Raleigh City Council has one new face after Tuesday's election, even as every other incumbent on the ballot held onto their seat. Sana Siddiqui won one of the two at-large council seats, placing among the top two finishers in a four-way race, while voters also approved a combined $203 million in housing and transportation bonds that officials say will not raise property taxes.
Siddiqui's win fills the opening created when Councilman Jonathan Lambert-Melton chose not to seek reelection and instead ran for a Wake County commission seat, according to WUNC News. She is now Raleigh City Council's newest member. Incumbent Stormie Forte retained the other at-large seat, continuing a lead she held through the primary, when she topped the at-large field with 32.7% of the vote compared to Siddiqui's 23.6%, per Technician. Joshua Bradley, a four-time city council candidate and North Carolina Green Party member who had edged James Bledsoe by 589 votes to reach the general election, lost his bid for a seat this time.
Incumbents Hold Every District Seat
Outside the at-large race, Raleigh's district incumbents swept their contests. Mitchell Silver retained his District A seat by defeating Whitney Hill, while Jane Harrison kept District D by beating Jevon Smith, and Christina Jones, who has held her position since 2022, defeated Marc Scruggs to keep District E. Corey Branch, a long-serving council member seeking a sixth term, won his District C rematch against Jared Ollison. Megan Patton ran unopposed for a second term in District B.
The night's other headline was at the top of the ticket. The Associated Press called the mayoral race in favor of Janet Cowell on Tuesday night, giving her a win over Ashleigh Heath Armstrong, as first reported by the News & Observer. Cowell has served as mayor since 2024, and because Raleigh's mayoral term changed from two years to four years after this election, she will now serve until at least 2030.
Cowell Begins a Four-Year Term
Cowell begins a four-year mayoral term after serving two years in office.
Tuesday's election also marks the start of a staggered-term system for Raleigh's at-large seats, a change the News & Observer's earlier election coverage laid out in detail. Under the new structure, the at-large candidate with the highest vote total receives a four-year term, while the second-highest vote-getter serves two years. In earlier election coverage, the outlet reported that all incumbent council members were ahead after early-voting results came in, with Forte and Siddiqui leading the at-large field.
Voters Approve $203 Million in City Bonds
Beyond the council races, Raleigh voters approved both the housing and transportation bond referendums on the ballot. Each bond was set at $101.5 million, for a combined $203 million, and officials say the bonds will cost taxpayers no extra money because funding will come from the city's Steady State fund, which accumulates annual sales and property tax revenues for major capital projects, WUNC News reported.
The housing bond directs $57.6 million toward developing and preserving affordable housing, $12 million toward reducing homelessness and $10.4 million toward homebuyer assistance, according to the city. The transportation bond allocates $51.5 million to roadway and bus rapid transit projects, designates $40 million for citywide transportation plans and system-wide programs, and holds $10 million for neighborhood traffic management, the city says.
Both bond measures passed alongside the council results.
