Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell and city council at-large member and Mayor Pro Tempore Stormie Forte met with students Thursday for a forum held in the Student Government Chambers.

Cowell was elected as mayor in November. Prior to running for mayor, she was a Raleigh City Councilperson, North Carolina State Senator and  North Carolina State Treasurer. She led the Dix Park Conservancy to facilitate its recent improvement projects, where she also worked with various departments at NC State. 

When asked about the biggest issues she is hoping to face during this city council session, Cowell named affordable housing, public safety and responsible policing. She said housing is on the front of the public consciousness and she hopes to address it in the upcoming city council session. 

“We all know that with the growth and with recent inflation, a lot of people are not able to live in Raleigh anymore,” Cowell said.

Cowell discussed the importance of safety and changes in policing. In addition to the new police chief Rico Boyce, Cowell said she hopes there can be a collaborative interface between the city police and NC State.

On public transportation and federal funding, Cowell said there was a lot of uncertainty. She said that the Bus Rapid Transit project on New Bern Avenue is under contractual obligation, so there should be no complications. Other projects, though, are having trouble securing funding. 

Cowell said all of the mayors in Wake County are writing a collective letter to the North Carolina delegation expressing the importance of large scale projects like Bus Rapid Transit. 

“By working together with all the mayors, it’s a bipartisan, sort of unified front,” Cowell said.

“Hopefully we can retain those projects and move forward. But like I said, I have no clear answers.”

Cowell also emphasized the importance of environmentalism, a large part of her platform. She said the things that make Raleigh the “City of Oaks” need to be protected.

“It’s amazing how many times, even when you’re driving down Capital Boulevard, and you see the creek, and then it disappears, and you realize a lot of this stuff has been culvertized and buried, instead of celebrated and part of our ecosystem,” Cowell said.

A student representing the Campus Community Alliance for Environmental Justice asked about the government’s plan to hold NC State accountable for proper PCB testing and repair. 

Cowell said the issue was complicated by nature and was largely a state issue. She said that groundwater contamination was not a concern, as a large majority of Raleigh residents don’t drink well water. The Environmental Advisory Board also has experts from NC State with extensive environmental experience.

Cowell said there are further conversations to be had about mitigating soil contamination and forever chemicals, as well as ensuring buildings in Raleigh are safe and good quality.

When asked about diversity, equity and inclusion within the city council, Cowell said she has faith that it will stay truly representative of the people of Raleigh. She said the city and county are meeting together on a task force to address the issue of federal intervention.

“It’s one of those situations that we’ve got employees who do really good work that we value, but also trying to figure out ways to not necessarily put the city in the cross hairs of political discord,” Cowell said.

A graduate student representing the NC State Graduate Workers Union asked about working toward better pay and safety for workers in Raleigh. He requested specifically that Cowell agree to meet and confer about issues about labor. 

Cowell said she has met with a number of professional organizations and spoken about safety concerns and compensation. She said the upcoming month was a vital time to discuss wages as the new city budget was being negotiated. She referred the student to an upcoming work session that would have a compensation study. 

When Forte joined the conversation, she spoke about her history as the first Black woman to ever serve on the Raleigh City Council. 

“I wanted an opportunity to serve, to be able to weigh in on some of those changes that were occurring to my hometown,” Forte said. 

A student asked about the city’s work to ensure marginalized communities within Raleigh were getting a proper say in expansion. Forte said she had connections to several marginalized communities in Raleigh that were under the threat of expansion, and their voices were of great importance. 

“We are trying to be very sensitive to those areas and make sure we keep the lines of communication open with the folks who are in those communities,” Forte said.

Cowell also said there have been many efforts to preserve history and diversity and ensure that those most impacted are supported and incorporated into the conversation. 

Forte said the rapid growth of Raleigh had landed it on many top five lists, but there were more growth opportunities to come. She lingered on one: the potential of Raleigh being selected as the new hub for a Major Baseball League team.

“If we bring a $3 billion industry into the city of Raleigh, the tax revenue from that would go a long way to provide affordable housing, continue some of our initiatives with the homeless folks, but also give city workers great salaries and things along those lines, without raising your taxes or the taxes of your parents,” Forte said.

Cowell encouraged students to be involved with local government and community projects. She also suggested getting involved with boards and commissions voluntarily to have their voices heard. When a student asked about youth representation on official boards, Cowell conceded that there was work to be done.

“I will bring up that very point, and look across those boards to see where we really need to add some designated seats for certain voices?” Cowell said. “And certainly, then, how do you also encourage younger people?”

Cowell suggested students seek out local organizations that align with their interests. She said her own path to city council started with local activism and early connections volunteering.

Forte said nonprofits were a great way to get involved with public service, and they are always in need of volunteers.