Christina Jones, candidate for Raleigh City Council, District E, answers our questions

Raleigh voters will pick a new mayor and City Council members this November.

All eight council seats, including the mayor’s, are up for grabs, with all the incumbents except for current Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin seeking another two-year term.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Early voting runs from Thursday, Oct. 17, through Saturday, Nov. 2.

To help inform voters across the state, this candidate questionnaire is available to be republished by local publications in North Carolina without any cost. Please consider subscribing to The News & Observer to help make this coverage possible.

Name: Christina Jones

District/seat: Raleigh City Council, District E

Political party: Democrat

Age as of Nov. 5, 2024: 39

Campaign website: christinaforraleigh.com

Current occupation: City Council member

Education: BFA - Southern Methodist University

Offices Sought/Held: Incumbent City Council member, district E

Please list any notable government or civic involvement.

I have participated in free classes from the city to learn about leadership and our city departments. I have also worked with Citizens Advisory Councils since 2017 and won a seat on City Council in 2022.

Which Raleigh City Council district do you live in? E

What is the top issue facing Raleigh now and how would you address it?

Affordable Housing. In my first term, I was able to partner with developers on multiple cases who offered almost 300 affordable units as community benefits for their projects.

What is your strategy for increasing affordable housing in Raleigh?

Working together with our development partners is how we are working to include affordability for the long term. As our housing bond comes to a close, it is important that we continue talking about funding opportunities for future growth.

Should the city be more aggressive about requiring affordable units from developers or partner with nonprofits?

State law prohibits us from requiring Inclusionary zoning. The efforts of encouraging community benefits has begun to see some growth in affordable units on the ground, but zoning approvals do not answer the current lack of housing.

Do you think Raleigh can support concert venues both downtown and in Dix Park?

I believe we need to work with the Dix Park Conservancy to strategically work on parking for increased usage of the park.

Do you think Raleigh can support concert venues both downtown and in Dix Park?

Yes

Would you describe Raleigh’s growth as too fast, too slow or just right?

We are rapidly growing, and we need to ensure that our infrastructure is able to keep up with the pace of growth in Raleigh

Do you think Raleigh is losing too many historic properties? If so, how should this be addressed?

Yes. We have the Historic Development Commission working on helping to protect Raleigh’s history and, as their council liaison, I am the person amplifying their concerns to council on issues like the Prince Hall Overlay District. I am proud of their work and will continue to advocate for further protections.