Meet Raleigh's next City Council
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Downtown Raleigh's Fayetteville Street. Photo: Courtesy of Visit Raleigh
The Raleigh City Council will welcome two new members after Janet Cowell won the mayor's race and Mitchell Silver beat an incumbent in District A.
Why it matters: The new council will be tasked with working with Mayor-elect Janet Cowell to guide Raleigh through several key issues the fast-growing city faces, including addressing an increasing need for affordable housing and rolling out bus-rapid transit.
Zoom in: In the at-large races Stormie Forte and Jonathan Melton emerged as the winners with 29% and 24%, respectively.
- In District A, Mitchell Silver, a former planning director for Raleigh and former head of New York City's parks, beat incumbent Mary Black and challenger Whitney Hill with 40% of the vote.
- In District B, incumbent Megan Patton defeated Jennifer McCollum with 54% of the vote.
- In District C, incumbent Corey Branch, the longest-serving member of the City Council, was re-elected with 40% of the vote, beating six other candidates.
- In District D, Jane Harrison, who was first elected in 2022, ran unopposed and will return to the council.
- In District E, incumbent Christina Jones narrowly kept her seat by beating John Cerqueira with 52% of the vote.
What they're saying: Melton told Axios he believes that voters in Raleigh agree the City Council is on the right track, as it re-elected most of its members.
- He hopes the next City Council can get the first line of the Bus Rapid Transit line down New Bern Avenue off the ground, create an alternative crisis response unit and increase pay for police officers — a position that the city has struggled to fill.
Incoming mayor Cowell said she thinks she can work well with the incoming council.
- "I think we can get to five votes, and I think most people are pretty moderate," she told Axios, noting the City Council is not anti-growth and is looking to grow smartly. "There was not really anyone who said I don't want to grow at all."