WE FOUND ONE

Wake Citizens Coalition has looked for just one Democrat who would actually defend Sig Hutchinson's outrageous $43,000 vacation tab billed to Wake County Taxpayers. We could not find one of Sig's associates on the Wake County Commission willing to defend the expense. 

We did however find one person, and just one, in over a million Wake County residents, willing to defend the waste. Who is it? 

John "just four pizzas" Burns

Of course, voters threw him out at the first chance they had - a Democrat primary. The same voters Sig Hutchinson now faces. 

John Burns now has decided to project his anger at the same group of voters that threw him out. This is nothing more than an embittered soul. 

Sad. 

HUTCHINSON LOSES BLACK SUPPORT

Elitist Democrat Sig Hutchinson, who has spent $43,000 in Wake County tax dollars jet-setting around the country, has now lost valuable support at home. The Raleigh Wake Citizens Association M-PAC has endorsed challenger Jeremiah Pierce.

MORE SIG SILLINESS

Commissioner Hutchinson - We do have this in downtown Raleigh. It's the RLine. Nobody rides it and it's drained countless millions from Raleigh taxpayers. 

WAKEUP RALEIGH

Recently Raleigh hosted a community engagement session with its 27 boards and commissions. 

Of interest? 

WakeUp Wake County's former director led a session on climate change:

Link

YEVONNE BRANNON: SMOKE POT FOR SCHOOLS

Smoke pot for schools. Yes, legalize pot for education dollars. 

$30 MILLION IN TAX DOLLARS FOR A PLUSH DOWNTOWN HOTEL

It appears that whatever plagued Mayors Meeker and McFarlane will continue with our current Mayor Baldwin. 

Case in point - a new hotel for Downtown Raleigh.

"The report notes the City Council and Wake County Board of Commissioners approved $30 million in hospitality tax money for the convention center last year to help develop the hotel."

N&O, 1-21-20

The same Raleigh City Council members and Wake County Commissioners would readily tell you we have a affordable housing crisis in Raleigh/Wake County. But they just spent $30 million to help develop a hotel in Downtown Raleigh. 

The same article notes:

"The recommendation says having a convention center headquarters hotel and tower with on-site, underground parking would help serve millions of annual visitors to downtown, increase residential and retail space downtown and help recruit a major anchor tenant."

We already have a convention center headquarters hotel downtown. It's the Raleigh Marriott City Center. And guess what? When constructed it received $20 million in taxpayer funding. It even has a tunnel running underneath Salisbury Street connecting it with the convention center. 

"When the Raleigh Marriott City Center was built, for example, the hotel's developer received a $20 million contribution from the county's hotel/motel/prepared food tax in exchange for a promise to hold at least 80 percent of the hotel rooms open for bookings attached to the convention center. Most of the tax funds were used to build the hotel’s meeting rooms and connector spaces to the convention center tunnel."

Triangle Business Journal, 8-27-15

So now we are at $50 million in subsidies for downtown Raleigh hotels funded every time a poor family takes their children to McDonalds to play on the playground for entertainment. Yes, those poor people paid the $50 million every time they went out to eat. 

Now John Kane wants $286 million in public funds for a private development project just down the street. 

As a point in comparison, guess who's not getting public money - Crabtree Valley Mall. 

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article239498378.html#storylink=cpy

Ths

This project will include retail, office space and a hotel - and no public assistance. 

These goodies only go to downtown. Raleigh's elite has poured hundreds of millions of public dollars into downtown. 

That's a lot of affordable housing, roads fixed, police officers paid, etc. 

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article239498378.html#storylink=cpy

WHO DOES BUSING IMPACT?

As the WakeUp Wake County School System begins to implement comprehensive policies on diversity, let's remember who gets impacted the most. The people they claim to help get hurt the most. 

N&O, 10-3-09