NC is holding municipal elections this fall - Oct 6 in Raleigh and Cary. Our votes count more in these local elections, especially because embarrassingly few people bother to vote. But these officials - Mayor and City Councilors and School Board (when the NCGA doesn't interfere as they did for this election) are extremely important. Dr. Yevonne Brannon posted about what the Raleigh City Councilors do. Read it, and get ready to vote!

WHAT DOES A (Raleigh) CITY COUNCILOR DO? by Dr. Yevonne Brannon

City Councilors join with the other members of the "local" board of government -- our city council-- to serve as the policy-making body for our city. They participate with their council to set goals and visions for how the city will grow and look and operate. They manage the major projects to make this happen, especially infrastructure improvements required by growth. They determine land use - zoning -- and figure out how to finance what our city does and how to finance the needs we have to implement our strategic plan -- they work to keep our city a great place to live and work and to raise our children and grandchildren -- they work to make this city great for us and for those companies we want to attract.

They oversee: Police & Fire Department, Public transportation, Parks, Zoning, Affordable Housing, Ordinances, Neighborhood Renewal, Public Pools, Street Maintenance, Water & Sewer, Waste services & Recycling, Parking, Building & Housing Code Enforcement, Economic development and City Budget & Taxes. WHEW.

City Councilors have serious responsibilities to the citizens, and they have to enforce rules for all of our citizens. Their job is this: "Do the very best to represent your constituents only after you've seen to the needs of the city as a whole." YOU CANNOT just look to the needs of a few or to just one issue.
So to be a great Councillor, you have to weigh the needs of one group of citizens or the city with the needs of all of the whole community.

Raleigh is home to the NC Art Museum, the NC Science Museum, and to NCSU, Shaw, Peace, Meredith and St. Augustine. We are a part of RTI and the triangle, Raleigh is the largest city in NC and in Wake County -- we are the leader in our State and in the South. Our city council must be full of talented folks with great integrity and energetic vision. They have to be able to stand up and make the right votes for the right reasons.

WE SHOULD consider the job very seriously and vote for those we SERIOUSLY - not on one single issue - but over all -- think about who you think can DO THIS important job for ALL of us. This is a tough and time consuming job - running the LARGEST city in NC. I hope everyone will focus on the real work here. Who do you trust with running our city - the entire city -- all of the work there is to be done? This is the critical question. IMHO. THIS is not an ad for anyone - this is about the JOB -- and who we believe can do it.

GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!