As public figures are announcing their mayoral candidacy plans, it’s important for voters to begin examining their track records and proposed policies. One of those candidates being incumbent Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.
Baldwin is a Rhode Island transplant that has resided in Raleigh for 30 years. From 2007 to 2017, Baldwin worked on the Raleigh City Council and was later elected mayor in 2019. As mayor, Baldwin has navigated the unprecedented times of COVID-19, the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Raleigh’s affordable housing crisis and the public transit deficit. Baldwin has not emerged unscathed but is running for a second mayoral term.
In 2019, Baldwin ran on a Democrat ticket advocating for housing affordability, transportation and mobility, entrepreneurship opportunities, improving Dorothea Dix Park, combating homelessness and improving respect for Raleigh city staff. Baldwin has been following her 10 point-plan to improve housing affordability, which included legalizing accessory dwelling units (ADU), passed by the city council in 2020. Under Baldwin, the city council also voted to eliminate the ban on short-term rentals like Airbnb. Her housing plan appears comprehensive but it disregards homeowners and their property value under the guise of giving them the opportunity to be landlords through ADUs.
The elimination of the ban was a huge win for Raleigh tourism, while the legalization of ADUs was icing on the cake, as they can now be occupied by travelers and renters too. Baldwin made many promises and this is one of the few she really delivered on.
While advocating for affordable housing and city innovation, Baldwin took a job with Barnhill Contracting Company as their director of business development for their Triangle and streamline division. Baldwin began interviewing with the company just nine days after they received a $6.3 million grant from the city of Raleigh.
Baldwin claimed “no conflict” in a report by The News & Observer’s Anna Johnson, promising to recuse herself from votes that dealt with Barnhill. She previously worked for the Holt Brothers Foundation, the philanthropist branch of Holt Brothers Inc., after leaving her position as vice president of marketing and business development of Holt Brothers Construction.
In her most recent position as executive director of Holt Brothers Foundation, which advocates for children with a parent with cancer, Baldwin claimed she was not receiving the donation amounts needed during the pandemic for the foundation to keep her position afloat.
It’s too convenient that Baldwin ends up in the same construction companies that are signing contracts with the city of Raleigh while preaching the need for more development. If Baldwin wants to secure votes, she will need to choose between the Raleigh people or her beloved corporation. Though, her track record already tells voters where her priorities lie, with development companies.
Baldwin also came under scrutiny during last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests for the curfews she enacted, while letting ReOpenNC protesters and far-right boogaloo members roam freely. The juxtaposed images of the boogaloo members open-carrying in a Subway while Black Lives Matter protesters are hit with rubber bullets and tear gas are still haunting memories for voters gearing up to cast their ballots this October.
Since the protests, Raleigh has created a Police Advisory Board with investigative and subpoena powers under Baldwin. This advisory board is set to review 21CP’s investigation into the Raleigh Police Department’s actions during the protests.
The Police Advisory Board is powerless against the state legislature. Before gaining office, Baldwin told Raleigh Magazine’s Jane Porter that she was against forming a Police Advisory Board, despite it being recommended by Raleigh’s Human Relations Commission. Baldwin advocated for “community policing” over going through the General Assembly to create a Police Advisory Board.
“Any time the General Assembly gets involved, you just don’t know what that could end up looking like; I’m not willing to take that chance,” Baldwin told Raleigh Magazine in 2019 before taking the chance in 2020.
It will be interesting to see how her scarecrow Police Advisory Board fares after the election and if the board will truly make use of 21CP’s report.
On June 18, Baldwin issued a mask mandate to go into effect for the city of Raleigh, eight days before Gov. Cooper’s statewide mask mandate. Raleigh City Council meetings are also still being held virtually, unlike the state legislature’s meetings. Mayor Baldwin supported Raleigh in participating in the Jan. 19 national COVID-19 memorial, illuminating several Raleigh buildings. She is holding firm on the seriousness of the pandemic, which is exactly what the city needs.
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin has had her turn to win over Raleigh. It’s time to turn to other candidates such as NC State’s own, Terrance Ruth. It’s still early in the race so I urge students to follow potential candidates. We live here, we study here, we protest here; let’s vote here too.
Editor’s Note: Corrected author’s byline.
