say farewell."