Full name: Carissa Kohn-Johnson
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: https://electcarissa.com/
1) In 300 words or less, please give our readers your elevator pitch: Why are you running? Why should voters entrust you with this position? What prior experience will make you an effective member of Cary’s town council?
I am running for re-election to the Cary Council to continue building a resilient and accessible community for everyone. I lead with empathy and a practical focus on solving the big challenges facing our community, having called Cary my home for nearly three decades.
Voters should entrust me with this position because I am an unwavering advocate for locally focused progress. My platform is centered on fighting for:
Housing Affordability: The right to safe housing is non-negotiable. I have no monetary relationship with our development community, so I work with them as partners to expand affordable housing stock, ensuring essential workers and vulnerable neighbors can afford to live in the community they serve. My commitment includes championing Universal Design to make more accessible housing and spearheading the Stable Homes Cary program to prevent displacement.
Climate Action: Cary must lead in addressing the climate crisis. I am Sierra Club-endorsed because I am an assertive voice for environmental stewardship, working to protect our environment, mitigate heat island effects, increase green stormwater infrastructure capacity, and accelerate our transition to clean energy.
True Inclusivity: My approach is driven by my own lived experience at varied income levels. As an ally and champion for true inclusion, I commit to equitable policies that ensure every resident benefits from Cary’s resources and opportunities.
My prior experience is defined by dedicated service. I serve as the Liaison to the Senior Advisory Board and have delivered cost savings by championing the move of our elections to November. My most impactful work, however, is as a sworn Guardian ad Litem for abused and neglected children, alongside my state-level leadership as the Housing Workgroup chair for the NC Multi-Sector Plan for Aging. I show up for people, no matter what, and I am prepared to keep fighting and truth-telling.
2) What would your priorities be as a member of the town council? Please identify three of the most pressing issues Cary currently faces and how you believe the town should address them.
My priorities on the Town Council are driven by my belief that our local government must proactively address systemic challenges to ensure a resilient future that treats our residents fairly. I am laser-focused on practical, affordable local solutions that meet the needs of all residents, especially our most vulnerable.
The three most pressing issues facing Cary, and how I believe the town must address them, are:
1. Equitable Governance for All Ages and Abilities: We must ensure that as Cary grows, we institutionalize equity and support for all residents, particularly our growing population of older adults. My commitment to helping seniors is a core priority.
To support our Seniors, we must strengthen the foundation we’ve built through our incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable staff, particularly in the position of Program Manager for Seniors and Aging, which I helped create in our Town Manager’s Office. The focus of this role will enable Cary to deliver targeted, vital lifestyle services to our older adults, and I am committed to providing tireless support for this work. Additionally, my work with the Senior Advisory Board and at the state level informs my decisions, ensuring that our budgeting and policy choices are guided by fiduciary responsibility and equity. This guarantees that every demographic, regardless of district or political alignment, benefits fully from the town’s resources.
2. Housing Security and Affordability Crisis: The relentless rise in housing costs is a challenge for folks at many income levels, and it is straining and often pushing out essential workers, service workers, and seniors, threatening the economic diversity of our town. All leaders must treat this as a crisis.
Solutions to our housing cost challenges must be diverse and thoughtful. I will continue to work to significantly increase our affordable housing stock by scaling up successful public, private, and nonprofit partnerships. This is the primary reason I do not take campaign contributions from people in the development community. I want to avoid any perception of impropriety so that I can continue to work on bridging the gap between what has always been done and what is possible.
We must build more housing overall. Drawing on my experience leading the Housing Workgroup for the state’s NC Multi-Sector Plan for Aging, I believe that to get it right, we must prioritize incentivizing developers who commit to building reserved and naturally affordable units, as well as those implementing Universal Design features. By addressing both the pocketbook needs and the flexibility and usability needs of the physical space in housing, it becomes appropriate for people at nearly any age, ability, or stage of life. This approach removes accessibility pressures from the broader stock of market-rate housing. We need to build the right types of housing, in the right places, and in the right way.
Cary leaders like me should recommit to the housing efforts that are already working. I am firmly committed to collaborating with housing partners, such as Habitat for Humanity and other organizations that help people achieve homeownership. Additionally, we must continue to fully support municipal programs, such as Stable Homes Cary and Healthy Homes Cary, to keep individuals in their homes, maintain the comfort and livability of those homes, and offer critical relocation support to residents who are housing cost-burdened and being displaced through redevelopment.
Additionally, we have a key opportunity to simplify our town’s development process and reduce the overall cost of housing for homebuyers and renters. We can achieve this by moving away from a patchwork, project-by-project zoning approach toward a strategy of “surgical upzoning.” This means strategically and precisely redesigning zoning in specific, targeted corridors. By doing this, we make it inherently simpler to build higher-density housing where infrastructure can already support it. This move will reduce unnecessary delays and administrative costs, which are typically passed on to consumers, resulting in better-placed housing with less unpredictable disruption to our existing, stable neighborhoods.
3. Aggressive Climate Action and Environmental Stewardship: The climate crisis demands that Cary become a genuine Green Leader, protecting our natural resources while mitigating environmental impacts in our built environment.
To address climate change at the local level, I will continue to tirelessly advocate for environmental protection by fiercely advocating for built environments in Cary that exceed minimum development standards. When we collaborate with the development community to drive innovation in their redevelopment projects, the benefits are two-fold. One, new projects can solve for existing challenges, and second, we can encourage a built environment that addresses climate change challenges. This includes utilizing and encouraging high-volume green stormwater infrastructure as well as avoiding the creation of additional heat islands in our built environment.
Our council policy should also prioritize diverting organics from the landfill through composting, protecting our waterways, and accelerating the adoption of clean energy and solar power across both the municipal and private sectors. We must use policy to proactively mitigate negative climate impacts and foster a more resilient community, as the policies of local governments have an outsized impact on citizens’ day-to-day life and the quality and health of their immediate environment.
3) What’s the best or most important thing the Cary town council has done in the past year? Additionally, name a decision you believe the town should have handled differently. Please explain your answers.
A very important thing our council has done since I joined in 2022 is moving our elections to November,. I am enormously proud of having led the charge to move our municipal elections away from a stand alone October date. We also changed to a plurality method to avoid the costly and low turnout runoffs. This saves the town and taxpayers over half a million dollars every two years and will increase voter engagement. Anything we can do to make voting more accessible is essential to our health as a community, and anything we can do to make our processes more efficient and less expensive is a win.
Something we could have handled differently is how we approached the Housing Bond. I acknowledge that the information provided to the public regarding the recent housing bond was a significant communication opportunity missed. Our Town of Cary staff, particularly within the housing and planning teams, are exceptionally knowledgeable and effective—they possess the skill and insight necessary to develop sophisticated, targeted solutions to our housing challenges. However, we failed to translate the specificity and effectiveness of their detailed housing plan into clear, compelling educational materials for our voters. I am grateful that Cary voters hold our bond referendums to a critical, discerning standard, and I am confident that by working harder to clearly communicate the excellence and practicality of our staff-driven plans, we can earn their full support in the future.
4) President Trump is working to ramp up deportations and curtail visas. At the same time, the state legislature has passed laws requiring agencies to cooperate with ICE. What do you think the town council can or should do to ensure safe, welcoming communities for immigrants in light of these policies?
Just shy of 25% the residents of Cary were born in another country, and our diverse community is one of our core strengths. I hear from residents who are incredibly concerned about their safety and due process, including those who are naturalized citizens.
The primary thing we do in Cary to ensure that our community feels safe and welcoming is our commitment to going beyond just having “cops”; we have a remarkable and professional public safety team. The Cary public safety approach reflects our collective commitment to ensuring everyone feels respected and protected. This isn’t just lip service; I believe our police chief has assembled a genuinely exceptional group of officers who successfully deliver on his community policing promises.
This is why I support paying public safety personnel well and ensuring they have the resources they need. I want everyone to feel safe reaching out for help and calling 911 in an emergency or reporting crimes without fear of putting their families at risk. I don’t have control over what is happening federally, but I can support a people-first approach here in my hometown.
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 the town council to address climate resilience, particularly flooding?
The catastrophic flooding caused by climate-driven events like Tropical Storm Chantal, which brought deadly, record-setting rain across the Triangle, is not a theoretical threat; it’s an urgent public safety and equity crisis. As a proven stormwater hawk on the council, I believe Cary must immediately move beyond reactive measures and adopt an aggressive, data-informed flood resilience strategy.
The approach I advocate for must be twofold:
First, Cary needs to plan proactively with flood risk data that reflects the impacts of climate change. To address future “exceptional pluvial events,” we must stop relying solely on FEMA flood maps. I will push the town to fully integrate the more granular and forward-looking flood and rain event risk data from organizations like the First Street Foundation into our long-term planning. By considering this comprehensive data, which places greater emphasis on recent storm data and relies less on 100-year averages, we can better prepare to understand and mitigate the true flood risk across Cary, especially in historically underrepresented or marginalized neighborhoods.
Second, Cary must incorporate advanced green design and innovative water management to secure our environmental future. Beyond our existing and exceptional stormwater infrastructure requirements, the single most critical step we can take toward true climate resilience and flood mitigation is aggressively reducing the amount of impervious surface area across the town. This is a foundational issue that requires policy, partnership, and innovation, and I intend to drive these systemic changes.
We must make smart, comprehensive design the standard, moving beyond mere compliance. This includes advocating for permeable pavement in parking lots and driveways, and the town should reduce lawns in our public spaces and encourage and incentivize homeowners to embrace natural, absorbent landscapes over traditional, highly compacted grass lawns to maximize absorption at the source. Plus, we must relentlessly protect, expand, and enforce riparian buffers along our waterways, treating these natural systems as sacred flood-mitigation infrastructure.
In parallel with these design changes, I support utilizing cutting-edge civil engineering practices to manage high-volume rainfall and improve water quality. This means partnering with developers to install rain vaults and large cisterns to collect significant volumes of rainwater. This process not only captures runoff and reduces the load on our drainage system, but also allows suspended sediments to settle, thereby reducing turbidity in our streams. Additionally, in our denser urban centers, we need to ensure our tree canopy can thrive. Investing in tech like Silva Cell systems for new street trees is essential; these structured-soil trenches provide the uncompacted space necessary for tree roots to grow large and healthy, maximizing the trees’ ability to absorb stormwater and provide essential cooling benefits. My goal on the Town Council is to support strong governmental policies that encourage this holistic approach while actively incentivizing its use where we cannot mandate it. I will continue to work tirelessly to partner with developers and community organizations who commit to leading the way in building a greener, more resilient Cary, because I hear from residents nearly every day that this is what they want to see in our community.
6) Federal funding cuts this year have hit the Triangle particularly hard, from cancelled grants to layoffs, and local government officials are having to make difficult decisions about what to fund and how. What are your ideas for how the town council can prioritize competing funding needs, close funding gaps, and support impacted residents?
I approached our budgeting process for the upcoming fiscal years with the assumption that intergovernmental funding, as well as sales tax revenues, were at risk. This is part of my fairly conservative approach to finances as I spent a lot of years living paycheck to paycheck, so I do not make assumptions that the money will be there when leading indicators, federal policy, and lessening consumer confidence are telling me that those dollars may not be.
Our current fiscal year budget is a critical maintenance budget; we have chosen to fund existing services at their current levels and put a hold on non-essential capital projects. When I speak with citizens, I tell them the truth: without significant cuts to the services we have today, I don’t see a path to avoid additional property tax increases in our current economic climate. I know voters don’t like to hear it any more than I like to say it, but I do not want to get re-elected by pandering or lying to voters. I have had a lot of conversations about priorities and where potential cuts should be.
I support property tax rate smoothing to lessen the burden of sudden shocks to taxpayers, such as the one we experienced when I first joined the council. Based on our financial projections for required maintenance funding, especially for our roads, and the revenue needed to sustain current service levels, I believe we must prioritize financial stability. Rather than risking future large, reactive tax hikes, we should commit to a predictable and stable tax rate for the immediate future. This proactive planning ensures responsible governance and avoids unnecessary surprise burdens on our residents.
7) Describe what sustainable growth and development mean to you. Additionally, what is another municipality you believe has made smart decisions related to growth and development that could be similarly implemented in Cary?
Sustainable growth and development, to me, is the pursuit of long-term community well-being through a path and a plan that prioritizes fiscal health, human flourishing, and environmental stewardship over short-term expansion gains.
I view sustainable growth through three interconnected lenses, which ensure that our progress is both responsible and equitable.
First, through fiscal solvency and incremental growth. This means managing our town’s assets as a long-term investment portfolio. We must prioritize financial health and transparent accounting by ensuring that all new town-driven development is fiscally productive and is a net positive for the community. We achieve this by fostering slow, steady, and incremental development in existing areas, which adds value without incurring massive, long-term infrastructure debt. Of course, this must be accomplished while staying within our powers and respecting that property owners do have rights, and our job is not to obstruct development and growth, but to work hard to make it positive for the community. I know it may not feel like it, but we have had a significant decrease and growth over the last few years. I think we all feel the disruption more now that there are infill projects and it seems like there is always a construction project going on right next door.
Second, a community plan for human-scale development and inclusivity. Growth should be centered on people, not just cars. Sustainable development is human-scale, meaning we should build streets, neighborhoods, and infrastructure that are safe, walkable, accessible, and productive. This includes prioritizing affordable housing and promoting inclusivity so that essential workers, seniors, and those at modest income levels can all afford to live and thrive in the community they serve.
Third, sustainable growth requires green leadership. Sustainability requires a commitment to the natural environment. We must start with our municipal projects and also utilize all the tools at our disposal to encourage private entities to do the same. To me, being a green leader means preserving our tree canopy and promoting new growth for future generations, reducing environmental impacts wherever possible, and investing in resilient infrastructure, such as green stormwater solutions.
A great example of well-planned sustainable growth is in Duluth, Minnesota. They earned the many accolades they have received. Their Climate Emergency Declaration and resulting plan are thorough and addresses everything from air quality to green stormwater infrastructure and urban forest preservation. While they are a very different place from Cary, they have done some incredible work, and there is a lot to learn from places that are meeting the moment and tackling climate resilience well.
8) Last year, Cary voters rejected a $560 million parks bond referendum. Do you think this was the right move? Under what circumstances would you support a new parks bond? More broadly, what level and types of investments should Cary be making in its parks in the coming years?
I trust Cary voters to vote their conscience and to consider the costs and benefits, balancing those with their own lives, needs, and concerns. When I joined the council, I inherited the final decision-making on existing plans for significant expansions in our community centers, parks, and recreation which were exceptional in their scope. They also came with a very big price tag. The only way I was willing to support moving forward with them in our current economic climate was with resounding approval from the voters that they were willing to pay for that level of expansion in Cary facilities and parks. Their answer was clear, so we must go back to the drawing board.
If you talk to 100 Cary citizens, you will hear 100 different perspectives on priorities and interests. Part of my job is working to deliver what they need and want in a fiscally responsible way. We do need expanded community and senior centers, but we need to approach the issue in a scaled-down way and get creative.
9) Cary voters also rejected a $30 million affordable housing bond referendum last election cycle. Do you think this was the right choice? Under what circumstances would you support a new affordable housing bond? How would you like to see the town approach affordability issues over the next few years?
I think there were two primary reasons why the housing bond failed to pass. First, it came alongside the parks bond, and immediately followed a significant revaluation of property values and a large tax increase. Residents were hit hard in their pocketbooks to fund the delivery of existing services.
The numbers indicate that a significant percentage of voters supported the housing bond but opposed the parks and recreation bond. And I spoke to many people who voted no on the housing bond, and they overwhelmingly said that we were not specific enough on how the money would be used to support housing affordability in Cary. This is a big lesson learned. We have some of the smartest and well-informed voters in the nation, and if we lay out a comprehensive plan in detail, I believe we can pass a housing bond that will be incredibly effective, thanks to our staff talent and community partnerships that will enable us to get it done right.
I respect voters for choosing how to spend their hard-earned dollars and using their voices at the ballot box. The hard truth is that we need affordable housing in Cary, and it can’t just come at the expense of taxpayers. We must be more creative in our solutions. The solution will be complex and involve dozens of complementary and relentless public, private, and non-profit efforts, so that each drop in the bucket will add up. My job as a policymaker is to identify leaks and facilitate collective action.
10) How can Cary improve its pedestrian infrastructure? With regional commuter rail effectively off the table, how should it look to improve public transit options for residents?
My vision for improving Cary’s pedestrian infrastructure and public transit begins with the Multimodal Center. This facility is much more than just a building; it represents the future of transit integration in Cary. It will serve as the crucial hub for our GoCary bus system and, eventually, the planned regional commuter rail, creating a people-centered nexus for travel. This investment signals a commitment to connecting all parts of Cary and the Triangle, giving residents real alternatives to driving and making our transit system more viable and competitive.
To truly transform how people move locally, we must simultaneously and aggressively improve walkability. We can’t simply build new greenways for recreation; we must focus spending on closing missing sidewalk gaps between homes and essential destinations like schools, shops, and bus stops – all while prioritizing our adopted Vision Zero goals for traffic and pedestrian safety. By prioritizing high-utilization walking and biking paths, we get the most bang for our buck and ensure that more of our residents can safely and conveniently opt for walking and biking. This targeted approach to pedestrian connectivity, alongside our valued Greenways, is the fastest and most efficient way to achieve a truly integrated, multimodal town in our current economic climate.
11) If there are other issues you want to discuss, please do so here.
I believe one of the most urgent investments the Town of Cary must make is in our senior center facilities and programming. The reality is that Cary is no longer just a young, growing suburb; demographic data shows that our median age is just shy of 40 years, making us one of the oldest municipalities in Wake County. Our residents love Cary and choose to retire here. We must honor this commitment by providing the modern spaces and programming they deserve to remain active, social, and healthy.
The need is clear: the current Cary Senior Center in Bond Park is aging and no longer sufficient for our growing senior population and I regularly hear requests for more classes and programming. The most popular activities are pretty challenging to register for and they are typically at capacity.
Beyond a single facility upgrade, we must also plan for the future. As Cary continues to grow outward, I will push for staff to take on a feasibility study to identify a location for an additional senior center or satellite facility. This second location is essential to ensure that all residents, especially those in our rapidly developing western and southern areas, have convenient access to the resources they need. Investing in senior facilities is not just about buildings; it’s about investing in the quality of life for the dedicated residents who have helped make Cary the thriving community it is today.
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