Name as it appears on the ballot:  Joshua Bradley 

Age:  48

Party affiliation: North Carolina Green Party & Socialist Party USA

Campaign website: https://bradleyforraleighworkers.com/

Occupation & employer: Accounting Manager, Summit Hospitality Group

Years lived in Raleigh: 30

1. Given the direction of the Raleigh government, would you say things are on the right course? If not, what specific changes will you advocate for if elected?

I decided to run to fight for a seat for the working class on the Raleigh City Council because I feel that for far too long, the council has catered to the needs of wealthy developers and donors who do not represent the people. I want to ensure that working class and low-income communities are represented on the council during rezonings, budget development, and so on. The city has the ability to invest funding into community needs, such as low-income housing and transit. The council can also pass resolutions to protect access to reproductive health clinics and protect LGBTQIA+ residents. Knowing the powerful changes that can be made at the local level, I am running on a platform with five main policy goals: housing justice, racial justice and equity, worker’s rights, non-discrimination and community inclusion, and environmental justice.

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/ 

  1. Issue One: Increasing the supply of low-income housing. The availability of housing affordable to workers in Raleigh will help ensure that the city can still be functional. Low cost housing will also help prevent people from being pushed out of the city. As Raleigh is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, a focus on development in the luxury or market rate tiers will not have a “trickle down” effect on housing affordability, leaving low-income families and residents behind. The city must leverage the funding and resources available to it to address this housing crisis.
  2. Issue Two: Raising the wages of city workers and improving their working conditions. Raising the wages of all city workers is necessary to ensure Raleigh has the workers it needs to provide services that help the city run. This should also put positive pressure on wages in the area overall. We support UE-150, our city workers union, as we know that workers are stronger when they can organize together to ensure they work in safe conditions for good wages
  3. Issue Three: Increasing access to public transit and keep it free at the point of use. Public transit needs to be expanded, even at the expense of automobile traffic, to help the city meet its climate goals. This includes conducting ridership assessments of bus routes to determine which areas of the city are underserved, collaborating with other municipalities to construct commuter rail that supplements transit in each respective municipality, and increasing the number of protected bike lanes throughout the city.

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?

An effective member of the city council is one that represents the will of the electorate. This means not being compromised by campaign donations, depending on networks of politically connected friends for policy development, or seeking office as a stepping stone to greater personal wealth. The people I share community with and advocate for are low-income and working class people, with whom my experiences and policy goals most closely align. For the last several years, I have developed connections to and relationships with local organizers, activists, and communities. My policy goals are informed by the needs of the people who have been tackling these issues firsthand- whether that be housing, policing, or worker pay.  Implementing these policies is a matter of political will, and my role on the council will be to advocate for working people and engage with the community to implement those solutions.

4. U.S. metros are grappling with a housing shortage, especially a shortage of affordable housing. Raleigh is no different. Many believe that the best way to address this crisis is via dense infill development along public transportation corridors. Do you share this vision for Raleigh’s growth? Please explain. 

One commitment I have made on my platform is to not ever approach with an “either or” solution to housing. Housing policies have to be implemented based on several needs: environmental needs, density needs, affordability needs, transit needs, and so on. While it makes sense to have density along transit corridors, if the housing that is developed there is not affordable to low-income people, especially those at 30% AMI and below, and if the transit is not placed based on local ridership assessments, then that density will not be sustainable. I have a vision for growth in Raleigh that is centered around a housing-first policy and development of transit that meets community needs in terms of accessibility, ridership, and goals for connectivity between different parts of the city.

5. In 2020, Raleigh citizens voted in favor of an $80 million affordable housing bond to assist with acquiring land and building near transit corridors, preserving existing inventory, down payment and homeowner repairs assistance, low-income housing tax credit financing, and more. The city also created a goal of adding 5,700 affordable units over 10 years and is on track to meet that goal. But it’s estimated that Raleigh has a deficit of some 20,000 units currently, and it’s clear much more work is needed. Should the city bring another affordable housing bond before voters? Why or why not? If yes, when, how much should the city ask for, and what should the bond fund?

I feel it is too early to discuss another housing bond when we have not yet used the funds from the one that passed in 2020. Instead, our focus needs to be on allocating those funds in a way that is meant to directly support communities that are experiencing disproportionate levels of housing need, such as low-income people making under 30% of the AMI.

6. In neighborhoods across the city, ranch homes and other modest, more affordable single-family homes are being torn down and replaced with large (also single-family) McMansions that don’t provide more density. Does the city have any authority to regulate such teardowns? Should it regulate such teardowns and redevelopment?

In an ideal environment, the city should regulate redevelopment. Currently, the city’s authority is limited to its control over residential density via rezoning, but the city routinely uses this authority in favor of market rate luxury housing. While density and infill development are significantly preferable to continued suburban expansion, there are frequent cases in which infill development brings its own issues, notably those around transit access, affordability, and environmental impacts. The city should regulate redevelopment in such a way as to ensure that we are developing equitably, sustainably, and safely. I believe in regulated redevelopment that comes with community benefits and serious consideration for infrastructure needs and environmental impacts.

7. One way Raleigh’s city council has attempted to address the city’s housing shortage is by allowing for more flexible housing options such as duplexes, triplexes, and quadruplexes in all neighborhoods in the city, eliminating certain zoning protections, and allowing apartments for zones along bus routes. Do you support this move to bring missing middle housing to the city and do you think it will be an effective policy for managing the city’s growth?

As stated previously, density is certainly needed and is preferable to urban sprawl that puts too much pressure on our infrastructure. However, community engagement is a key piece to ensuring that development is community led and is beneficial for our most vulnerable communities. The missing middle text change shut residents out of the conversation overnight. For our workers, housing insecure residents, and communities facing ongoing displacement, this text change has left them behind, which leads me to believe it was not an effective policy for managing growth. Until we take action as a council to fight for voluntary inclusionary zoning, to build low-income housing on city properties, and make efforts to protect existing naturally occurring affordable housing, then moving toward density without checks for community benefits will only hurt our communities in the long run.

8. Raleigh’s city council has directed city staff to gather data on absentee investors who are buying up properties in the city. Would you support measures to limit investors from buying up homes as other U.S. cities are considering doing or further regulating whole house short-term rentals that some argue are detracting from the supply of homes available for full-time residents?

Absentee investors, who are speculators, are instrumental in driving up the cost of housing in Raleigh. Certainly, the council must act to limit the increases in housing cost driven by this speculation. The current legal framework around property ownership and sale makes such measures difficult, but the council has several measures to leverage to protect homeowners and naturally occurring affordable housing. Speculators buy both single-family homes and apartment buildings. They depend heavily on zoning decisions and building permits. Too often, the city caters to their requests during these rezonings, leading speculators and developers to expect preferential treatment from the council. This treatment should be harder to come by. The role of our council is to protect our communities and ensure that development meets the needs of existing residents first. A second measure, which could be implemented with collaboration with the general assembly, would be to tax the profit out of speculator purchases. Additionally, we know that speculators often make offers to vulnerable homeowners far below the value of their properties. The city should protect homeowners from needing to accept such offers by helping to bring their homes up to code, by collaborating with the general assembly to lower property taxes for longstanding homeowners, and by offering estimation services to homeowners so they understand the value of their properties. At the least, this would allow owners of single-family homes to not be misled by the money offered by a speculator versus the actual value of their home. Finally, being able to create housing trusts in communities would remove from the market the volume of property currently available to speculators.

9. What role should the city play in ensuring that the longtime residents of rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods in Southeast Raleigh and other areas of the city can continue to afford to live in those neighborhoods?

Historically Black and brown communities in Raleigh, especially in Southeast, have been victimized by ongoing gentrification and displacement. Increasingly over the last several years, you can drive through these areas and see ultra modern mansions adjacent to long standing houses in near disrepair. These large mansions are being built in places where entire communities used to live, and now, low-income people are struggling to make rent or cover the cost of their mortgages. For those lucky enough to be homeowners, rapid gentrification is raising their property taxes to a point where they are forced to sell their homes, often to corporate landlords and realtors. No matter how you look at it, gentrification is an injustice that is disproportionately impacting historically Black communities in our city. It is time we invest in our communities to lift them out of poverty, aid in bringing their existing homes up to code, and assist those who are housing insecure. The city council’s role in this is integral: we must do all that we can to reinvest in these communities, protect naturally occurring affordable housing, and help all of our residents find places to live.

10. Public servants including police officers, firefighters, and teachers can’t afford to live in the city where they work. As a result, Raleigh loses good officers and teachers to other municipalities and is grappling with a current shortage of around 60 firefighters and more than 100 police officers. What can Raleigh leaders do to attract and retain the best officers and other public servants?

Workers are the basis of our communities: they drive our buses, take out our trash, teach our kids, cook our food, pack our groceries, and so on. They provide the essential goods and services that make our communities livable, and thriving communities come out of good working and living conditions. Inflation, and especially the cost of housing, has increased so rapidly that even a full-time worker making $15.00/hr often struggles to cover the cost of living. If a person works a full time job, they should be able not only to survive in the city, but to thrive. No one should have to work more than one job to survive. Additionally, city staffing shortages are frequently exacerbated by low wages and poor working conditions, and when workers are unable to make enough to live in the same city they work in, they are forced to travel from nearby towns, cities, and counties to commute to work. These are not sustainable working and living conditions, and if not addressed by raising city worker’s wages, these positions will continue to be unfilled, thus increasing stress on city workers who grapple with staffing shortages in their respective industries.

For this reason, I am committed to raising city worker wages to at least $25.00/hr, making efforts to ensure that we prioritize hiring workers full-time so that they are provided benefits, and tackling our housing crisis to ensure that residents can live near the place they work.

11. Do you support the city council’s decision to eliminate parking minimums for developers? Why or why not?

While we are in need of moving toward alternate methods for transit such as buses, biking, and commuter rail, we must also first invest in these alternate methods before we remove the infrastructure that residents currently rely on to get around the city. Residents downtown already face severe difficulty with parking in the places they live, which is a particular concern for our elderly residents and residents with disabilities. I feel that this decision was implemented too early and without sufficient work done to address resident concerns.

12. In 2019, Raleigh’s city council voted to eliminate citizen advisory councils (CACs) without public notice or input. Do you feel this was the right decision? Do you support bringing back CACs? What do you think the council is doing right or wrong when it comes to community engagement post-CACs? Could you describe your vision for community engagement in Raleigh?

Citizens Advisory Councils were disbanded in 2020, there has not yet been adequate implementation of a community engagement process that involves people throughout Raleigh. I believe that the city should have a vested interest in increasing community involvement in the local government process, as residents and community stakeholders are the best informed on their local needs.

I think it is time that we reinstate community engagement and citizen advisory groups, based on a model of these groups that is formed in coalition between currently engaged residents and city staff. We would need to move beyond a mere reinstatement of Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs) and offer increased city support to address long standing issues that existed with the councils before they were disbanded. Residents should have access to be heard by the council and engaged in city decision making processes, and the city council should be accountable to the needs and demands of residents. Residents should also have access to city meeting spaces, with access to these meeting spaces being provided by staff. Finally, residents should have access to equipment and tools to allow hybrid participation (virtual and in-person) at community meetings. When we invest time and funding into meeting our communities where they are, we develop solutions that are based around resident needs. I envision community engagement that is truly community-led.

13. Following shooting deaths of Raleigh residents by RPD officers, the city council established a civilian-staffed police review board in 2020 that had no official power and fell apart soon after two of its members resigned. The council also established the ACORNS unit to address mental health crises, but data shows the unit rarely assists on calls related to suicides and involuntary mental health commitments, leaving most of those calls to police officers. Do you feel that the council has done enough, in partnership with the police chief, to reform the police force and address officer violence? Would you support cutting the department’s $124.5 million police budget?

To start, we need a civilian oversight board that has subpoena power and the authority to review police actions. Additionally, I support auditing and reducing the police budget in favor of putting funding into areas of our community that continue to be underserved. Historically, the best way to reduce crime is to lift people out of poverty, and I am committed to putting our city funding into our greatest needs, such as worker pay, low-income housing, and transit.

While ACORNS was a start, it is still connected to and housed within the Raleigh Police Department, and we need to go beyond this measure and implement a program that is community-led and independent of the police department. Local activists have been proponents of programs such as Denver’s Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program, and I support their efforts to move toward community safety efforts that are centered around de-escalation and offering resources to residents. The way we offer support to our most vulnerable communities, whether they are in crisis, experiencing homelessness, or battling substance use, reflects on how we care for our residents as a whole. I am committed to investing in our communities’ greatest needs, as opposed to militarization of the police and armed response to people in crisis.

14. Raleigh has made strides on transit in the last several years. Bus fare is free and construction of new Bus Rapid Transit routes is underway, bike lanes are expanding to areas across the city, and commuter rail will eventually connect Raleigh to Durham and Johnston Counties. Is the city doing a good job of managing its current transit systems, encouraging residents to use them, and planning for more future transit and connectivity? Should the city be investing more on bike, pedestrian, and other transit infrastructure?

There is certainly more that can be done to support our transit goals. For one, we are facing an immense staffing shortage for city workers, bus drivers included. As of right now, we have limited bus service, stops are being skipped, and our routes are infrequent which drives down ridership despite the buses being fare free. The city needs to first invest in paying bus drivers the wages they deserve, as they are the backbone of our transit system. Knowing this, workers should be paid a thriving wage of at least $25.00/hr to mitigate the impacts of staffing shortages. Additionally, I feel we need to conduct ridership assessments of current bus routes and areas that currently do not have bus routes to determine whether there is ridership demand in areas of the city that are currently underserved. Finally, for commuter rail, there needs to be coordination between municipalities to ensure that the rail design is based on bus ridership and resident needs in each respective municipality. Workers need to be able to travel between municipalities, and gentrification thus far has displaced residents to nearby cities, leading to a greater number of people that travel from city to city for work. The Raleigh city council should coordinate with other municipal councils so that a commuter rail is designed to supplement bus travel and is based on the needs of low-income residents and workers in each municipality.

15. Downtown Raleigh has struggled to rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic with foot traffic still down and many storefronts and offices sitting vacant. The council has implemented a new social district to try to bring people downtown again. What more could or should the city council do to revitalize the urban core?

Our city continues to face an ongoing staffing shortage, one that is largely exacerbated by the inability of workers to live in the place that they work. As housing costs continue to rise, workers are pushed farther out and are unable to cover the cost of necessities on the wages they make. Similarly, commercial rents are also continuously unaffordable for small business owners, and routes for small business owners to own their spaces are limited. While a social district is one way to bring revenue into the downtown area, it does not fix the larger issues of low wages and high housing costs that are unsustainable for small business owners and service workers. More should be done to collaborate with and invest in small businesses all throughout the city, not just downtown, and especially in offering grants and aiding Black and brown business owners who have historically been shut out of getting access to loans and commercial spaces. Similarly, more needs to be done to ensure that workers live in housing they can afford near transit access points to ensure they are able to live near their places of work and commute with ease. Otherwise, we cannot expect these staffing shortages to improve and our businesses will continue to close and struggle to keep up with the costs of rent.

16. Do you support Raleigh’s $275 million parks bond on the ballot this fall? Why or why not?

No. Residents are currently facing displacement, rising property taxes, rising rents, low wages, and often are shut out of conversation with council members about the issues they face. While parks are important, asking Raleigh residents to front the costs of parks through their tax dollars while they struggle to make ends meet is unfathomable. We need to address those pressing issues first by ensuring that people are housed and able to make a thriving wage.

17. If there is anything else you would like to address, please do so here

My vision for my campaign has been for it to be collective and community-led. For anyone who has taken the time to read my responses, thank you, and please know that I believe in having an open-door policy. You are welcome to email me, call me, or reach out anytime to talk about your vision for Raleigh moving forward.