Charles Meeker to step down

A press conference this morning confirmed what many already guessed: that Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker would be stepping down at the end of this term. He stresses, though, that is isn’t planning to disappear!

Charles made some very good calls during his tenure as mayor, such as demolishing that butt-ugly old convention center in favor of the new one. This attracted business from out of down and opened up the beautiful Fayetteville Street for traffic and business, returning it to its rightful place as Raleigh’s “Main Street.” He guided the city through two droughts, a huge recession, and numerous storms. He led efforts to implement sustainability throughout the city projects, saving money in the long run. Accolades for our city piled up during his tenure.

One in three Raleigh citizens have never known another Raleigh mayor. They don’t remember the misguided practices of a few of his predecessors. Even for the rest of us, though, Charles has set the standard for what a mayor should be. The city has benefited greatly from his level-headed leadership.

(And had he opted to run again, he would’ve smoked the competition at the polls. I look forward to seeing who might step up to take his place.)