Name: Jared Scott Ollison
Age: 50
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: JaredOllisonForRaleigh.Com
Occupation and employer: Law Enforcement Officer / State of NC
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?
I would say things are not on the right track. First and foremost, I would advocate for the public to be allotted more speaking time at the council meetings to be certain that their voices are heard and not ignored. Second, I would raise a flag when other council members don’t uphold city obligations and promise like they failed to do in the recent North Hills zoning case. In short, I would return the power to the people, not the developers.
2. If you are a candidate for a district seat, please identify your priorities for your district. If you are an at-large candidate, please identify the three most pressing issues the city faces.
As a candidate for District-C, my priorities are affordable housing, affordable home ownership opportunities, combating gentrification and homelessness.
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 am well-documented as an advocate for human rights issues. All of the issues I have addressed fall under human rights and basic decency.
4. Many Raleigh leaders publicly committed to supporting a future affordable housing bond before the 2024 city council election and again this summer. Do you agree that a future affordable housing bond referendum should go before voters? Please explain your position. If you support a future affordable housing bond, when should it appear on ballots and in what (estimated) amount? What else can the city do to make sure Raleigh housing is affordable for current and future residents?
I am a continuous advocate for affordable housing, and I believe that the voters will support a bond referendum. Yes, it should go before the voters because I believe the citizens should have a voice in important community-based decisions. In order to make an educated estimate on the amount of the potential bond I need the type of data that will be available to me when I’m elected to the council.
The city should lobby the NC legislature to reduce property taxes on our aging citizens. Impact taxes should be increased for developments which would offset the tax rate for the citizenry. Tax credits should be made available for landlords who are willing to effectively freeze rents for a specified amount of time to ensure housing stability for our neighbors and friends.
5. As climate change leads to more intense rainfall, communities are at greater risk of inland flooding, such as the historic floods in parts of the Triangle caused by Tropical Storm Chantal in July. How would you like Raleigh to address climate resilience, particularly flooding?
Raleigh should continue to invest in green energy to help thwart climate change. Raleigh needs to continue to adjust its infrastructure to re-enforce flood control measures in the affected communities.
6. After a decade of planning, Raleigh scrapped a proposal for the Six Forks Road widening project for bike and pedestrian lanes that would have been financed by transportation bonds that voters had already approved. In southeast Raleigh, construction on Phase 1 of the city’s Bus Rapid Transit system was delayed two years after the city initially failed to attract a bidder. How can city leaders ensure Raleigh keeps its commitments to voters and taxpayers and keeps projects on track from planning through construction, as well as within their budgets?
I am appalled that the Raleigh leadership has failed to keep its commitments which is one of the many reasons why I’m running for the District-C seat. The leadership can keep its commitments by adhering to the voters and taxpayers’ concerns and not the developer’s concerns. Additionally, the leadership can ensure projects stay on track and within budget by seeing the commitments through in a timely manner before costs change, unlike they did with the Six Forks Road project.
7. Recently, Customs and Border Protection agents carried out immigration enforcement operations in Raleigh with no official warning to elected officials or the public. At the same time, the Trump administration is working to ramp up deportations and curtail visas, while the legislature has passed laws requiring cooperation with ICE. What do you think Raleigh officials can or should do to ensure safe, welcoming communities for immigrants in light of these policies?
Raleigh leaders should meet with immigrant communities and listen to their concerns. They should work closely with them to develop an alert system that notifies immigrants of ICE enforcement activities within the Raleigh area. Raleigh should also work closely with the immigrant communities to assist them with their citizenship or legal residency goals.
8. GoRaleigh’s bus operators, who are officially employed by international transit system operator RATPDev USA, have brought complaints about difficult and unsafe working conditions to the city council on numerous occasions in the past year. Besides working with the Raleigh Police Department on more patrolling and safety at bus terminals, what could the city be doing to make the bus operators’ jobs safer and more manageable?
The city should support and direct the creation of a transit police unit that is dedicated to utilizing the busses on a daily basis. Officers would ride random routes and board the busses at random stops. This level of unpredictable presence should increase the security of the terminal and the busses while on their routes. The city councilors should also be required to utilize public transportation at least once weekly and document it for public review.
9. This year, the Raleigh Police Department has come under scrutiny for its handling of the investigation into the crash that killed Tyrone Mason. Additionally, a former senior officer was fired in May; it was later revealed that the officer conducted illegal searches. How do you think the city should work to build trust between residents and RPD, and what role do you think the council should have in overseeing the culture of the police department?
The Raleigh Police Department should place some emphasis on hiring officers who are native to the area. When people see officers from their communities patrolling their communities, they generally feel safer and trust them more. In addition, Officers in general should be allotted more community service hours to work in the local youth centers, food banks, and churches in an effort to benefit the community and build trust.
The city council should have a hands-on approach to changing the culture of the department. They should hold the city manager and the police chief directly responsible for creating and maintaining a culture of inclusiveness and trust.
10. Over the last year, Raleigh rolled out a crisis call diversion line and a care navigation team under the CARES umbrella. Those programs join the preexisting ACORNS unit within the police department as part of the city’s tool kit for responding to mental health, substance use, or homelessness concerns. Are you satisfied with the rollout of Raleigh CARES? Where do you want to see more investment or additional services? Should Raleigh consider creating a mobile crisis response team separate from the police department?
Raleigh CARES is a step in the right direction. Already behind, Raleigh needs to make major investments in mobile crisis response teams. The teams should not be housed within the police department. There should be constant communication between the police department and the crisis team in the event assistance is needed.
11. Raleigh’s Citizen Advisory Councils have been fully restored, and the city has introduced civic assemblies for paid community outreach, among other measures. What more could or should the city do to engage and inform residents?
The city should hold meetings to familiarize the citizenry of the restoration of the advisory councils. The meetings should be advertised and held within the affected communities to be certain that our friends and neighbors are aware.
12. If there are other issues you want to discuss, please do so here.
I have the education and work experience to represent District -C well with a master’s degree in public policy and public administration and thirty years in law enforcement. I am the only candidate for this seat who has indicated that I will be donating 100% of my first years and a minimum of 30% of each additional year’s councilman’s salary to youth programs in District-C when I’m elected. Retiring in June of this year, I will be available to represent my district on a fulltime daily basis. I am the only candidate who is currently able to do this.
I am encouraging all city council members to contribute financially to youth programs within the city of Raleigh. The children are our future!