City Council votes to reinstate support to citizen advisory groups in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Raleigh City Council voted on Tuesday to bring back support for local groups that help elected officials and the public communicate with each other. It comes after those groups -- known as Citizen Advisory Councils, or CACs -- had their funding cut in a similar vote four years ago.

"I want to show residents that their voices are being heard and acted on," said councilmember Christina Jones.

The mood in council chambers became contentious in the leadup to the vote, as Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said she had no clue the motion would be brought. Several council members intimated they believed Baldwin was complicit in helping cut funding to the programs four years ago.

"You can blame me, but I didn't," the Mayor said at one point.

The vote to reinstate the CACs, which passed unanimously, was met with applause from community advocates and supporters in attendance. That included Dr. Ulysses Lane, the head of Southeast Raleigh's CAC, who noted that the number of CACs and members involved has dwindled since funding was cut. That's been especially pronounced in underserved and historically Black parts of the city.

"I think the impact on minorities will have a lot to do with trust and transparency," Lane said. "A lot of that may have been lost in the past, but our new relationships can re-improve that."

Lane's CAC was one of the few in Southeast Raleigh that's survived the funding cuts. He says with gentrification and new development on the rise, more engagement is needed.

"Bringing back the citizens especially in minority areas, to be able to understand what is going on with the city and also speak what their concerns are," Lane said.

Robert Rice chairs the groups that remain in Raleigh and said Tuesday's vote will help shift power back from City Hall to community centers around the city.

"It's just really hard for some communities to be heard, or to kind of get information or raise an issue to get any kind of input or action," Rice said. "The CACs were meant and designed to help make that happen."

CACs have deep roots in Raleigh. They were founded 50 years ago at the urging of Raleigh's first black Mayor, Clarence Lightner, and supporters say they're particularly important for residents who can't make it down to City Hall in the middle of a workday.