Raleigh is going to have a new mayor in the coming weeks.

Five people are vying to replace outgoing Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin (listed in alphabetical order by last name):

Other WRAL Top Stories

Election Day is Nov. 5.

On April 16, Baldwin announced she would not seek reelection.

Here is a look at some of the key issues in the race and candidates’ stances on how to address them.

Housing in Raleigh

Triangle MLS data shows the median sales price for a Raleigh home in September 2024 was $444,750. In September 2019, the median sales price for a Raleigh home was $272,000.

As of Oct. 23, Zillow lists the median rent in Raleigh at $1,845.

Cowell, Fitts, Myrick and Ruth want to use city-owned, county-owned or state-owned land for development.

Fitts said he wants to make room for housing by moving Central Prison at 1300 Western Blvd. and North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women at 1034 Bragg St. out of downtown Raleigh.

“Why they left two prisons in the most expensive real estate in the entire state just boggles my mind,” Fitts said. “Both prisons are outdated.

“Central Prison came into effect sometime in the late 1800s. I believe both facilities could easily be removed and allow housing to take place in those areas.”

Cowell wants to use a strategy called tax increment financing. Essentially, the government and the public make an investment, which has short-term gains. The gains go to subsidies, which then go toward affordable housing.

“That’s a tool that Raleigh has not used much, and I would love to see us use it like Charlotte, Durham and other cities have,” Cowell said.

Ruth said he wants to see Raleigh get other organizations involved like nonprofits and businesses. He mentioned working with faith-based communities.

“I’ve been working with the faith community to really rethink their property and land as well with the county,” Ruth said. “And, that‘s another audience that’s ready to engage.”

Shaughnessy said he sees the future of housing in Raleigh as vertical. He wants to see more mixed-use condominium buildings and fewer single-family homes.

“Having that retail space on the first floor as part of mixed use, you get a strong tax base from sales tax, and it offers more mobility or less mobility for cars because if you have a grocery store that's underneath your apartment or the place that you're living in, you don't need to go drive anywhere,” Shaughnessy said. “It's right there.”

Myrick, who tried to block the city from rezoning Shaw University, thinks the requirements to qualify for affordable housing in Raleigh are out of touch.

Right now, someone’s income must be at least 80% less than the area’s median income. For a family of four to qualify for affordable housing, that figure is $97,800.

Myrick wants affordable housing to be based on an individual’s income.

“If we focus on a neighborhood median income, like let's get the income of those folks that live there now to ensure that before they moved out, they have a place to live,” Myrick said.

Public safety in Raleigh

Like many law enforcement agencies across the country, the Raleigh Police Department has dozens of vacancies.

In the fiscal year 2025 budget, Raleigh police officers and firefighters received a 5% pay increase with an additional 5% for good performance.

WRAL News has covered how Raleigh’s starting salary lags behind other police departments in central North Carolina. The Raleigh Police Department lists its starting salary for a police officer at $55,331 as of Oct. 11, 2024.

Cowell wasn’t specific about her plans for the Raleigh Police Department, but she said public safety staff don’t have adequate resources.

“We have a lower ratio of police per population than many other cities,” Cowell said. “Maybe that speaks to the fact that Raleigh has been a safe place to live, but as we grow, continuing to have really thinly staffed police and public safety staff is not ideal.”

Myrick proposed a program used in New York City called Officer Next Door. The program helps officers with the cost of buying a house, including down payments. He believes this could help attract and keep officers in Raleigh.

“The salary is one thing, but if I can help you afford a down payment as well as some funds to improve the home to the way you want it, that may be an incentive,” Myrick said. “So, you may only [have a starting salary of around] $55,000, but this type of incentive may be enough to say, ‘OK, this is something that will make me want to stay on the Raleigh police force.’”

Fitts believes the Raleigh Police Department is short about 400 officers, whereas Shaughnessy believes the department is short 1,000 personnel (including officers).

“Even recently, we have purchased new private security to keep us safe, which shows a lot bigger problem within the city than it should,” Shaughnessy said.

Fitts spoke of other U.S. cities defunding or decreasing the money spent on their departments.

“You’ve got a lot of cities throughout the entire nation who have decided to defund their police departments, and in so, police officers are leaving those police departments,” Fitts said. “I think it can be an incentive for them to come here as long as they know that we can pay them to be here and work for us.”

Ruth said he wants to see community-based crime prevention.

“We have some of the best tech firms here,” Ruth said. “Why don’t we unleash our community to design, create [and] beta test solutions to safety [and] prevention safety.”

Through the first six months in Raleigh, several crimes hit 10-year highs this year. It includes:

  • Assaults
    • Disorderly conduct
      • Drug violations
        • Fraud
          • Human trafficking
            • Larceny
              • Motor vehicle theft
                • Sex offenses
                  • Stolen property
                    • Vandalism
                      • Weapons violations

                        However, the city saw a decrease in firearms stolen from vehicles, robbery from a business and aggravated assault with a firearm from April 2024 – June 2024 compared to April 2023 – June 2023.

                        Downtown Raleigh revitalization

                        Downtown Raleigh could look very different in 10-to-15 years.

                        The city is looking at a multi-billion dollar plan to update the Dix Park corridor, a new high-rise building in Glenwood South, relocating Red Hat Amphitheater, expanding the Raleigh Convention Center and a fresh look at Fayetteville Street.

                        Fitts has suggested building a casino in Raleigh.

                        “I would like to see the casino entertainment side take away shows from DPAC and leave them here in Raleigh,” Fitts said. “I think it would be better for us, and we wouldn’t have to drive to Durham to spend our money on shows.”

                        Fitts thinks the city could use the revenue from a casino to pay for public safety.

                        Meanwhile, Myrick and Ruth believe Raleigh can do a better job of celebrating its rich history.

                        Both of them referenced Ella Baker, an influential part of the Civil Rights Movement and a guide for Martin Luther King Jr.

                        Both Myrick and Ruth said the city needs to tell her story in a way that will bring visitors.

                        “Every time I go to Atlanta, I always manage to end up at Ebenezer Church or Dr. King’s home, like that entire block has been preserved,” Myrick said.

                        Myrick said highlighting a city’s culture helps bring tourism.

                        “We’re not utilizing what we have,’ Myrick said.

                        “So character is a term that links you to some story,” Ruth said. “And right, now we’re sitting on stories that could really bring amazing character.”

                        Cowell thinks her contacts and connections give her an edge for downtown development. She claims there are 20 blocks in downtown Raleigh without any retail.

                        Cowell said her network of politicians, nonprofit leaders and business insiders can help figure out what to do with that space and other parts of downtown.

                        “Recently, I was having lunch with the head of the Museum of Natural Sciences downtown, which I’m sure many of us have gone to, and she was saying, ‘it’s just really rare that anybody gets all the heads of those museums together to talk about how they can work off each other and maybe encourage people to make a half day of it,’” Cowell said. “You go to Marbles with your kid in the morning, and then maybe you go over to the science museum, and you stop at the coffee shop or the lunch spot.

                        “So, one thing is just the power of a mayor to convene and allow people to think through … How are we encouraging people to stay or feel safe and brunch? How are we working together on those kind of things?”

                        Shaughnessy tried to think about this through the lens of young people. He said revitalization is tied to safety.

                        “I don’t go downtown with my fiancée because we just, it doesn’t feel safe to us,” Shaughnessy said. “We’ll go maybe once or twice a year, but it doesn’t feel as it used to when I was growing up.

                        “And so, we have to, even recently, like we have purchased new private security to keep us safe, which shows a lot bigger problem within the city than it should. Opening it up to make it safer and more enticing to young people is a very big step in revitalizing that downtown space.”

                        WRAL will have complete results as votes are counted in 400+ national, state and local races.