We filed today!

The McFarlane for Mayor campaign is now officially underway! Earlier this afternoon, I filed papers to become Raleigh's next mayor. I was joined by family, supporters and friends.

I'm proud to have been a part of the team that has helped make Raleigh the great place to live and work that it is. And as Mayor, I will continue to build on our accomplishments and keep Raleigh moving forward.

I hope you'll join me over the next few months as I visit neighborhoods across city. I am eager to hear your thoughts and ideas on how we can make our city even better. If you'd like me to knock on your door, please email rsvp.nancymcfarlane@gmail.com or visit my website.

Hope to see you out on the campaign trail!

--Nancy

Neighborhood Tour- Weathersfield Place

This morning we braved the heat to talk to some of the residents in Weathersfield Place, a beautiful neighborhood in North Raleigh. As their City Councilor I have visited this neighborhood in the past to discuss the residents' concerns over safety and traffic issues. I am happy to have helped my constituents successfully mediate issues with the city. On this trip I was looking forward to checking in with some of the people I met and to meet many others!

During this visit, I spoke with residents regarding Raleigh's growth and development, and specifically how we can retain Raleigh's charm while we manage our growth. I shared with small business owners my recent City Council proposal to establish a streamlined Small Business Initiative; this service would provide a one-stop shop for people seeking advice and support while starting and operating small businesses, a clear way to help us develop Raleigh's local talent, create jobs, and grow our economy.

Thanks you to the residents of Weathersfield Place for taking the time to talk about local issues!

Neighborhood Tour Stop #2

For the second stop on the Neighborhood Tour I visited Yorkshire Downs, a neighborhood adjacent to the second place my family called home in Raleigh.  Our backyards shared a ravine, so it was fitting that we were there to talk about stormwater issues. 

The neighbors contacted me to discuss their concerns about a city stormwater project. I have extensive experience with stormwater issues and projects so I was happy to listen and respond to their concerns.  The primary  intention of stormwater management projects are to control runoff for road safety, keep it out of people's backyards and to protect the health of the waterways.  However, I do also agree that any work the City does involving easement rights should end up increasing property values and not decreasing them - as is the concern here.  There has to be an on-going effort to balance development, environmental protection and neighborhood rights.  As Mayor I will continue to prioritize this balance, just as I have for years on the City Council

Raleigh Earns Two Honors from Forbes in One Week!

Raleigh has been named the "Next Big Boom Town" by Forbes.com:

• One-third of the criteria was job growth, both over the past decade and over the past two years.
• Two-thirds was a range of demographic factors including family formation, growth in educated migration, population growth, cultural amenities, employment opportunities and ease of starting businesses.
• Raleigh has experienced the second highest overall population increase.
• Raleigh has the third highest job growth over the past two decades. 

                                                                

Photo courtesy of RaleighSkyline

Raleigh was also named the "Best Town for Young Professionals:"

• Chosen from the 100 largest U.S. cities
• Forbes.com wrote: "The college town turned boom town, which tops our Best Places for Business and Careers list this year, has the fourth best job growth outlook of the cities we studied and 7.9 percent unemployment rate that is well below the national average."
• Raleigh received major praise for our institutes of higher learning and RTP, calling Raleigh "the most educated of the cities we looked at.

First stop on the neighborhood tour!

Over the weekend I kicked off my Neighborhood Tour with a stop in Brentwood. This was the first place my husband and I moved when we relocated to Raleigh almost 30 years ago. So it was very neat to come back to this community as I begin working my way through neighborhoods across Raleigh to learn about their individuality and strengths, needs and concerns.

I learned that Brentwood residents consider themselves "BTB" - between the beltlines! It really is a centrally located neighborhood with great access to both downtown and north Raleigh. People spoke highly of the quiet and safe neighborhood, clean streets, big shade trees, affordability and friendly neighbors.  The diversity of the community is also a strength that many neighbors appreciate. 

Thank you Brentwood for welcoming me into your homes and backyards and for your encouragement of my campaign for Mayor!