City of Raleigh swears in Mayor Janet Cowell, city council members

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Raleigh City Council and the city's new mayor, Janet Cowell, were sworn in on Monday night in a ceremony in downtown Raleigh. Cowell was one of two newly elected officials who took the oath of office Monday, along with new District A Councilmember Mitchell Silver.

"This is a city that works for everyone -- and I look forward to working with everyone to make that happen," Cowell told the crowd following her swearing-in.

ABC11 spoke one-on-one with Cowell after the ceremony, asking the new mayor what changes people in the city want to see from city leaders and how she plans to use her election night mandate. In response, Cowell vowed to balance the city's breakneck growth with a broad vision that maintains the quality of life in Raleigh.

"Continuing to have green and trees, you know, making sure there's some affordability. And public safety - definitely heard, you know, some about how people feel pretty safe. But, you know, they just want to make sure this continues to be a safe place to live," she said.

We asked Cowell about safety concerns in downtown Raleigh, which is the focus of a new, economic development strategy. Cowell called the downtown district Raleigh's "heart and image," but said they need to keep a wide gaze when it comes to crime.

"We definitely need to look at the entire city. So in Brier Creek or other areas. I did a police ride-along in District B over in northeast Raleigh. So it is a citywide effort for sure," she said.

Also taking the oath of office on Monday was Raleigh's only new addition to City Council -- Mitchell Silver, representing District A.

"So for me to come back here, I'm very comfortable, confident and know some of the key issues," Silver said.

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Silver is a former planning director for the city who left to run New York City's Parks Department. On Monday, he told ABC11 that he still stands by his previous vision for Raleigh -- one rooted in increased density in areas of growth that he believes, in turn, will increase vibrancy.

"Downtown, midtown, now by Lenovo Center. Those are the places we want to urbanize to be higher density so that people have choices to live. But then in between, we want to be lower density," he said.

On public safety, Silver said he believes Raleigh has more of a perception problem than a substantive one. He said he believes a solution starts with getting people to build new relationships with downtown Raleigh.

This is the last election cycle featuring two-year terms for Raleigh city leaders. Per a change that was voted on earlier this year, Raleigh will move to staggered, four-year terms starting in 2026.