Local Limelight: Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin

Welcome back to Local Limelight, where we highlight movers and shakers in the community.

Today, we hear from Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.

🍽 Her favorite places to eat in Raleigh: Garland, before it closed its doors late last month.

• Other picks: Mulino Italian Kitchen and Bar, Vidrio, Jolie and Players' Retreat.

🚃 What she thinks Raleigh is missing: Transit and a commuter rail.

• "That is the piece of infrastructure we need," Baldwin said.

🧘‍♀️ Before Baldwin reads anything in the morning, she navigates to the Calm app and meditates.

📱Her first reads are the Washington Post newsletter and then local news.

📖 One of her favorite books is "Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen" by Dan Heath.

• "Often times, we're always responding instead of being proactive," Baldwin said. This helps you really think about how you handle problems before they become problems."

🤵‍♂️Go-to podcast: Tim Boyum’s "Tying it Together"

🏔Favorite long weekend spot: North Carolina mountains. One of her favorite towns is West Jefferson, and likes Leatherwood Mountains.

🐾 Pets: Jack Bauer, a 10-pound maltese-yorkie mix, and Charlie Brown, an 8ish-year-old Shitzu. Their names match their personalities, Baldwin said.

📌 If she could pass any law, it would: Protect abortion access and reproductive choice.

• Asked what restrictions, if any, should be in place for abortion, Baldwin said there shouldn’t be any.
• "This should be a choice women can make on their own with their doctor without government interference," Baldwin said.

✈️ Something she’s looking forward to: A trip to Australia next year.

🔌 How she unplugs: Cooking and playing with her puppies.