Garrett Raczek

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Garrett Raczek

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2019

Garrett Raczek ran for election to the Holly Springs Town Council in North Carolina. Raczek lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.

Raczek completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2019

See also: City elections in Holly Springs, North Carolina (2019)

General election

General election for Holly Springs Town Council (2 seats)

Aaron Wolff and Shaun McGrath defeated incumbent Cheri Lee, incumbent Tom O'Brien, and Garrett Raczek in the general election for Holly Springs Town Council on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Aaron Wolff (Nonpartisan)	26.3	1,665
✔	Submit photo	Shaun McGrath (Nonpartisan)	22.1	1,400
	Submit photo	Cheri Lee (Nonpartisan)	18.8	1,189
	Submit photo	Tom O'Brien (Nonpartisan)	18.6	1,175
		Garrett Raczek (Nonpartisan)	13.8	876
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	21

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,326
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Garrett Raczek completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Raczek's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in central New Jersey and my wife, Emilie, grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. We both came from working class families, with my mother working as a hairdresser and my father as a retail store manager. My parents regularly worked long hours for low pay and inadequate benefits, which was nothing new in my family given that my grandpa worked various manufacturing jobs after coming to the United States. These long hours and limited resources took a toll on my family. My grandpa's long battle with dementia; the early passing of my father from colon cancer; and my mother's continued efforts to pay off healthcare-related credit card debt while also serving as a caretaker for my grandpa and father were symptoms of a system with misaligned priorities and incentives.

It is this family history that has led me to work toward building a society that truly cares for all its people. My wife and I hoped to do our part in building such a society by entering the teaching profession. We met one another while teaching kindergarten at a school in Newark, New Jersey (yes, it is amazing to work alongside the love of your life!). Each day, my students inspired me to dream big and believe in a kinder, more caring world. After several years, I felt the need to do my part in addressing some of systems that were impacting the lives of my students and their families. So, I went back to school for my master's degree by getting an MBA, with a focus in non-profit management.

Hoping to raise a family, my wife and I decided to move to Holly Springs, NC. After living here for almost five years, we are incredibly fortunate to now have two happy, healthy sons. Having established these roots in the community, we hope to continue doing our part in working to build a society in which all members can live a happy, healthy, purposeful life.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Affordability: we must build a community in which all members can call home. This looks like: diversifying the types of homes we allow to be built; preserving affordable units; and building a local economy that builds wealth within the community.
• Environmental Protections: we must strengthen environmental protections, preserve green spaces, and advocate for clean air/water for all residents.
• Inclusive Government: we must proactively reach out to those communities being impacted by decisions. This looks like continuing to canvass neighborhoods and small businesses to talk directly with community members...even after Election Day.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I care deeply about the ability of all community members to live a happy, healthy, purposeful life. So, during this campaign, I am seeking to represent the people of Holly Springs by asking questions such as:

-What is it like to be a member of this community and see the rising cost of housing, all while wondering if Holly Spring is truly a place for everyone?
-What is it like to be a member of our senior community and wonder if you can age in place here?
-What is it like to be a lover of nature and continually see green spaces disappearing?
-What is it like to live on the west side of 55 or be a long-time resident and feel like you have been forgotten when it comes to infrastructure development?
-What is it like to be a member of Holly Springs' historic African American community and find yourself being displaced by road extensions?
-What is it like to be in close proximity to the landfill and have a drastically reduced quality of life?
-What is it like to fear for your safety or the safety of a loved one due to speeding cars through one's neighborhood?
-What is it like to be stuck in traffic, knowing that you're missing time with your family?
-What is it like to work for this town but can't afford to live here due to your income?

-What is it like to be a small business owner and feel as though this area is increasingly becoming too costly for you to establish roots in your community?

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2019 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic