Good morning, readers.
For the second time in two months, a Raleigh city council member brought forth an action for a vote that came as a surprise to other members of the council.
At the end of the council’s regular meeting Tuesday afternoon, District A council member Mary Black introduced a Gaza ceasefire resolution with the intention of putting it forth for a vote. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said during a meeting last month that the Raleigh city council hadn’t come to a consensus on a ceasefire resolution and wouldn’t vote on one. Instead, she read a statement from the council.
“Our community is conflicted, but our values are evident,” Baldwin said. “We call for the protection of all civilians and humanitarian relief. We call for the safe return of all hostages. We, like many others in our country, call on world leaders to work toward an end to this conflict and a peaceful long-term solution. We call for peace at home and abroad.”
But some council members had been working on a draft of a ceasefire resolution in response to demands from hundreds of community activists who have been attending city council meetings for months.
At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, council members were handed a copy of the draft of that resolution, or a similar version, with the expectation that it would be brought forth for a vote. Black introduced the resolution after reading a passage from Angela Davis’s Freedom is a Constant Struggle.
“This is not the normal protocol for introducing a resolution, and receiving this just when we walked in chambers at 1 o’clock, it’s not the most considerate way to do something,” Baldwin said. “Usually we should all have time to read it, make suggestions. There might have been some changes we would have liked to have seen.”
Still, Baldwin made a motion for the council to proceed to vote on the resolution. That motion passed unanimously. Then the council voted on whether to adopt the ceasefire resolution, resulting in a 4-4 failed vote.
Council members Jane Harrison and Corey Branch each reiterated some of the sentiments from the original statement calling for peace. Branch, who voted against adopting the ceasefire resolution, said there is wording in the draft resolution he would have wanted to change.
“I just want to say I’m proud of us for getting here,” said Black following the failed ceasefire resolution vote; she, Harrison, and council members Megan Patton and Christina Jones voted in favor. “It’s been a long journey. One way another our voices and our votes needed to be apparent for the people in the community, one side or the other. And now that’s clear.”
Have a good Thursday.
—Jane
Clarification: In yesterday’s newsletter, we wrote that Phyllis Portie-Ascott was elected to the Orange County board of commissioners. While she currently serves on the board after being appointed, Portie-Ascott won the Democratic primary and will face a Republican challenger for the seat in November.
A message from our sponsor, Public Ed Works
North Carolina public education is in trouble and the future of our children is at risk. Join Public Ed Works in advocating for a robust public education system from Pre-K to college. Your support can help reverse NC’s low ranking in teacher pay and combat the 3,000+ teacher shortage. Let’s secure a brighter future by understanding and championing the benefits of public education.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay informed, inspired, and make a real impact. Together, we can celebrate a decade of advocacy in 2024, driving positive change for public education in North Carolina. Click now to shape the future!
Durham
Durham’s city council voted against extending a contract with ShotSpotter at its meeting on Monday following reports from researchers at Duke’s Wilson Center for Science and Justice.
Durham residents can share ideas for the Roxboro/Mangum Streets resurfacing project at an open house on March 12.
ICYMI: Here are election results for Durham County board of commissioners, school board, and NC Senate District 22 primary races.
Wake
ICYMI: Here are election results for Wake County district court, board of county commissioners, and various state house and senate primary races.
A runoff will take place in the Republican primary on May 14 for the 13th Congressional District which includes part of Wake County. Currently Democratic U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel represents this district, but he declined to run again after the district was redrawn to favor Republicans. Brad Knott, a former federal prosecutor who received 18.7 percent of the vote called for the runoff against Smithfield attorney Kelly Daughtry, who finished first with 27.4 percent.
Orange
ICYMI: Here are election results for Orange county school board and board of county commissioners primary races.
North Carolina
Michelle Morrow, a far-right, Moms for Liberty conservative who homeschooled her children, is the GOP nominee for state superintendent of public instruction, beating incumbent Catherine Truitt in the primary. Morrow ran unsuccessfully for the Wake County Schools board of education in 2022.
In a newly released video, GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson says he wants to “go back to the America where women can’t vote.”
Today’s weather
Sunny with a high of 67 degrees.
If you’d like to advertise your business to the Daily’s 30,000-plus subscribers, please contact [email protected]
Love the INDY? Support it by joining the INDY Press Club.
You must be logged in to post a comment.