Policy changes may lie ahead for the Wake County Board of Commissioners as three of the board’s seven members face elections this year. 

While Democratic incumbent Susan Evans, the board’s vice chair, is running unopposed, that doesn’t mean we won’t see political shifts. In District 5, community activist DaQuanta Copeland is challenging recent appointee Tara Waters. Since both candidates are Democrats, the winner of the seat will be decided during the March 5 primary.

In November, Republican Jacob Arthur will face current board chair Shinica Thomas in District 6. Another Republican, Darren Eustance, unexpectedly dropped out of the primary race on January 26, leaving Arthur without competition for the GOP nomination. 

Arthur, who ran for school board in 2022, is campaigning on a platform of lowering taxes and spending, investing in law enforcement, and providing “accountability in public school funding.” 

He calls for Wake County schools to “prioritize academics, discipline, and teacher retention” over “DEI initiatives and liberal policies,” which he says have hurt the school system. Wing Ng and Cheryl Caulfield, conservatives who sit on Wake County’s Board of Education, both endorsed Arthur. Ng and Caulfield support “parent’s rights,” a political movement that criticizes inclusive curricula related to race and LGBTQ+ issues, as well as calls for increased oversight of teachers. 

The Issues

As the county’s population continues to grow rapidly, public schools have struggled to keep up with an equally fast-growing student population. Teacher pay, vacancies among support staff, and aging school buildings have all been topics of conversation in local government meetings. 

Last year, the school board requested a $55.8 million budget increase from the Board of Commissioners, which they approved over the county manager’s protests. The request included nearly $26 million for employee raises—a “bold ask” that Waters, then a school board member, said educators deserved.

Housing also remains top of mind for many voters this year as the real estate crunch continues. Property revaluations released in January show that many homes across Wake County have more than doubled in value since 2020, inciting fear among residents that property taxes will continue to shoot up. Buying a home is also still challenging as demand rises and supply falls. 

In District 5, which includes East Raleigh, it’s a battle between two strong liberal candidates. Appointee Waters and community activist Copeland are equally qualified for the job of commissioner, says Wake County Democratic Party chair Kevyn Creech, who had a hand in nominating Waters to the board in January.

Waters moved into her seat on the Board of Commissioners after two years on the Wake County school board, and has a background in education as a former employee of Wake Technical Community College. Currently, she’s manager of the Volunteer Raleigh program, working to connect volunteers with city departments and local nonprofits. 

“In addition to supporting the students, I’m now able to support their families, their neighborhoods, their communities as a whole,” Waters says. “It’s a more holistic ability to make impact.”

Copeland, meanwhile, has more than 20 years of community service under her belt, along with a year-long gig as the county’s first-ever Community Engagement Coordinator for the housing department. 

“[The job is] very intentional on connecting with the community, getting community feedback, and designing things with community in mind,” she says. “I’m the bridge with the crosswalk. Sometimes we get a bridge, sometimes we get a crosswalk, but it’s not often we get both—I get to be both.”

Copeland has also served on the county’s Board of Health and Human Services, and currently runs 2B’s Brains and Brothers, a nonprofit that “supports and empowers youth in reaching their full potential,” according to social media.

Investment in Education

Waters and Copeland have similar platforms but different priorities. Waters, who has a strong focus on education, says she hopes to demonstrate the need for more funding to state legislators by connecting them with teachers, students, and parents on the ground.

“Build[ing] stronger relationships with members of the General Assembly to bring awareness to the growing needs that our schools have is a top priority,” she says. “It’s one thing to make decisions when you are in an office, but once you have a chance to hear the stories of what our educators are facing, those shortfalls … tremendous investment is needed.”

Waters also hopes to reduce some of the racial disparities she sees in her district, in housing and healthcare, for example. She mentions caring for the area’s growing senior population, as well as “wraparound services” for renters and homeowners, to prevent eviction for people who are at risk of losing their homes. 

Waters supports the county’s current approach to housing, which invests in a range of resources including homeless shelters, supportive housing, restoration and repair programs, and protecting existing affordable housing. But she says she’d like to take a closer look at how funding from various federal programs and grants is being spent.

As a commissioner, Waters wants to “​​triage the needs of our community members, to make sure that we are not leaving anyone behind,” she says. She also wants to “give voice to the unspoken needs” of people who may not feel empowered to attend a commissioners’ meeting, she adds. 

A Community-First Approach

Copeland is taking another shot at public office this year after running for Raleigh mayor in 2022. Copeland came in third to incumbent Mary-Ann Baldwin and fellow challenger Terrance Ruth, earning about 10.2 percent of the vote. But her community-first platform is still inspiring residents. Whether it’s solving the housing crisis or tackling other big issues in Wake County, “the engagement portion is major,” Copeland says. 

“Actually speaking to the people we’re advocating for, so that we can understand what their barriers are [is key],” Copeland says. “Once you know the barriers, then you can create around the barriers. But if you don’t live that life or that’s not your struggle … then it’s hard to understand what the need is today.”

As someone who is in daily contact with community members, Copeland says the biggest need is undoubtedly housing. With thousands of people experiencing homelessness, the county simply needs more places to live. For those on the brink of homelessness, timely access to resources and public programs is also a concern, Copeland says. 

“Our businesses, our faith-based community, and our local nonprofits … they are the real first responders in every situation,” Copeland says. “Because when someone is experiencing economic disparities, social disparities, financial disparities, they go to the churches, they go to the community leaders, they go to businesses looking for help. 

“If we can put them in place to be a part of the solution as a first responder, then the pipeline doesn’t have to be so strenuous or even more traumatizing.”

On education, Copeland is critical of the state’s private school voucher program, saying public schools have to stay competitive, becoming just as appealing as private schools. That definitely takes funding, she adds, and while the state has tied commissioners’ hands to some degree, they can help give local businesses, churches, and nonprofits the capacity to contribute.

Regardless of who wins, the new commissioner will bring a Black woman’s perspective to the board. Both candidates touched on the importance of reducing maternal and infant mortality rates for Black families. In North Carolina, the Black maternal mortality rate was 52.8 per 100,000 live births between 2016 and 2020 according to data that America’s Health Rankings broke down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For white mothers, that rate was 17.3.

Republican Representation

In District 6—which covers northwest Wake County up to Wake Forest and Falls Lake—voters are also facing a choice in November. If Republican Arthur beats Democrat Thomas, it would be the first time a member of the GOP has sat on the Board of Commissioners since 2014, says Gerry Cohen, a member of the Wake County Board of Elections.

“Over the last 20 years, Wake County has moved from a sort of purplish to red county to one of the most blue counties in the state, if you’re looking at statewide and federal election results,” Cohen says. “So there’s been a significant change, especially the last 15 years.”

Arthur has certainly highlighted that point in his campaign, attacking the current all-Democratic board. 

“Almost a decade of single-party rule on the Board has resulted in taxes consistently rising, public safety worsening, and public schools declining,” Arthur wrote on his website. “To avoid the perpetual decline seen in many counties in the country, Wake County needs a new voice for common sense policies. It is time for a change.”

Republicans will likely have an edge this election cycle due to a new law (HB 99) that Republican Rep. Erin Paré introduced in 2023. Under the law, which goes into effect this year, Wake County commissioners will be elected in a district-wide vote as opposed to the former county-wide vote. That means Republicans may have a stronger chance of getting elected in districts on the rural outskirts of the county, outside the liberal stronghold of Raleigh. 

In District 6, for example, about 49 percent of residents voted for Thomas’s Republican opponent in 2020. Thomas won by a much closer margin in District 6 than in the countywide contest, which she won with about 60 percent of the vote.

Cohen declined to make predictions about the races currently on the ballot but says that under the new plan, he “suspects … it’s likely that one or two of the districts probably will elect Republican members.”

Follow Staff Writer Jasmine Gallup on Twitter or send an email to [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].   

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