Name: Sana Siddiqui
Age: 43
Party affiliation:
Campaign website: www.sana4raleigh.com
Occupation & employer: Small Business Owner
Years lived in the area: 27
1. Given the direction of Raleigh’s government, would you say things are on the right course? If not, what specific changes will you advocate for if elected?
“Overall, I think Raleigh has a lot of positive momentum. We are growing, attracting new businesses and residents, and continuing to be a place where people want to live. But we need to do a better job of making sure our infrastructure, services, and affordability keep pace with that growth.
Housing costs are putting pressure on renters and homeowners, small businesses are facing rising costs, and we have significant needs in transportation, stormwater, and other infrastructure. We also need to continue investing in the City workforce so we can recruit and retain the people who provide essential services to residents.
If elected, I would focus on increasing housing choices across different price points and being intentional about creating affordable options for low and moderate-income residents through public-private partnerships. I would also work to align development with investments in transportation and infrastructure, support competitive pay and working conditions for City employees, and make it easier for small businesses to start, grow, and stay in Raleigh.
I also want stronger community engagement so residents have clear information about what is being decided, how it affects them, and how they can participate.”
2. If you are a candidate for a district seat, please identify your priorities for your district. If you are an at-large candidate or running for mayor, please identify the three most pressing issues the city faces.
“1) Affordability & Smart Growth: Raleigh is growing fast, and we need to make sure affordability, infrastructure, and City services keep pace. We need more housing choices across different price points, intentional investment in affordable housing for low and moderate-income residents, and better coordination between development and investments in transportation, stormwater, and other infrastructure.
- Small Businesses: Small businesses are an important part of Raleigh’s economy and our neighborhoods, but rising costs and complicated processes can make it difficult to start and sustain a business. I want to make permitting clearer and more predictable, improve access to existing grants and resources, and create more opportunities for entrepreneurs and home-based businesses to test their ideas and reach customers through low-cost markets, vending opportunities, and other platforms.
- City Services & Workforce: As Raleigh grows, our City services need to keep pace. We need to invest in our City workforce, from 911 operators, firefighters, and police officers to the employees working every day across City departments to serve our community. We need to make sure we are paying people competitively and creating a workplace where people want to stay.
I also want to strengthen community engagement so residents have a good understanding of what is being decided, how it affects them, and how they can participate.”
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 have a unique mix of professional, entrepreneurial, civic, and community experience that has prepared me well to serve on City Council.
I spent 15+ years across engineering and product management, working with global teams and managing budgets and priorities for multimillion-dollar product lines. I worked across different teams, balancing competing needs and bringing people together to get things done.
As a small business owner, I’ve worked alongside other small businesses at Raleigh pop-ups and farmers markets, and I understand the day-to-day challenges they face, including rising costs, permitting hurdles, and access to resources. I’ve lived many of these challenges myself, which is why I know the City can do better for small businesses.
For the past five years, I have worked closely with the City of Raleigh to host events that are free for the community and create low-cost opportunities for small businesses and artists. I have served on multiple Raleigh advisory boards, including the Hispanic and Immigrant Affairs Board and Human Relations Commission, and currently serve on the Environmental Advisory Board. Through this work, I’ve gained firsthand experience with City departments and processes. I also recently completed my term on the advisory board for NC State’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
I stay closely connected to residents through Get 2 Know Raleigh, a community platform I created to highlight local businesses, events, and what is happening across Raleigh. I spend a lot of time listening to people from different parts of the city, and I would bring that same approach to City Council.”
4. Raleigh voters will have the option to support a $101.5 million housing bond and a $101.5 million transportation bond this fall. Do you support the bonds? Why or why not?
“Yes, I support both the housing and transportation bonds.
As discussed above, housing affordability is one of the biggest challenges facing Raleigh, and we need continued public investment to create and preserve housing that is affordable to low and moderate-income residents. I support the housing bond’s investment in affordable housing development and preservation, homebuyer assistance, homelessness response, and the redevelopment of City-owned properties.
I also support the transportation bond. Our transportation infrastructure has not kept pace with our growth, and we have significant needs across the city. The bond will invest in road projects, sidewalks and bikeways, traffic safety, and neighborhood traffic management. These are investments we need to make as Raleigh continues to grow.
These bonds are part of the City’s Steady State funding model and will not require an additional property tax increase. I encourage Raleigh voters to support both bonds this election.”
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 2025. How would you like Raleigh to address climate resilience, particularly flooding?
“I currently serve on Raleigh’s Environmental Advisory Board and truly believe that we need to take climate resilience seriously, especially when it comes to flooding, which is already affecting neighborhoods across the city.
We need to continue investing in maintaining and upgrading aging stormwater systems and prioritize areas where residents are already experiencing flooding. We should be addressing these problems before major storms expose the gaps.
We also need to make sure new development does not make existing flooding problems worse. I am particularly concerned about areas south of downtown around the Walnut Creek watershed, where stormwater flows downstream from more developed areas of the city. Flood risk, increased runoff, and downstream impacts should be considered as part of development decisions. We should also continue investing in green stormwater infrastructure that can help absorb and manage runoff.
As Raleigh grows, preserving existing trees and adding more trees should continue to be part of how we plan for long-term climate resilience.”
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?
“Unexpected challenges will always come up in large infrastructure projects. We need realistic cost estimates, timelines, and an understanding of potential risks before projects begin. Once a project is underway, we need regular checkpoints to identify delays or rising costs early. When a project changes significantly from what voters were originally told, residents deserve a clear explanation of what changed, why, and what happens to the funding that was committed to it.
I would also like to see a publicly accessible dashboard of major capital projects showing timelines, budgets, funding sources, key milestones, and changes as they occur. This would give residents and Council a better way to track projects and make sure the City delivers what was promised.”
7. Last fall, 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 is home to people from all over the world, and everyone who lives here should feel safe accessing City services, calling 911, reporting a crime, or asking for help when they need it.
Immigration enforcement is primarily a federal responsibility. But we have a responsibility to keep our residents safe, communicate with them effectively, and build trust with the communities we serve.
When federal enforcement activity is happening in Raleigh, residents need quick, accurate information instead of rumors and fear. The City should communicate verified information through trusted channels and work closely with community organizations that already have relationships with immigrant communities.
We should also continue connecting residents with legal aid, know-your-rights information, and other resources so people know where to turn when they need help. As an immigrant myself, I want our immigrant communities to feel safe and know that Raleigh is their home and that their City government is here to serve them.”
8. Many local municipalities, including Cary, Durham, and Apex, have introduced moratoriums on new data centers in order to study their impacts and develop regulatory policies. Should Raleigh consider a data center moratorium like its neighbors or should it continue to evaluate proposals for data center projects that require the city’s approval on a case by case basis?
“I am glad that the current Council is considering a six-month moratorium on data centers. Raleigh already has regulations around data centers and currently has several smaller-scale facilities. Major data centers are limited to industrial zoning districts and require a special use permit.
But when we are talking about hyperscale facilities, the impacts can be very different. These facilities can have significant impacts on energy and water use, surrounding communities, noise, and infrastructure, and there are also concerns about the impact on energy costs.
I support the temporary moratorium because it gives us time to better understand these impacts and put clear standards in place. I support having those standards established upfront rather than having to address the same concerns project by project as proposals come before the City.”
9. Last year, the Raleigh Police Department came under scrutiny for its handling of the investigation into the crash that killed Tyrone Mason. Additionally, a former senior officer was fired in May 2025; 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?
“Trust between residents and RPD has to be built through transparency and accountability. When serious incidents happen, residents need clear answers and confidence that concerns are being taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
When something goes wrong, we also need to understand why. Was there a gap in policy, training, supervision, or process? What needs to change so it does not happen again? Those lessons should lead to actual changes within the department.
City Council does not manage the day-to-day operations of the police department, but it does have a responsibility to ask questions, look for patterns, and hold City leadership accountable. We also need to support our officers with competitive pay, good training, and clear expectations. We can support the people doing this difficult work while also holding the department to a high standard.”
10. How should the city of Raleigh address homelessness encampments? Have city initiatives such as the Bringing Neighbors Home pilot program been successful in your view? What more should the city do to address unsheltered homelessness?
“I think Bringing Neighbors Home seems to have been a successful pilot. The program helped transition about 45 households from the Dix Park encampment toward permanent housing. The results are encouraging, and I would like to see us build on what we learned from this.
Clearing an encampment without somewhere for people to go does not solve homelessness. We need continued outreach, housing assistance, supportive services, and coordination with Wake County and community partners so people have a path into housing before an encampment is closed.
We also have to address the larger housing affordability problem that is contributing to homelessness in the first place. That includes investing in deeply affordable and supportive housing and preventing people who are already struggling from becoming homeless.”
11. As the city adds to its housing stock, how should it continue to address affordability? Do you have ideas on ways the city can work with housing developers or property owners to keep housing affordable for residents?
“North Carolina law limits Raleigh’s ability to require affordable units in new developments. The City does use incentives such as additional height and density in exchange for affordable housing, and we should continue that approach. In rezoning cases, developers can also offer contributions to the City’s affordable housing fund as part of their zoning conditions.
I believe people at different income levels should have opportunities to live anywhere in Raleigh rather than affordable housing being concentrated in certain parts of the city. As we grow, we should look for opportunities to create affordable housing options across the city, particularly in areas with access to transit, jobs, and services.
It is important that we continue working with developers and property owners to incentivize affordable units while also partnering with organizations like CASA and the Raleigh Housing Authority to create deeply affordable options for residents who will not be served by the private market alone.”
12. Raleigh’s CACs 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?
“Restoring the CACs is a step in the right direction, but many residents still don’t know what they are or how to participate. We also haven’t reactivated all CACs across the city yet, and that is something we need to continue working on while making sure more people understand what they are and how to access them.
Many people don’t participate in formal City processes, but they are deeply connected to their own communities through faith-based groups, immigrant communities, small business networks, or other organizations they trust. The City should be more intentional about building relationships with these groups and encouraging their representatives to be involved with the CACs, so information can reach more residents through their existing networks.
We also need to do a better job of closing the loop. When residents take the time to show up or give feedback, they should know what happened with that input and why a decision was ultimately made. Even when people disagree with the outcome, they deserve to understand how we got there.”
13. How should the city address public safety downtown, including around the central bus station and Moore Square Park and in Glenwood South?
“I have spent a lot of time in downtown Raleigh and at Moore Square over the past five years, where I host a free monthly community event series. Downtown needs to be a place where residents, visitors, businesses, and the people who live there feel safe.
There isn’t one solution to every public safety issue downtown. I recently attended a neighborhood meeting regarding Glenwood South where residents asked for a more consistent police presence during times when we know there is more activity. I think the City should listen to those concerns and work with residents and businesses to find solutions that improve safety without hurting our small business community.
At the same time, not every situation requires the same response. When issues involve homelessness, mental health, or substance use, Raleigh CARES and programs like ACORNS can help connect people with services rather than relying only on enforcement. I support continuing to invest in Raleigh CARES. The focus now should be on using data to improve the program, strengthening staffing and training where needed, and making adjustments so it works as intended.
We also need to continue investing in the physical environment downtown, including lighting, clean and well-maintained public spaces, pedestrian safety, and keeping these areas active. Public safety is about proactively creating an environment where people feel comfortable being downtown instead of responding after something happens.”
14. If there are other issues you want to discuss, please do so here.
“I’ve lived in Raleigh for 27 years, I am an NC State alum, a small business owner and I’ve built deep connections with communities across the city. The past 10 months of campaigning have only strengthened those connections. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to residents, attending community meetings and events, and hearing directly from people about what they love about Raleigh and where they want to see us do better.
I’m proud that I’ve run a grassroots campaign focused on bringing people together and staying connected to the community. If elected, I would bring that same approach to City Council by listening, asking questions, and making decisions based on available data and the needs of the people who live here.”
