Raleigh

Raleigh’s North, Northeast and Northwest planning districts accounted for 58% of the city’s growth over the last six years. Compare that to the Central District (downtown): its share was 2.5%. The Mayor’s spokesman, City Manager Russell Allen, says North Raleigh hasn’t been forgotten when it comes to city spending – and adds, as an example,…

Last Wednesday the City’s “Livable Streets” newsletter came out boasting about the groundbreaking of the new RBC Centura Plaza downtown, another huge new mixed use project downtown, four new parking garages downtown – and taxi fares going up everywhere. The next morning I talked to a friend who got stuck in traffic on Glenwood Avenue…

It’s hard to tell who’s in charge at Raleigh’s City Hall when it comes to the sanitation workers’ protests. But it sure looks like City Manager Russell Allen has lost the City Council’s confidence. In fact, it looks like the Council – not Allen – made the decision to fire the city’s top sanitation managers.…

An editorial in The News & Observer fondly hopes that Governor Easley’s appointees to lead the Progress Board – Mac McCorkle and John Merritt – will revive the board, which has been wandering in the wilderness for years now. Not a chance. The Progress Board has always been plagued by a fatal premise: Its supporters…

Nobody comes off well in the dispute over Raleigh’s downtown art. Would-be benefactor Jim Goodmon looks high-handed and arrogant. Mayor Charles Meeker gets blasted by Goodmon: “He followed the herd.” City Manager Russell Allen started the brouhaha, but couldn’t – or wouldn’t – stop it. Arts lovers sound elitist and condescending. The people of Raleigh…

First the federal government shot down Raleigh’s hopes for light-rail money. Now the State Board of Transportation has cut off the spigot. Who is to blame? Here are some nominees: The Mayor and City Council. Heckuva job lobbying, folks. And now Mayor Meeker is suggesting a half-cent local sales tax instead. The Wake County legislative…

Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker may set the record for most mentions as a potential candidate for statewide office. But my bet is that he runs again for Mayor. Rumors this summer had him looking at Attorney General (if Roy Cooper ran for Governor, which he won’t), State Treasurer (if Richard Moore runs for Governor, which…

There is a controversy simmering around the state about government using its right to Eminent Domain to seize private property. A recent article in the News and Observer – about the Triangle Transit Authority – gives an example. Last year, the TTA took Mr. Bob Morrison’s business, ‘Bob’s Service Garage,’ in Durham because it wanted…