Mayor McFarlane and the Stephenson Gang
Back when Jim Hunt was Governor (the good old days) he routinely had job approval ratings in the mid to high 60s. He was one of the most popular governors in America, until Carter & Co. spent two years and $20 million knocking him down in 1984. Even then, Hunt bounced back into the 60s in his third and fourth terms. That’s why Hunt could get things done — like Smart Start, veto for the Governor and big teacher pay raises — even with a Republican majority in the House. He had public support and, more important, he had earned people’s trust.
Public trust is in short supply in today’s partisan, polarized, Trumpian times. Trump’s job-approval ratings languish in the 40s and his personal ratings are even lower. Senators Burr and Tillis are down in the 30s. The legislature and Congress are in the dismal 20s. Governor Cooper is more popular than most, with ratings over 50 percent. But a politician with 60 percent approval? That’s as rare as Trump having a kind word for Robert Mueller.
There are exceptions. And one’s right here in Raleigh: Mayor Nancy McFarlane. A recent poll of Raleigh voters showed Mayor McFarlane’s favorable rating at 71 percent. Her job approval rating was even higher — 77 percent positive.
Raleigh voters’ support for McFarlane is extraordinary, given the divided era we’re living in. It explains why she won re-election so decisively last year against an aggressive, well-funded opponent. And the poll shows her beating Charles Francis again by 60-26 and Russ Stephenson by 64-17.
I’ve spent about all my life in Raleigh. It’s a great place to live, work and raise children. Nancy McFarlane has been part of that success.
Still, the same broken politics we see in Washington and in state government is creeping into city politics. Just like in Washington and the Legislative Building, when you boil away the political rhetoric the disagreements come down to power.
Take the disagreement over widening Falls of the Neuse Road near I-540. Mayor McFarlane supports the widening to ease traffic congestion. The road has an accident rate 25 percent higher than roads of similar size across the state. Some City Council members want to stop the widening, after years of planning, debate and discussion. Which means the money would go to some other road in some other community.
Power was the issue when Russ Stephenson sandbagged the Mayor and pushed through his own slate of committee appointments at the new council’s first meeting this year.
Power – and political payback – were behind dumping former City Council member Mary-Ann Baldwin from the GoTriangle Board of Trustees and replacing her with Stephenson.
The Stephenson Gang (Stefanie Mendell, David Cox, Kay Crowder and Stephenson) seems determined to pick fights with the Mayor. But they face an uphill climb. And, the poll shows, they do so at their own peril.
Mayor McFarlane and the Stephenson Gang
Back when Jim Hunt was Governor (the good old days) he routinely had job approval ratings in the mid to high 60s. He was one of the most popular governors in America, until Carter & Co. spent two years and $20 million knocking him down in 1984. Even then, Hunt bounced back into the 60s in his third and fourth terms. That’s why Hunt could get things done — like Smart Start, veto for the Governor and big teacher pay raises — even with a Republican majority in the House. He had public support and, more important, he had earned people’s trust.
Public trust is in short supply in today’s partisan, polarized, Trumpian times. Trump’s job-approval ratings languish in the 40s and his personal ratings are even lower. Senators Burr and Tillis are down in the 30s. The legislature and Congress are in the dismal 20s. Governor Cooper is more popular than most, with ratings over 50 percent. But a politician with 60 percent approval? That’s as rare as Trump having a kind word for Robert Mueller.
There are exceptions. And one’s right here in Raleigh: Mayor Nancy McFarlane. A recent poll of Raleigh voters showed Mayor McFarlane’s favorable rating at 71 percent. Her job approval rating was even higher — 77 percent positive.
Raleigh voters’ support for McFarlane is extraordinary, given the divided era we’re living in. It explains why she won re-election so decisively last year against an aggressive, well-funded opponent. And the poll shows her beating Charles Francis again by 60-26 and Russ Stephenson by 64-17.
I’ve spent about all my life in Raleigh. It’s a great place to live, work and raise children. Nancy McFarlane has been part of that success.
Still, the same broken politics we see in Washington and in state government is creeping into city politics. Just like in Washington and the Legislative Building, when you boil away the political rhetoric the disagreements come down to power.
Take the disagreement over widening Falls of the Neuse Road near I-540. Mayor McFarlane supports the widening to ease traffic congestion. The road has an accident rate 25 percent higher than roads of similar size across the state. Some City Council members want to stop the widening, after years of planning, debate and discussion. Which means the money would go to some other road in some other community.
Power was the issue when Russ Stephenson sandbagged the Mayor and pushed through his own slate of committee appointments at the new council’s first meeting this year.
Power – and political payback – were behind dumping former City Council member Mary-Ann Baldwin from the GoTriangle Board of Trustees and replacing her with Stephenson.
The Stephenson Gang (Stefanie Mendell, David Cox, Kay Crowder and Stephenson) seems determined to pick fights with the Mayor. But they face an uphill climb. And, the poll shows, they do so at their own peril.