On Friday, former State Treasurer Janet Cowell talked about her plan to ease the tensions on city council and bring city energy back to downtown.
Cowell has been in Raleigh since 1997 and now, after nearly a decade out of politics, Cowell said what she saw from the political sidelines was part of the reason she's jumping back in to make her mark as mayor.
"There's been tensions and factions in the community," Cowell said. "But that really was front and center at the city council table. And I think that spills over into the staff and makes it harder to get things done. And I felt like I could bring maybe a different tone."
The 56-year-old Democrat who first served on Raleigh City Council before two terms in the State Senate is running for mayor on a promise to help solve Raleigh's lack of housing options, to improve quality of life, and bring a new focus on community safety and environmental protection.
"I support keeping the (Red Hat) amphitheater downtown," Cowell said.
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She said the city needs to do more to recruit and retain police officers, including higher pay.
On the issue of revitalizing downtown Raleigh, Cowell pointed to the 20 blocks of "downtown dead zone" owned by the state government.
"I know from those experiences there are no services, no amenities," she said. "It's about 20 blocks with no retail or anything else. I mean that is challenging for any city."
She said she'd like to start talks with state leaders about leasing state-owned land for more city-centric uses.
And she thinks her experience in public financing can help Raleigh create more affordable housing to keep long-time residents in their neighborhoods.
"OK, you're living in a single-family home. Let's redevelop this into a quadruplex," Cowell explained. "We help you refinance that redevelopment; you get to have a unit in this new quadruplex. You've stayed in your neighborhood. You've captured profitability and some of that value as opposed to you sell it."
Cowell's pledge of a new tone at city hall won her the endorsements of former mayors Charles Meeker and Nancy McFarlane.
But the next chapter for Cowell is up to the voters.
ABC11's series Raleigh's Next Mayor continues next week. Paul Fitts, the only Republican in the race, makes his case to lead the city..
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