Jonathan Lambert-Melton on leaving Raleigh City Council
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: City of Raleigh
After seven years helping guide Raleigh's growth and policies, Raleigh City Council member Jonathan Lambert-Melton will step away from his role as an at-large member in December.
Why it matters: Lambert-Melton's time on the council was not only historic — he was the first openly LGBTQ person elected in the city — but he was one of the most influential in shifting Raleigh's policies toward building more housing, adding density and investing in transit.
- While on council, Raleigh passed several zoning reforms that allowed more types of housing to be built more densely, like accessory dwelling units and cottage courts, to be built. The decisions were not made without pushback.
Driving the news: Lambert-Melton will be replaced by Sana Siddiqui at an at-large member of the council.
- Earlier this year, Lambert-Melton was unsuccessful in winning a primary to be a Wake County Commissioner.
Axios recently talked with Lambert-Melton about his time on council. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
After skyrocketing after the pandemic, rent and home prices in Raleigh have fallen in recent years. Are Raleigh's softer rents a correction after the pandemic, or evidence that pushing more supply works?
It's 100% the latter. You can see the rate of apartment construction in the city is directly correlated to the dip in rents. And any city that has a high multifamily housing permits and construction, like Austin, is the same.
There was a point in Raleigh where we were so oversaturated with new apartment inventory that I knew people that when they went to renew their leases, they were being offered incentives. You've got landlords that are competing for the tenants, not the tenants competing for the apartments. But we can't take our foot off the gas.
What sort of effect do you think bus rapid transit is going to have on on Raleigh?
I think the New Bern Avenue route will obviously be very helpful, but once we get all four routes built, plus whatever additional routes are in the planning phases through our regional partners — like a route to the airport — I think that'll be truly transformative.
Will it make New Bern Avenue transform into something like Charlotte's South End neighborhood after light rail was built?
I think it will be like South End, and I think it won't be like South End. I think we will have the benefits of what South End has been able to achieve. Like Charlotte's rail trail, we're going to have a multi-use path along the New Bern route with art and benches and and new trees.
But also it won't be like South End in the sense that we did a lot of advanced planning. We land banked along the New Bern route so that we can preserve some key sites for affordable housing, like the old DMV headquarters. We want dense, mixed-use apartments; retail; breweries; and grocery stores. And we want affordability for folks who need to use the transit.
How do you reflect on being Raleigh's first openly gay person elected citywide?
The point of being the first of something is you don't want to be the last. And I certainly felt a lot of responsibility during my time on council to be visible and in front of issues that affect our community. I pushed to get our non-discrimination ordinance enacted, added an LGBTQ liaison in our police department, worked to increase our municipal quality index score through the through Human Rights Campaign. But it has been challenging because I can't be everything for everyone.
What's next for you?
I don't know is the honest answer. I didn't know if I wanted to run for anything in 2026, I knew for a fact I would not run for Raleigh City Council again. I feel like I have done everything I campaigned to do. My husband and I are trying to start a family. I want to give that my full attention. I just opened a new law practice. I want to give that my full attention.
But I do like public service. I think if there was an opportunity where I feel like I could do good work and I was passionate about it, I would absolutely step forward.