I attended a candidate forum at St. Aug Monday where two mayoral candidates and all the District C candidates were addressing the mostly-student audience. The audience was a bit reserved and the candidates mostly spoke of vague goals. In general, the forum seemed kind of dull.
Then Raquel Williams, one of four candidates for the District C seat, stood up and told her remarkable story. Ms. Williams is a smart, hard-working woman who has far more education than I’ll ever have and she earned it as a single parent of four children. Her personal narrative described her path through college, which was sidetracked four times by pregnancies.
Each time Ms. Williams said “and I got pregnant again,” mayoral candidate Dr. Randall Williams’s eyebrows would shoot up and he would squirm uncomfortably in his seat. I swear he was about to fall out of his chair! Dr. Williams, an obstetrician who has delivered 2,500 babies, seemed ready to hop up any moment and give Ms. Williams some family planning advice!
While I am proud of the job Eugene Weeks has done as the District C councilor and support his reelection campaign, I am impressed with Raquel Williams’s accomplishments and hope she will play a greater role in the city in the future. Also, while I fully support Nancy McFarlane’s mayoral bid, I hope Randall Williams will remain engaged in Raleigh’s future.