Your guide to the 2011 Raleigh City Council and Wake County Board of Education elections.
Voter Guide 2011
George Morgan (D)
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Age: 65
Occupation: Retired Wake County Teacher
Website: www.georgemorgan2011.org
George Morgan did not return our request to be interviewed for this voter guide.
Voter Guide 2011
John Odom (R)
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Age: 64
Occupation: Owner of Three Meineke Car Care Centers
Website: www.odomforcouncil.com/
John Odom did not return our calls requesting an interview for this voter guide.
Voter Guide 2011
Heather Losurdo (R)
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Age: 40
Current Occupation: Parent
Website: www.heatherlosurdo.com
How long have you lived in Wake County? Three years
Do you have children in the district? Two in middle school
Why have you decided to run for office? I’m tired of sitting back and waiting for the person to come in and do the things that I think need to be done to make Wake County schools the best they can be for our kids. What are the three biggest issues you think the Wake County Public School System faces?
Voter Guide 2011
The Housing Bond Explained
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In addition to choosing candidates, Raleigh residents will cast their votes Oct. 11 for or against two bonds worth $56 million to fund transportation and affordable housing projects. Of that $56 million, $16 million will be put towards affordable and work force housing endeavors. So here is a breakdown of the housing bond. If approved, the bonds would enable the city, acting as a lender, to provide loans to non-profit and for-profit developers to build or rehabilitate homes for low- and moderate-income residents.
Voter Guide 2011
Racquel Williams (I)
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Age: 36
Occupation: Author and Motivational Speaker
How long have you lived in Raleigh? Since 2007. Why have you decided to run for office? I feel like I’m called to this area called government. I’ve been studying for the last 13 years.
Voter Guide 2011
Paul Terrell (R)
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Age: 48
Occupation: Lead Manufacturing Maintenance Technician for CREE, Inc.
Website: www.voteterrell.com
How long have you lived in Raleigh? 10 years
Why have you decided to run for office? I was asked to. I’ve run for State House twice before in a minority district, so I was asked to step up. What do you think are the three biggest issues the city faces and how would you address them?
Voter Guide 2011
Eugene Weeks (D)
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Age: 70
Occupation: Educator, Retired Military
Website: www.weeksworks.com
Why have you decided to run for office? The same reason I decided to be an appointment — I wanted to make sure I’m still here to increase the quality of life in southeast Raleigh for not only the citizens in southeast Raleigh, but the City of Raleigh. What do you think are the three biggest issues the City of Raleigh faces and how do you plan to address those issues? One of the issues would be our transit and transportation and we already have a bond referendum coming out there: housing, and increasing business opportunities. We’re already addressing one on the transportation bond.
Voter Guide 2011
Shelia Jones (D)
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Age: 48
Current Occupation: President of J.T. Locke Resource Center
Why have you decided to run for office? I feel that there’s a disconnection between community and government, and I want to make a change to bring community and government together. What do you think are the three biggest issues the city of Raleigh faces and how would you address them? One is economic, which is getting job training in some of the lower-income family homes, which that’s where I work at — getting them aware or getting them back, loosen up in trust in the government to get them back into the workforce or school. Environmental is another — making sure that, in the environment, that our water is not being wasted or contaminated, as well as our nature continue to be preserved.
Voter Guide 2011
Kevin Hill (D)
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Age: 57
Occupation: Teaching Assistant Professor, College of Education, NCSU
Website: www.hillforboe.com
How long have you lived in Wake County? 45 years
Do you have children in the district? No
Why have you decided to run for office? I think it’s important … that at least one member on that board has public school experience.
Voter Guide 2011
Caution: Elections May Cause Confusion
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Whether voters prefer the excitement of standing in line on Election Day or would rather vote ahead of
the crowds, casting a ballot is so easy, a 17-year-old could do it. But this year, many voters are going to be confused about which elections they can vote in and for which races, said Gary Sims, deputy director of the Wake County Board of Elections. Some Wake County residents will vote Oct. 11. Some will vote Nov.
