I drove down Fayetteville Street this weekend.
Ten years ago, if you had said that to someone he or she would have assumed you were drunk or incredibly reckless. If you’re not from the Raleigh area, or don’t have a tenured understanding of the downtown rejuvenation, you might not know that Fayetteville St. has not always catered to our four-wheeled friends. In fact, prior to 2006 the area was a pedestrian arcade of sorts.
Charles Meeker changed that. His list of accomplishments as mayor of Raleigh during the last decade is quite lengthy, as a matter of fact — the convention center, Raleigh Amphitheater and all the downtown-centric revitalization were either catalyzed or directly initiated by Raleigh’s long-standing chief.
Before I go too much farther, though, and lose you permanently to the crossword puzzle with this account of a local politician, allow me to argue why you should care about balding lawyers.
He was one man. And while I’m certainly not endorsing or demonizing any of those projects in particular, it’s abundantly clear how much impact one person can leave on the city.
Meeker didn’t do it alone — and there were definitely several economic and political factors that blew wind into his sail — but he was nonetheless extremely impactful.
Holistically, his story weaves a compelling yet unglamorous political tale: national elections are important, but municipal elections are much more conspicuous.
The votes cast in Tuesday’s elections will go a long way toward determining the ultimate fate of neighborhood schools — the Wake County School Board elections — and the quantity and type of public projects in Wake County during the next two years — the mayoral and city council elections.
It’s not really even about the civic aspect of voting. This is all about you. If you care at all about the way your home — temporary or otherwise — is run during the next two years you need to go to your local precinct after class today and have your say.
Meeker brought us a downtown which has assisted in Raleigh consistently leading the nation in livability studies. It came at a cost, though. You face it every time you walk up to a cash register.
Likewise, there are many parents and community activists who are in favor of neighborhood schools over busing . I’m not attempting to talk you into one system or the other in this space, but if you choose to settle down in Raleigh and start a family here, Tuesday’s election may impact what sort of education your children receive.
Municipal elections aren’t sexy. The blunt reality therefore is that most of you didn’t listen to a word in this column — and that’s fine, I’ve come to expect it. You have the right to be totally ignorant — read: wrong — and coast through life letting other people seize your weight in these discourses.
Perhaps you’ll claim it just doesn’t matter. Based on the political shift at the local and state level the last two years the grand public projects of the Meeker era are likely gone regardless of the results from this election. My answer to that brutally pervasive argument about the mayoral election: those “I Voted” stickers are pretty awesome.
I’m going to vote Tuesday. I hope I’ll see you there.
