Name as it appears on the ballot: James Bledsoe

Age: 38 

Party affiliation: Unaffiliated  

Campaign website: Electjamesbledsoe.com 

Occupation & employer: Explosive Ordinance Clearance Agent, US Army Corps of Engineers 

Years lived in Raleigh: 12  

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 must express my deep concern regarding the current trajectory of  Raleigh’s government. The quintupled cases of human trafficking  over the past two years, the record-high rates of rape, and the  continuous rise in murders are alarming indicators that our city is  not on the right course. Additionally, the over-regulated and  excessively expensive housing market is exacerbating the struggles 

of many residents. If elected, I will prioritize comprehensive  reforms to address these critical issues. This includes  implementing stronger measures to combat human trafficking and  violent crimes, ensuring our law enforcement agencies have the  necessary resources and training. I will also advocate for  deregulating the housing market to make it more affordable and  accessible, fostering a safer and more inclusive community for all. 

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. 

I am running for one of the At-Large seats. My priorities are: Safety & First Responder Support, Housing Affordability & Supply, &  Financial Reform.  

Raleigh is one of the worst paid municipalities in the state for first  responders and as the capital city, that’s unacceptable. Human  trafficking, rape, and murder are at 10 year highs and that is a  direct result of the shortage of officers. Raleigh is still using the  2001 population metric for how many officers we need, to which  the city is over 100 officers short. The same is the case with the  firefighters. We can cut millions from the budget and reallocate  those funds to properly funding first responders. Considering our  population has boomed since 2001, we need to reevaluate our  metrics and make it easier to build housing in our city by  deregulating the UDO and streamline permitting requests. It takes  months, or even years, for council to approve new housing and that  makes the cost of building rise higher and higher. By making a  safer Raleigh, by deregulating many hinderances to building  housing/businesses, and cracking down on high expense/low  performance budget items, Raleigh can become prosperous again.

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?  

I bring a wealth of experience to my candidacy for Raleigh City  Council. With 19 years of ongoing service in the United States  Army, I have developed a strong sense of duty, leadership, and  resilience. My military background has instilled in me the values of discipline and strategic thinking, essential for effective public  service. Concurrently, I have spent a decade working with the state  of North Carolina government, gaining invaluable insights into  public administration and policy implementation. This dual experience has equipped me with a deep understanding of  governmental processes and the ability to navigate bureaucratic  challenges to achieve tangible results. 

In addition to my professional background, I have been a  passionate advocate for financial and safety reform within our  community. My advocacy efforts have focused on ensuring fair  compensation and improved working conditions for our first  responders, recognizing their critical role in maintaining public  safety. I have worked tirelessly to promote fiscal responsibility,  advocating for prudent financial management and the reduction of  unnecessary expenditures to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used  wisely. These experiences collectively demonstrate my ability to be  an effective member of the city council and a staunch advocate for  the issues that matter most to our community. 

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 support the intent behind Raleigh’s missing middle housing  policy, as it aims to address the critical issue of housing  affordability and supply by allowing for more diverse housing  types, such as duplexes and townhouses, in traditionally single family neighborhoods. However, I believe there is room for  improvement. The policy should be amended to include more  robust community engagement and input processes to address  residents’ concerns and reduce opposition. Additionally, we need  to ensure that the new housing developments are accompanied by  adequate infrastructure improvements, such as transportation and  public services, to support the increased 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? 

As an Engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers, I want to see 2  things happen once I get elected. Allow the empty commercial  property to be rezoned for use as housing & mixed-use properties  spring up or added onto existing structures. Over 23% of  commercial property is sitting empty in Raleigh, 29% of  commercial property in SE Raleigh is vacant. I want to see that  property turned into housing, not apartments, but home  ownership. Mixed-use property will also allow us to add small businesses, restaurants, etc and housing density. This combination  is seen in many cities and provides walkability, jobs, & culture.

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? 

BRT is our current project that’s not seen fruition yet. With funding  already being spent on it we need to see how it works, refine it, and see if it deserves more funding. With remote work being the new  norm, ridership is decreasing. So we will see if BRT is everything it  claims to be. 

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 couldn’t agree with this statement more. As your next At-Large  Council Member, I plan to host multiple meetings each month to  better hear from residents. This council raised their own pay,  extended their own terms, and make large decisions like this  relocating RHA while ignoring citizens. Council seems to be  making more decisions that negatively affect businesses and  residents alike causing more stress on an already strained city.  Businesses are going to close due to this decision and they may  never come back. Council needs to be accountable to its residents,  because this path cannot continue. 

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? 

Stop regulating businesses to death, get more officers into Raleigh  and keep them here, and run the city like a business and not an  HOA. Remote work has decreased foot traffic downtown, but so has  a sharp increase in violent crimes. We need 400 more officers on  the payroll and to stay here if we want to combat 10-year highs in  crime. There’s no two ways about it. Its very difficult to open up a  small business, even more so to do so in Raleigh given that  contractors don’t want to do business here. It took me 50 calls to  get 2 contractors to come out to my house, from business owners I  have spoken to, its just as hard for them. We have to stop shackling  innovation and entrepreneurs.  

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? 

Since 2012, Raleigh has had the fortune of getting rid of Fmr Chief  Deck Brown who let so much happen under her watch. Thankfully,  Chief Patterson has done an excellent job of reforming the RPD and  cleaning house of bad cops. Every officer on RPD wants to keep  Chief Patterson because she is excellent at her job. However,  Raleigh is still using a 2001 metric for how many officers we need and that needs to be changed to match the 2024 population. The  same with their pay. Myself, Paul Fitts for Mayor, Tomara DeCosta  Dist C, Jenn McCollum Dist B, & Whitney Hill Dist A all want to raise  RPD/RFD pay without raising taxes by cutting the budget to give  our first responders a pay that will keep them in Raleigh instead of  attriting new officers to other towns & cities. We are currently 

alloted 800 officers, we only have 692. Even if we were at the full  allotment of officers, it still wouldn’t be enough. When you call 911,  you shouldn’t be told that there are no officers available. 

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? 

Its worth a pilot program. There are some calls that police officers  don’t need to go on, but we can’t even keep police officers  employed… so how are we going to keep CRUs staffed with low pay  and support? 

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 needs to go back to 2 year terms, non-staggered.  The citizens of Raleigh did not vote on these changes. Council made  these changes in opposition to what the citizens of Raleigh  weighed in on. Once the decision is put to a vote, I’ll accept the  results. Until then, this is a malicious power grab by incumbents.  There is a matrix of greed afoot in Raleigh and the citizens of our  great city are being left in the dark on these matters.