Wake County At-Large Commissioner: Who Will Lead on Housing Countywide?
See which local candidates makes the grade. Early voting through Feb 28. Primary Day is Mar 3.
The Wake County At-Large County Commissioner race is competitive on the Democratic side, with seven candidates vying for two countywide seats in the primary. Voters may select up to two candidates, and the top two vote getters will advance to the general election. The Republican primary is not competitive this cycle; we will evaluate those candidates’ housing positions ahead of November.
These at-large commissioners will help shape countywide decisions on housing funding, homelessness response, infrastructure investment, and coordination with municipalities on growth and zoning reforms. We believe housing is the measure of whether our leaders are ready to welcome growth and build a more affordable future.
We evaluated candidates based on their understanding of the County’s housing responsibilities, their support for expanding housing supply and affordability, and their willingness to use county tools to address the region’s housing shortage. Below is our full breakdown of each candidate and why they earned their grade.
Jonathan Lambert-Melton earns an A for his proven pro housing record and continued leadership. As a Raleigh City Councilor, he has been a champion of zoning reform, ADUs by right, missing middle housing, and ending exclusionary zoning. He consistently supports both housing supply and targeted public investment in affordable housing. Jonathan understands that supply, subsidy, housing stability, and transit all work together, and has backed housing first programs, tenant protections, and transit oriented growth. His commitment to expanding these reforms countywide demonstrates the kind of leadership needed to address Wake County’s housing shortage at scale.
Steve Rao earns a B for his support of missing middle housing, transit oriented development, and predictable permitting reform. He is the only candidate who offered a concrete proposal - to restore the Wake County Housing Fund from $5 million back to $10 million - demonstrating a commitment to affordability. While he emphasizes affordability targets, we would like to see a stronger and more explicit commitment to expanding overall housing production across income levels as the central solution to Wake County’s shortage.
Mona Singh earns a B. She did not submit responses to our questionnaire, so we evaluated her based on public statements and interviews. She has identified housing affordability as a top priority and supports expanding multi unit housing, reducing parking minimums, and aligning higher density development with transit and infrastructure. While we would welcome more specificity around county level land use strategy, her positions reflect meaningful support for increasing housing supply and affordability in Wake County.
Christine Kushner earns a C. She recognizes the need for more affordable housing and supports expanding ADUs, duplexes, and multifamily housing in urban areas, as well as housing vouchers and property tax relief for vulnerable residents. However, her responses reflected a broad, values based approach rather than a detailed strategy for how Wake County can use its specific tools, including zoning coordination, predictable permitting standards, and county level housing funding, to meaningfully increase supply and support stability. While she connects housing to schools and overall community well being, we did not see a comprehensive housing plan proportional to the scale of the region’s challenges.
Kimberly McGhee earns a C. She did not respond to our questionnaire, so this grade reflects her public statements and interview responses. She speaks frequently and substantively about housing, particularly around preserving naturally occurring affordable housing, preventing displacement, and expanding public funding for affordability and homelessness response. While she clearly understands housing as a serious county issue, her platform centers on subsidy and preservation strategies and does not articulate a clear approach to expanding overall housing supply. A comprehensive pro housing strategy requires pairing affordability tools with consistent production across income levels, and we did not see that balance reflected in her public positions.
Robert Mitchener earns a D. While he acknowledges that Wake County faces a housing shortage and expresses support for affordable housing and nonprofit partnerships, his responses did not demonstrate a clear understanding of the core mechanisms that drive housing production or the County’s specific responsibilities in funding, land use coordination, and homelessness response. His emphasis on property tax relief and general reform, while helpful for some residents, does not address the structural supply and affordability challenges facing the region. We did not see a comprehensive or actionable housing strategy reflected in his answers.
Marguerite Creel earns an F. She did not respond to our questionnaire, and her public materials do not articulate a coherent housing policy for Wake County. In her public responses, questions about sprawl and housing were redirected toward unrelated priorities, and her comments on homelessness focused on relocating individuals rather than addressing housing supply, rental assistance, supportive housing, or the County’s funding role. We did not see engagement with the core systems that shape housing outcomes. Wake County’s housing shortage requires actionable, policy-based leadership, and housing solutions are not reflected in her platform.
Transparency matters.
These assessments are based on candidate questionnaire responses to our housing questionnaire, other published questionnaires and public forums. Our pro-housing questionnaire was developed collaboratively with RDU New Liberals, Yes! in My Triangle YIMBYaction chapter, and Strong Towns Raleigh Local Conversation. Each group may also share candidate recommendations or endorsements.
We encourage you to read each candidate’s full questionnaire responses and public statements before voting.
Candidates who did not respond are noted above; grades reflect publicly available records.
Housing decisions shape affordability, neighborhood stability, and whether our communities welcome new neighbors. Share this guide with a friend, ask candidates where they stand, and make your plan to vote.