Both of Raleigh’s major newspapers, the News & Observer and Independent Weekly, have endorsed Mayor McFarlane for another term of office. The News & Observer wrote that Mayor McFarlane “has been a mayor in the Meeker tradition” who has “kept the council and the city on a progressive even keel” during her first term.
The Indy Week wrote that Mayor McFarlane…
…has worked tirelessly to turn the former Dorothea Dix Hospital land into a destination park for Raleigh and the region. At the end of 2012, she signed a lease with then-Gov. Bev Perdue turning the 325-acre tract over to Raleigh for up to 99 years. Republicans in the General Assembly have attacked the lease and its status is in doubt, but not because McFarlane hasn’t been trying to forge an acceptable deal with key legislators and Gov. Pat McCrory, Perdue’s successor.
McFarlane, who is registered as unaffiliated, has been a strong supporter of the arts, helping recruit the upcoming International Bluegrass Music Association’s showcase to Raleigh for the next three years. She’s done her best to get the Republican-controlled Wake County Board of Commissioners to allow a referendum on a half-cent sales tax for transit. And when the homeless issue flared up in Moore Square, McFarlane came the same day to meet with the providers there and the folks they were providing for, telling city staff in no uncertain terms to back off.
Indy Week also endorsed incumbent City Councilors Russ Stephenson and Mary Ann Baldwin in the at-large race, Councilman Randy Stagner in District A, Councilman John Odom in District B, Councilman Eugene Weeks in District C, and Councilman Thomas Crowder in District D. Click here to read Mayor McFarlane’s response to Indy Week’s questionnaire.
Early voting runs until October 5 at 337 S Salisbury Street in downtown Raleigh. If you are unable to early vote, Election Day is October 8. Find your polling location and be sure to bring friends and family with you to vote! You can also volunteer to help at the polls or make phone calls to voters before the election by clicking here.