WAKE WATCH

wakecitizens@gmail.com
919-771-3736

For Immediate Release

Contact: Joey Stansbury
September 18, 2018

RALEIGH’S PROPOSED CIVIC CAMPUS MUST GO BEFORE VOTERS

Raleigh, NC - Raleigh’s City Hall dates to 1983. Now Raleigh city leaders want to tear down city hall
and replace it and the former Raleigh police headquarters with a new Civic Campus. Initial estimates
put that cost at $165,189,000. Now those costs have ballooned to $190 million.

Smaller bond packages the Raleigh City Council put before voters:

2014 publicly approved Parks & Greenway Bond: $91,775,000

2007 publicly approved Parks & Greenway Bond: $88,600,000
2003 publicly approved Parks and Greenways Bond: $49.2 million
2011 publicly approved Transportation and Housing Bond: $56 million

Downtown Raleigh projects that eluded public votes:

Raleigh Convention Center: $443.4 million (includes interest payments)

Raleigh City Plaza: $15.8 million (includes interest payments)
Raleigh City Plaza renovations: $2 million
Fayetteville Street opening: $21.4 million (includes interest payments)
Red Hat Amphitheater: $2.1 million (includes interest payments)
Moore Square: $12.6 million (does not include interest payments)
Exchange and Market Plazas: $1.2 million
Dix Park land purchase $58 million (includes interest payments)

Total: $553 million in downtown Raleigh projects financed without voter approval.

McFarlane has defended the city's work on the project but said she's willing to rethink the
proposal and possibly hold a referendum to seek public guidance. "That specific building is
probably dead," she said Tuesday, referring to the earlier design.

Mayoral candidate Nancy McFarlane commenting on Raleigh’s proposed public safety center
building.

Raleigh News & Observer – September 21, 2011

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/21/1505012/mayoral-candidates-find-common.html
(Emphasis added)

(Wake Watch is a Wake Citizens Coalition project.)

 WAKE WATCH
wakecitizens@gmail.com
919-771-3736

Raleigh City Councilman David Cox is currently the only city council member who has publicly
announced his support for a public vote on this project:

David Cox I support a public vote

Like · Reply · June 23 at 11:55am
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RaleighDistrictB/permalink/1725947070767408/

Wake Watch Editor Joey Stansbury stated:

“Last year the number one issue facing the City of Raleigh has been the Citizen Advisory Councils
and the broader question of how to effectively engage Raleigh’s citizens. However annually we see
the Raleigh City Council bypass citizen engagement as it relates to costly downtown projects. In
recent years Raleigh has spent over $550 million dollars on lavish downtown Raleigh projects with no
voter input. The Raleigh Civic Campus would add $190 million to that figure.

In 2011 Mayor McFarlane even publicly stated the public safety center renovation project should have
a public vote. The Raleigh Civic Campus is essentially the same project. We hope she will not back
off her previous commitment.

If the Raleigh City Council is truly sincere in its commitment to citizen engagement they will put this
proposal on the ballot for voter approval. Nothing short of this will suffice.”

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(Wake Watch is a Wake Citizens Coalition project.)