How is Raleigh’s rookie mayor doing? Her three predecessors weigh in | Opinion

A shift in Raleigh’s municipal elections from odd to even years, plus the addition of a March primary, has Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell filing for reelection just a year after taking office.

Perhaps because of the rapid election turnaround, Cowell has so far not drawn an opponent. The candidate filling period ends Friday.

But still, a year is a year. It’s enough time to assess Cowell’s leadership style and her priorities. Last week, I asked her how she felt her first year went and about what’s ahead. I also asked the city’s three previous mayors for their thoughts.

“I feel good about my first year,” Cowell said. “I feel good about the council. I feel good about the city staff and the overall performance.”

Although she is a rookie mayor, Cowell brings deep experience to the job of leading North Carolina’s second-largest city. She served on the City Council (2001-2004), in the state Senate (2004-2008) and as state treasurer (2008-2017). Prior to becoming mayor, she served as president and CEO of the Dix Park Conservancy.

The past 12 months have been relatively quiet in Raleigh after recent years that included the COVID pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, rising public safety concerns and tense public hearings on growth and zoning issues.

The most controversial issue Cowell has faced was a dispute over a mixed-use apartment tower at the intersection of Peace and West streets. Residents of nearby neighborhoods oppose the project as too tall, but Cowell and the City Council gave it a green light. A group of residents sued to block the rezoning decision that allows the project to rise up to 30-stories.

Despite that dispute, Cowell thinks there is now less tension over growth because the private development market has slowed and there’s wider recognition that development is needed.

“You have a stronger ‘Yes in my backyard’ crowd. That’s different from 20 years ago,” she said. But, she added: “Growth is still the issue that drives the dialogue in Raleigh.”

As rents and home prices rise, affordable housing has become the city’s top issue. Cowell thinks the best response is to encourage more housing, such as the Peace Street apartment tower, rather than opposing developers. “These are the folks building housing in our communities,” she said. “We definitely need home builders, we definitely need developers.”

Despite a smooth first year, Cowell worries about how to reduce violent crime with so many guns on the streets and about the impact of coming federal cuts in health care and food assistance.

She’s also taken aback by how inflation and Raleigh’s rising land values have driven up the cost of government. The long-planned widening of Six Forks Road was abandoned because of the cost of acquiring land. Cowell said she is amazed at “how little you get for $1 million anymore.”

Three of Cowell’s predecessors give her first-year performance good marks, especially for setting a cooperative tone at City Hall.

“She has really brought more of a calmness to the council,” said Mary-Ann Baldwin, who led Raleigh for four years before announcing she would not seek reelection in 2024. “You don’t see the disrespect that we saw. Also, you don’t have 200 people showing up at a meeting, all screaming at you over something that is beyond your control.”

Nancy McFarlane, Raleigh’s mayor from 2011 to 2019, does not support the continued expansion of developer John Kane’s mixed-use project at North Hills, but she approves how Cowell is leading the city.

“I think she’s doing really well,” McFarlane said. “Obviously, there’s a lot going on, but it looks like she’s working really well with this council.”

The lack of affordable housing is a problem, McFarlane said, and “the city has done a lot more for affordable housing than people realize.” But, she said, solving the problem is beyond the power of a mayor or a council. “Every single city in the country is dealing with this, and it’s not something that any one city is going to be able to resolve,” she said.

While Cowell’s leadership style isn’t dramatic, it’s effective, McFarlane said. “Some people work quietly,” she said. “Janet is just a quiet, steady, hard-working mayor.”

Charles Meeker, an attorney who spent eight years on the City Council before serving as mayor from 2001 to 2011, is also impressed by Cowell’s approach to the job.

“Mayor Cowell has set the right tone in terms of listening to people and being inclusive,” he said.

As mayor, Meeker oversaw the revitalization of downtown. He would like to see Cowell put forth more bold ideas. “Her challenge will be to establish a positive agenda of her own,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hearing more about that in 2026.”

Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett ca be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@newsobserver.com

This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 4:30 AM with the headline "How is Raleigh’s rookie mayor doing? Her three predecessors weigh in | Opinion."