Managing growth, involving community are priorities for Raleigh mayoral candidates

All six candidates addressed issues of growth, gentrification, taxes and policing during the "On the Record" program that WRAL News aired Saturday.

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"If you're not growing, you're dying," said Sullivan, whom McFarlane has endorsed to succeed her. "But we have to be very intentional how we plan for it."

Sullivan said that, like Wake County officials did years ago when developing a long-range transit plan, Raleigh needs to bring various groups together to devise a plan for growth-related issues, such as traffic and affordable housing.

Baloch agreed vision is needed to catch up with the lack of affordable housing, but immediate actions are also needed. Close to 100,000 people are at risk of becoming homeless in the city, she noted.

"Raleigh is quickly becoming a city that's being made only for the wealthiest few," she said. "Development and growth is good for the city, but it's also harmful for our most vulnerable populations."

Knott agreed that growth is pushing residents out of poorer neighborhoods and that Raleigh needs to shift its strategy.

"The most important thing we can do as a city is start to reorganize our priorities from growth building into taking care of our citizens," he said, adding that businesses need to pay a larger share of the local property tax burden to lighten the load on homeowners.

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Baldwin noted that townhomes cannot be built in about 80 percent of Raleigh because of zoning rules, which limits the amount of lower-priced housing. Policies need to change so residents have a wider range of housing options, she said.

"[People] are fearful that their kids won't be able to live here, and if they're older, they're fearful that they might not be able to stay here," she said. "More than anything, people want their voices heard."

Sutton agreed that voters want to be heard and have their concerns recognized.

"They want a leader who will be able to connect with them, who can understand their pain, the struggle, the background and to be able to prioritize their needs," he said. "I believe in strategic growth with a social purpose."

Francis, who took McFarlane to a runoff two years ago, said the mayor and other city leaders need to build relationships across Raleigh and cannot focus only on the growing areas. He suggested expanding the size of the City Council to bring more diverse voices to the table.

"We need to change our processes at City Hall so more people are heard," he said, adding that he would focus on diversity when appointing people to city boards and commissions.

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election, the second-place finisher can request a runoff against the top vote-getter. Any runoff would be held on Nov. 5.