In 2022, Mary Black was elected to the District A seat of Raleigh’s city council. During her first term, she was associated with support for city workers on labor issues, the restoration of citizens advisory councils, and community-oriented development. Black's 2024 re-election campaign has run into a formidable challenger, Mitchell Silver. He is a former New York City Parks Commissioner and has held other prominent roles.
Campaign finance disclosures show that Silver’s campaign has significant support from top figures in Raleigh’s business community, particularly in the real estate and construction sector. He raised about $55,000 between April and June 2024 [1]. Silver’s donors include real estate CEOs, entertainment entrepreneurs, powerful lawyers, and even a controversial mining family.
A striking number of Silver’s donors are affiliated with the real estate and construction business. Ten of his 25 top donors work in these industries as their current, main profession. When other meaningful links to the real estate and construction sector (previous career, secondary business, etc.) are included the figure rises to 16 out of 25.
For instance, Brenda Gibson currently serves as the chairperson of the Raleigh Police Department Foundation, a philanthropic group, but she previously worked as a real estate broker. Gibson donated $2,500 to Silver.
Eric Braun is the Vice Chair of the Raleigh Housing Authority, so the table (above) does not include him in the “Real Estate and Construction” category. However, Braun is a retired lawyer who “represented developers and property owners in a wide range of land use matters” according to LinkedIn. He donated $1,000 to Silver’s campaign.
A recent opinion piece in the News and Observer observed that a major issue in the 2024 city council races is the Raleigh Comprehensive Plan [2]. Last revised a decade ago, the document which "will shape how Raleigh evolves" is set to be rewritten and approved by the next city council.
Black's approach to development that would infringe on the profits of the real estate and construction sector [3]. In October 2022, she was asked about building a sports stadium in downtown Raleigh. Black was in favor, but with conditions:
“My position on a sports and entertainment stadium is contingent on the developer’s plans to include a community benefits agreement for stormwater protections, permanent affordable housing, living-wage jobs and workforce development”.
Naturally, developers would prefer support that isn’t “contingent” on anything.
Black has also advocated for “missing middle” housing, which she said, “is intended to be a solution that meets the growing demand for housing options between subsidized housing and market-rate housing. What’s missing in [recent zoning changes] is equity, and respect for the character and quality of the community.”
The upcoming revision of the Raleigh Comprehensive Plan, paired with Black’s views on community-oriented development, could explain why major figures in Raleigh's business establishment are opposed to the District A incumbent.
One of Silver's top donors is Bonner Gaylord, whose political committee gave the maximum legal amount of $6,400. Gaylord is the COO of Kane Realty, a real estate and construction company in Raleigh. Even a senior executive like Gaylord is a rather small fish in Silver’s pond.
An outright majority of Silver’s 25 top donors are principals at their place of work. Fifteen are founders, chairpersons, presidents, owners, or CEOs. Only three of the 25 are not senior figures at their businesses or institutions.
Daniel Lovenheim is another donor who gave the maximum amount of $6,400 to Silver’s campaign. He is the CEO of Oak City Group, an entertainment company based in Raleigh that owns restaurants, nightclubs, and a few other businesses. Lovenheim gained a bit of notoriety for using the valet zone of his nightclub, Alchemy, solely as a parking spot for his white Lamborghini. That led to the city council revoking the permit for Lovenheim’s valet zone in 2016 [4].
Michael Sandman, an attorney, donated $2,500 to Silver. Sandman is one of the three donors in the top 25 who isn't a senior executive, but even he is fabulously rich. His mansion in north Raleigh has been written up in Walter Magazine for its French gardens [5]. The article said that the Sandmans “visited Versailles” for inspiration as they designed a new home in the style of a “18th century chateau”. The magazine notes that the Sandmans aren’t skilled gardeners. Instead, the couple hires specialists to maintain the grounds so they can focus on “cutting roses for [the] home and playing with tomatoes and basil and tarragon”.
Out of eight members on Raleigh’s city council, Black is the only member who does not own a home. More than 200,000 people in the city, about half of its population, are renters [6].
Silver is also supported by the family that owns Wake Stone, a controversial mining company. Samuel and Theodore Bratton, who inherited the company from their father, each donated $1,000. Another top executive at Wake Stone also gave $1,000 to Silver's campaign.
Samuel, CEO of Wake Stone, has donated to dozens of Republican candidates since 2005 [7]. Theodore, the company’s chairman, is a registered Republican. However, the Brattons have also given money to many Democrats, suggesting more concern with protecting their business interests than partisan politics.
Wake Stone has been embroiled in a years-long battle to expand the Triangle Quarry onto land adjacent to Umstead State Park. Environmental groups like the Umstead Coalition, Conservation Fund, and Sierra Club have fought bitterly to prevent the expansion, warning of permanent damage to the natural beauty and recreational value of Umstead. In 2024, Wake Stone won a major victory when Judge Donald van der Vaart, a member of the right-wing Federalist Society, blasted through NC DEQ objections to pave the way for the quarry's expansion [8].
Black considers herself a “climate justice organizer” and she was endorsed by the Sierra Club during her 2022 campaign. However, it’s not clear whether the Raleigh city council has any authority over Wake Stone’s expansion into Umstead, so the Brattons’ support for Silver could arise from other considerations.
At the bottom of Silver’s list of donors, far below the top 25, is a different kind of problem for Black. Eric Solomon, the senior rabbi of the Beth Meyer Synagogue, is shown to have donated $100 to Silver. While the contribution is small, Solomon is a prominent citizen of District A.
In March 2024, Black spearheaded a resolution in Raleigh city council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to the News and Observer, the measure called for a “sustained bilateral ceasefire”, “release of all hostages in Gaza”, and an “end of U.S. military aid to the Netanyahu government”. The ceasefire resolution did not pass, receiving a tied vote of 4-4 [10].
Solomon wrote about his opposition to Black’s re-election in an August 2024 post on Facebook. He said he’d been “privately beseeching her to stop speaking and posting about the Gaza War” and that he’d asked “her privately to stop terrorizing the Jewish community”. One of Solomon's objections was that Black had been “holding numerous District A community discussions on the Jewish Sabbath”, which occurs every week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday [11].
Mary Black faces a high-profile and well-funded challenge from Mitchell Silver for her city council seat in District A. Black is recognized for her advocacy of sustainable development, city workers, as well as for her support of Palestinian liberation. Silver is a former New York City Parks Commissioner and has held other high-ranking jobs.
Raleigh’s business community, especially in the real estate and construction sectors, have donated generously to Silver. A main theme in the race is set to be the influence of property developers over public affairs in Raleigh.
Work Cited
1. "Mitchell Silver for Raleigh - Mid Year Semi Annual Report - Detailed Receipts", North Carolina State Board of Elections, 26 Jul. 2024, cf.ncsbe.gov/CFOrgLkup/ReportDetail/?RID=218665&TP=REC.
2. Barnett, Ned. “Two 2024 Races Will Play a Key Role in Raleigh’s Vision and Future.” News and Observer, 15 July 2024, www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article289953744.html.
3. Johnson, Anna. “Mary Black, Candidate for Raleigh City Council District A.” News and Observer, 25 Oct. 2022, www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/voter-guide/article267530473.html.
4. Zeugner, Abby. “You Can’t Park Your Lamborghini Here Anymore, Raleigh Tells Nightclub Owner.” News and Observer, 25 June 2018, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article213657384.html.
5. Walter Magazine. “A North Raleigh Couple Embraces La Vie En Rose in Their French Garden.” WALTER Magazine, 27 Mar. 2022, waltermagazine.com/home/sandman-garden.
6. “Raleigh City - Housing”, U.S. Census Bureau, data.census.gov/profile/Raleigh_city,_North_Carolina?g=160XX00US3755000#housing. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
7. “Donor Lookup - Samuel Bratton.” Open Secrets, www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Samuel+Bratton. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
8. Stradling, Richard. “Inside the Fight Over What’s Known as the RDU Quarry. Here Are Key Moments of Dispute.” News and Observer, 5 Apr. 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article287009530.html.
10. Johnson, Anna. “Raleigh City Leaders Split 4-4 on Surprise Gaza Cease-fire Resolution.” News and Observer, 6 May 2024, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article286295850.html.
11. “Post by Eric Michael Solomon”. Facebook, 11 August 2024, www.facebook.com/eric.m.solomon/posts/pfbid02BUWGkgry6Ssy9K82f4gJj15fFuZC1DtbhognEjpUNZG3Hv9UnbVdbdhjsnZDxiWyl. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.
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