Ask Anything: 10 Questions With Triangle Newsmakers

This week, viewers can submit questions for Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker. His answers will be posted on May 13.

Meeker has served as Raleigh’s mayor since 2001. He previously served on the city council from 1985 to 1989 and 1991 to 1995.

Most recently, he endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

"(Obama’s) bringing a lot of new people in the process. He's got a great campaign. He really provides the kind of hope that our country needs," Meeker said. "We're actually in a fair amount of trouble. We need a leader now."

In past months, much of the mayor’s focus has been on the drought.

In a bid to remind residents that drought problems are not over, he launched the “Slow the Flow and Save Some for Later” campaign last week.

“Our community is a smart community. Today, we’re using 15 to 20 percent less water than we used this same day last year. People are understanding conservation is important,” he said.

Meeker has also suggested limiting the size of new homes built on lots where older homes had been razed, but he later backed off the proposal amid intense opposition from residents and builders.

In his private life, Meeker is a partner at Parker, Poe, Adams & Bernstein L.L.P. His practice areas include commercial litigation (trials and appeals) and regulatory and tax work (hearings and appeals).

He is married to Anne McLaurin, who is on the Wake County Board of Education. The couple has two children. In his downtime, Meeker says he enjoys running, swimming and reading.