Just over two years ago, I sat down for my first-ever interview as a correspondent at this publication. A columnist by trade and fresh-faced college underclassmen in life, I didn’t have a lick of confidence in my ability to orchestrate such a meeting.
Somehow, my editors allowed my first at-bat to be a Raleigh mayoral candidate.
Terrance Ruth, an instructor at NC State with extensive community and non-profit experience, graciously and enthusiastically took up my invitation. A few weeks later Ruth well-exceeded expectations by coming within six-points of incumbent mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, almost pulling off an upset against a much higher profile candidate who far out-raised him.
A few election cycles later, a few more years under my belt as a reporter sprinkled in with some city government experience, and Raleigh again faces the question of who should lead our city.
And once more, voters are faced with a clear choice of progress that departs from convention and an established middle-of-the-road politician. For the sake of our city and those who most need its support, voters should choose the T.RUTH.
American politics has become an apathetic game. Though many are quick to shame those who abstain from the political process, I can’t ever fault those who don’t believe in the system. Anyone truly tuned in knows that we’ve got problems.
Our system cheats the population of fair representation in gerrymandering, is at the will of private lobbying interests, relentless efforts to disenfranchise voters; the system seemingly always rewards the most villainous personalities. Not to mention the continually exhausting and increasingly polarizing rhetoric of the national political landscape.
What makes anyone believe in a system that seems to be constantly falling apart at the seams?
I remember leaving my interview with Ruth with a single takeaway in my head: This man is the brand of politics I can believe in. He is — though possibly the cheesiest line I’ve ever put in writing — the truth.
The term “politician” has become synonymous with all the trivialities and corruptible susceptibilities mentioned above. Ruth in no shape or form embodies the characteristics of the modern “politician.”
Ruth, first and foremost, is a social worker. He has been a lecturer in NC State’s School of Social Work for almost eight years — ask any of your classmates in the program and you’ll get a glowing testimony. Before giving lectures, Ruth conducted state policy research with the University’s Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.
His experience in public education extends beyond the University system. In the years prior to NC State, Ruth worked for over a decade as a principal and administrator in Wake Public Schools.
His community involvement outside of the classroom demonstrates his versatility in delivering public service. Ruth served as the executive director of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP and has been a senior leader in several non-profit organizations focused on equity and social justice.
Though Ruth’s background is perhaps not conventional to politics, it’s that very reason that makes him the best candidate. And that isn’t a Trump-esque “Drain the Swamp” kind of rally — Ruth has built a career solely on the premise of helping people and seeking to understand the societal conditions that give rise to our community’s biggest issues. His campaign has a genuine ethos and stake in what happens with his community.
If you ask anyone who’s voting for Janet Cowell their rationale, you’ll hear the same thing over and over: Her experience is unmatched.
You’ll get no pushback from me on that claim. Cowell has a stellar public service record that spans several levels of government. Though Cowell has a very respectable background, she doesn’t remotely constitute anything close to a change for our city. Her actual platform removed from her past is incredibly uninspiring.
Contrast the candidate’s responses to questions about the city’s most important issue, affordable housing. Cowell’s answers are generic. Ruth writes a book.
Half of Cowell’s insights on the subject are lauding the efforts of current and past city councils. Beyond more of the same, the former state treasurer hopes to expand weatherization and home improvement assistance programs. Not exactly the sweeping changes Raleigh needs.
Ruth wants to immediately implement measures to support renters and those most disadvantaged by the current state of the housing system. He cites expanding and strengthening rental assistance programs, seeking rent stabilization measures, expanding affordable housing and reinforcing tenant protections. He grounds his policies in academic research and societal comprehension, using language discussing inequities, displacement and generational wealth disparities.
How practical are these changes and the timeline he lays with them? I’m not sure he could implement them the day he walks in the office on Hargett Street, but at the very least the initiative to do something holistic and urgent is the starting point we are in desperate need of.
What I am sure of is how much money Cowell has raked in from developers. Her tens of thousands accrued solely by property-affiliated donors far exceed Ruth’s total contributions. Her campaign finance disclosures may as well just be a list of the top grossing real estate agencies in the greater Raleigh area.
Ruth is the epitome of academic study intersected with community involvement. In a world where our most contentious questions at the local governance level is how do we help people who are facing affordability issues, food insecurity and homelessness, how could we not want a government led by social workers instead of bureaucratic process experts?
When you talk to Ruth, you begin to understand politics as less of a game and more of a calling. It has nothing to do with advancement or ego; it’s about helping people and dealing in empathy. It’s hopeful and grounded in finding real solutions, and it’s what the idea of governing should actually feel like.
The accomplishments Cowell cites in her campaign are valiant efforts, but I for the life of me cannot find what her actual calling is for this position. Why Raleigh mayor? Much of what you find about her is generic lofty sentiments about “working for all,” and how much her experience discredits anyone else in the race.
Though Cowell has all the experience in the world, I similarly am unsure of what her vision entails. How local media, political parties and personalities have coalesced behind her name recognition, I don’t know.
My best guess is continuity. Ruth and the other candidates on the ballot believe a genuine reckoning is necessary to address the issues. For the affluent and well-off demographics of Raleigh, more of the same probably sounds ideal. Allocating resources and attention to the housing crisis may not be in the best interest of those residing in historic Oakwood.
As for local media organizations, they don’t do a great deal in justifying their endorsement of Cowell either. Indy Week brings the tired “experience” argument to the table and just regurgitates Cowell’s website bio. The News & Observer does the same before somehow stooping to belittle Ruth’s focus on low-income households.
These groups are either conforming to the simplest candidate or haven’t done their due diligence in exploring what the city really needs, or what the names on the ballot stand for. Ultimately, these endorsements code more as indictments from established institutions and figures seeking to uphold a clearly broken status quo. If Raleigh voters believe we need change and reflect on the truth of the matter, they should choose Terrance Ruth for mayor.
