Name as it appears on the ballot: Jared S. Ollison

Age: 49

Party affiliation: Democratic

Campaign website: JaredOllisonForRaleigh.Com

Occupation & employer: Law Enforcement Officer / State of NC

Years lived in Raleigh: 47

  1. Given the direction of Raleigh government, would you say things are on the right course? If not, what specific changes will you advocate for if elected? No, things are not on the right course. When elected, I will advocate for equity and inclusion in all areas of Raleigh.

2. If you are a candidate for a district seat, please identify your priorities for your district. If you are an at-large or mayoral candidate, please identify the three most pressing issues the city faces.

As a candidate for the District C Seat, when elected, I will prioritize ensuring public safety, fighting homelessness, affordable housing access, providing mental health resources, and bringing jobs into our community that pay a living wage. 

3. What in your record as a public official or other experience demonstrates your ability to be effective as a member of the city council and as an advocate for the issues that you believe are important?

As the former Director of Detention Services for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office I served as a senior adviser to the Sheriff and on three county level committees that focused on mental health resources, court operations, and the restructuring of the criminal justice system. I also served on the Wake County Covid 19 task force under the management of Senior Resident Superior Court Judge, Paul Ridgeway. I was always well prepared for meetings and offered well thought of and educated responses to complex concerns. I will bring these experiences and my education as a public policy professional to the Raleigh City Council. 

4. In 2021, the Raleigh City Council enacted a missing middle policy to allow for the construction of new, diverse types of housing across the city. More than 2,000 newly-allowed units have been added to the city’s housing stock under the policy, yet there has been pushback from residents, including lawsuits. Do you support Raleigh’s missing middle housing policy as is, or do you think it needs amending? If you feel it needs to be changed, please explain. 

I absolutely support the missing middle policy, but I firmly believe that the policy should be revised to ad some basic safeguards, to include the size of the projects allowed verses the existing communities established character and density. 

5. Raleigh has many funds, programs, and partnerships in place aimed at addressing affordable housing, but still has a deficit of some 23,000 affordable units. What more can the city do to secure affordable housing, and what more can it do to ensure that low-income residents don’t face displacement?

The city can work with developers who are “well known” to build affordable and sustainable housing communities. The city should also lobby the NC legislature to implement some rent controls in urban areas and find legal ways to provide landlords who provide affordable housing with city tax credits, this should reduce citizens displacement.

6. The recent resignation of GoTriangle’s CEO raises questions about the future of the county and regional transit strategy. How do you see the future of transit in Raleigh when it comes to Bus Rapid Transit, microtransit, and commuter and regional rail projects?

I see a bright future for Raleigh with the Bus Rapid Transit, microtransit, and commuter and regional projects. These projects will take root in our community, but they should come with policies that safeguard native and long-term residents opportunities to remain in our community, not spawn gentrification.

7. A common complaint from residents is that the city council doesn’t do enough public engagement, with the plan to relocate Red Hat Amphitheater being one recent example. Do you agree with this assessment? If so, what more should the city government and council do to engage residents with city business? 

I absolutely agree that the city council has failed to engage the city’s residents. The city often asks for residents’ input after the city council has decided on how to move forward on a project behind closed doors. This is a disservice to the citizenry. The city council should have a policy that they engage an adequate number of average citizens in the community prior to deciding on critical projects like Red Hat. City council members should be required to have those meetings at community centers within their districts, which is what I will do when I’m elected.

8. Downtown Raleigh has had a rough five years following the COVID pandemic with the transition to working from home and business owners reporting an increase in crime and other issues. Many see keeping Red Hat Amphitheater downtown as a positive step; what else does the city need to do to help downtown with its recovery and plan for its future?

The city needs to sponsor “pop up” spaces for small businesses to have an opportunity to have a presence in downtown. This will provide the city’s small businesses with an opportunity to get exposure and grow. It will also increase interest in the downtown area by average citizens.  To increase safety in the downtown area, the Raleigh Police Department can increase foot patrols during peak times, of course the city council needs to support their recruiting and retention efforts to accomplish this goal.

9. Since 2012, the City of Raleigh has paid more than $4 million in settlements to 47 individuals, families, and estates related to RPD officer’s use of excessive force and other unconstitutional interactions. What are your thoughts on the current culture at RPD? For what changes would you advocate to improve the culture of policing in Raleigh, if any?

As the only candidate for city council who is a sworn law enforcement officer and a licensed law enforcement instructor, I would like to see emphasis placed on better training for police supervisors and officers, return to community policing, and real effort put into hiring well-educated officers.

10. Some municipalities, such as Durham, have seen success with crisis response units that deploy trained workers to respond to non-violent behavioral health and quality of life calls for service. Should Raleigh consider such a crisis response program that’s NOT housed in the police department? 

Yes, The Raleigh City Council should immediately move to fund an independent crisis response team. 

11. The next city council will transition from two-year to four-year terms with staggered elections. What other changes, if any, should the city council make to how voters elect its members? Should any additional changes be put to voters in a referendum or should the council make those decisions?

The city council should return to two-year terms. Any changes to the length of term in office or the way elections are run should be approved by the voters, no excuses!