Candidate Questionnaire: Jane Harrison, Raleigh City Council, District D

Name as it appears on the ballot: Jane Harrison

Age: 39

Party affiliation: Democratic Party

Campaign website: JaneForRaleigh.com

Occupation & employer: Environmental economist, NC State University

Years lived in Raleigh: 10

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?

We are on the right course with talented City of Raleigh employees and a dynamic, creative community who care deeply about our capital city. Raleigh is a leader among N.C. municipalities in environmental sustainability, production of affordable housing, and financial health. The City is well managed and I’m committed to being responsive to resident needs. I will continue to advocate for greater tree protections, affordable housing in public and private developments, and fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars.

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.

My priorities are community engagement, affordable housing, and the environment. I want all voices at the table in decision making. It’s critical to me that we take care of our entire community, and not leave anyone behind. I’m committed to sustainable and inclusive development for Raleigh. We have a duty to share our abundance with the next generation.

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?

In my professional life, I work as an environmental economist for North Carolina Sea Grant, a NOAA program based at NC State University. I am faculty in NC State’s College of Natural Resources and Agricultural and Resources Economics Department. I have a Ph.D. in natural resource management and a master’s degree in environmental and development economics. My career in environmental research and policy has taught me how to tackle wicked problems and find common ground. I collaborate statewide with city planners and elected officials, private businesses, and residents to safeguard natural resources and make smart, long-term investments in infrastructure.

I chair Raleigh City Council’s Growth & Natural Resources Committee which allows me to help set our city’s environmental agenda. We are making great strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (21% per capita reduction since 2007!) and have more work to go in terms of climate justice and sustainability.

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. 

Missing middle policies have resulted in 2,000+ units approved or permitted with 200+ units of income restricted housing (60% of area median income for 30 years). I’m pleased to see more housing choices like accessory dwelling units and townhomes in what were single family neighborhoods. But I do advocate for missing middle reforms to improve neighborhood transitions and protect tree cover – two issues of concern that residents have raised repeatedly. Another concern is whether these new units are affordable, and to whom. Increasing market supply of housing helps to stabilize home prices and rents but it doesn’t create widespread affordability for low and middle-income earning households. We have more effective tools to build housing for low income individuals, primarily the state’s low income housing tax credit program.

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?

One major step we are taking is a new program to provide direct rental assistance for individuals experiencing homelessness. Federal programs from HUD offer housing vouchers but they take on average 5 years to access. The City’s program will have much less red tape and allow us to assist folks in need immediately. The idea is to get people into apartments and bypass shelter beds completely. Raleigh City Council approved $5 million in pilot funding and I expect we will need to increase funding to meet demand and achieve housing stability for our most vulnerable residents.

At every Raleigh City Council meeting, we approve funds and policy to increase the availability of affordable housing and preserve affordable housing for low and moderate-income residents. The City of Raleigh is purchasing property like the DMV site on New Bern Avenue to convert into income restricted housing. We also provide funds to subsidize affordable housing projects and reduce rents in partnership with non-profit housing developers. For example City Council approved funds to maintain naturally occurring affordable housing with the Grosvenor Gardens apartment complex in my district. Without our emergency funds, they would have had to raise rents for low-income tenants. I also work with private developers to ensure affordable, i.e., income restricted, housing is offered in rezoning cases. 

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 am dedicated to building out bus rapid transit and rail options like the S-line. In my term, City Council has continued to move these initiatives forward. We also must recognize that GoRaleigh and regional transit systems like GoTriangle already have millions of dedicated bus riders who depend on the bus to reach work and home in a timely fashion. We must increase frequent bus service (every 15 minutes) and add shelters, seating, and ADA compliant landing pads to bus stops. Our current transit users deserve reliable and high quality service.

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? 

Community engagement is one of my top priorities and that’s why I voted to establish a community engagement network and provide meeting resources to Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs). I’m also a proponent of Raleigh’s Neighborhood College, Citizen Leadership Academy, and the Raleigh Planning Academy. We need local residents to be knowledgeable and empowered to help shape Raleigh’s future.

Raleigh’s Office of Community Engagement has talented staff who are adept at soliciting community input and providing recommendations back to City Council. Their team should be brought in whenever significant policy changes are under consideration, for example, the relocation of Red Hat, missing middle, or redevelopment of the New Bern DMV site for affordable housing. The Red Hat discussion happened late in the game which made it more difficult to do ample community engagement. City Council only learned about the need to close South Street in June 2024 and had to decide in September whether to move forward with the Red Hat re-location. Significant decisions benefit from more time for public input.

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?

Downtown Raleigh is the City’s front door. I want to ensure that downtown is accessible, safe and inviting. I stay in touch with stakeholders like the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and local businesses and residents to advocate for their needs. I led on and supported numerous initiatives during my Council term that benefit downtown – expansion of the downtown municipal service district, increased police presence at the transit station and Glenwood South, public art, and studies to mitigate train noise and improve street layouts for walkability and safety. 

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?

I applaud RPD Chief Patterson’s focus on accountability. I have done several ride-alongs with RPD, visiting Glenwood South and neighborhoods throughout my district to see how the police operate. My experience is they are highly trained professionals who are capable of de-escalating tense situations. I am proud of their efforts downtown, where we have seen crime decrease by 22% from the previous summer. For any officer not following the RPDs code of conduct, they do not belong in Raleigh. Excessive force and unconstitutional acts result in disciplinary and legal action.

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. Our City Council made alternative crisis response a priority and I anticipated getting it off the ground fully with non-police community response teams by the end of our first term. But we still have more work to do. We were successful in budgeting monies for social workers to be hired in the 9-1-1 emergency call center and our Housing & Neighborhood Department. We approved funding to continue Raleigh Police Department’s ACORN program which partners social workers with police officers. We allocated funds to track non-criminal crisis requests and responses which will be displayed on the City’s website for accountability.

What the community still wants, and deserves, are community response teams that can be deployed to someone in crisis in real time. Folks experiencing homelessness or an acute mental health issue rarely need the police; rather, they need individualized care from folks with the resources to help them on their path to a stable home or better mental health. We need Wake County to partner with us – their resources are vital to making this a reality. Durham benefits from being the only municipality in Durham County and thus can more easily leverage city and county funds.

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?

I don’t anticipate any more changes at this time. To better manage the complexities of governing a large and growing city, City Council approved four-year staggered terms to begin in 2026. This decision was recommended by a Council-appointed election study group, and required three public meetings before Council moved forward. The structure is similar to many of our peer communities. For example, Durham City Council and Wake County Commissioners also serve four-year staggered terms with a primary. Longer terms provide continuity in planning and public infrastructure investments. It can take over a year for policy ordinances to go from City Council authorization through drafting and review by the Planning Commission to adoption and implementation. Governing effectively through this complexity demands a level of persistent attention and strategic focus that is challenging with 2-year election cycles. The four-year terms also require a non-partisan primary to ensure that the winner receives more than 50% of the vote. Without the term change, candidates could receive less than a majority of the vote and still win their election.