Raleigh’s Black community deserves a mayor who will make their issues a priority

Raleigh’s mayor

Raleigh citizens shouldn’t be surprised by Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin’s bewilderment about what is bothering some in the Black community. (May 27 Opinion)

Baldwin’s priority is development and fulfilling the agenda of developers. Other critical matters, such as affordable housing, gentrification and police reform, are mere nuisances. That is evidenced by her abolishment of Raleigh’s Citizen Advisory Councils, one of the most effective ways for Black citizens to engage with city staff and council members.

She also failed to give the police advisory board any meaningful powers and slow-walked formation of an African-American Affairs Board.

Developers need a rezoning or want a tax increment grant? Baldwin gets it done. But when Black citizens repeatedly ask the mayor and City Council for actions on matters important to them, they get questions seeking clarity.

What’s clear is that Raleigh’s Black community deserves better and a mayor that will make them a priority.

Lynn Edmonds, Raleigh

NC tree bill

Trees are essential to the health of our planet, yet we lose 30 football fields of trees every minute. We must plant billions of new trees worldwide and preserve the trees we have now to curb this loss.

But our legislature has proposed a plan to move in the opposite direction. House Bill 496, a harmful anti-tree bill, would seriously restrict our ability to maintain the lush and vibrant neighborhoods that are so characteristic of North Carolina.

In many cities, it would also allow developers to remove as many trees as they see fit. With all of the pressing issues facing our planet, we need all the help we can get maintaining our green spaces. Trees do so much to protect us, and now it’s our turn to do the same for them by opposing this bill.

Basil Camu, Raleigh

Certified master arborist

911 calls

The June 3 article concerning the understaffed 911 center in Durham left me bewildered. In what world does a government’s inability to provide these vital services not create a public outcry?

And it seems Durham is not alone. When Wake County’s 911 service has to pick up the slack from other understaffed communities in North Carolina, then this becomes a N.C. crisis.

Just as severe weather and other environmental events, poverty and national security issues are not contained within geographical jurisdictions, these are national issues and should be treated as such.

Mike Webb, Wake Forest

Infrastructure bill

Regarding “Biden wants bipartisanship to fail and the GOP blamed,” (May 28 Opinion):

Columnist Marc Thiessen’s crocodile tears about bipartisanship notwithstanding, his real objections to President Biden’s infrastructure package are cost and scope.

Those lead Thiessen to label the package “a radical left-wing agenda” and “socialist spending.” Never mind that both the cost and scope would be considered entirely normal in a decidedly conservative, decidedly anti-socialist country like Germany.

While the American right is busy throwing tantrums, the German right is busy assembling social, environmental, and infrastructure policies to improve the lives of citizens. Perhaps the American right could learn a thing or two from their capable, thoughtful German counterparts.

Scott Windham, Chapel Hill

Jan. 6 commission

The congressional vote against an independent and bipartisan commission to investigate the U.S. Capitol riot of Jan. 6 seems to me to have signaled a “win” for partisan bullies against the truth. Is this what our nation has come to?

Nancy Corson Carter, Chapel Hill

A living wage

Regarding “End extra federal benefits for NC’s unemployed workers, Burr and Tillis tell Cooper,” (May 26):

The problem is not increased unemployment benefits. The problem is that the minimum wage has not be raised in 12 years.

I know that isn’t a problem for Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis since both are wealthy and get paid $174, 000 year. But what about raising a family or even just yourself on less than $15 an hour?

When businesses pay their workers a living wage and treat them like adults they have no problem getting workers or keeping them.

Henry Jarrett, Raleigh

The filibuster

Much has been written about the filibuster lately that misses a crucial point: The filibuster is not mentioned in our Constitution. Not once.

Despite what some in the Senate may imply, the filibuster is just a procedural measure that can be changed at any point.

It is ridiculous that the obstructionist filibuster stands in the way of so many urgent priorities. The Biden-Harris administration seeks to pass necessary reforms, like urgent comprehensive climate legislation, a livable minimum wage, infrastructure investment, preserving our democracy, human rights and gun safety, but the threat of the filibuster puts our future in peril.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We need the Senate to end the filibuster immediately. We must not let a minority of senators continue to block the progress a majority of Americans voted for.

Mark Daughtridge, Durham