Jonathan Lambert-Melton
Jonathan Lambert-Melton is an at-large member of the Raleigh City Council in North Carolina. He assumed office on December 2, 2019. His current term ends in 2026.
Lambert-Melton (Democratic Party) is running for election for an at-large seat of the Wake County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Lambert-Melton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jonathan Lambert-Melton earned a bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University in 2008 and a law degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2011. His career experience includes working as a lawyer.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Wake County, North Carolina (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large (2 seats)
Gary Hartong (R) and Kyle Stogoski (R) are running in the general election for Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Gary Hartong (R)  | |
 | Kyle Stogoski (R) | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large (2 seats)
The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Marguerite Creel | |
 | Christine Kushner | |
 | Jonathan Lambert-Melton | |
 | Kimberly McGhee | |
| Robert Mitchener | ||
| Steve Rao | ||
 | Mona Singh | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Gary Hartong (R) and Kyle Stogoski (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2024
See also: City elections in Raleigh, North Carolina (2024)
General election
General election for Raleigh City Council At-large (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Raleigh City Council At-large on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Stormie Forte (Nonpartisan) | 28.7 | 99,779 |
| ✔ | | Jonathan Lambert-Melton (Nonpartisan) | 24.3 | 84,441 |
 | James Bledsoe (Nonpartisan) | 14.1 | 48,990 | |
 | Reeves Peeler (Nonpartisan) | 9.9 | 34,214 | |
| Katherine Pate (Nonpartisan) | 9.3 | 32,423 | ||
 | Joshua Bradley (Nonpartisan) | 7.7 | 26,727 | |
| Robert Steele Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 5.2 | 18,230 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 2,541 | ||
| Total votes: 347,345 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Lambert-Melton received the following endorsements.
2022
See also: City elections in Raleigh, North Carolina (2022)
General election
General election for Raleigh City Council At-large (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Raleigh City Council At-large on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Stormie Forte (Nonpartisan) | 23.2 | 61,026 |
| ✔ | | Jonathan Lambert-Melton (Nonpartisan) | 19.2 | 50,539 |
 | Anne Franklin (Nonpartisan) | 14.8 | 38,975 | |
 | John Odom (Nonpartisan) | 14.0 | 36,700 | |
| James Bledsoe (Nonpartisan) | 11.9 | 31,257 | |
 | Portia Wilson Rochelle (Nonpartisan) | 9.6 | 25,256 | |
| Joshua Bradley (Nonpartisan) | 6.9 | 18,143 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 1,069 | ||
| Total votes: 262,965 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Melton's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2019
See also: City elections in Raleigh, North Carolina (2019)
General election
General election for Raleigh City Council At-large (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Raleigh City Council At-large on October 8, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nicole Stewart (Nonpartisan) | 33.7 | 30,960 |
| ✔ | | Jonathan Lambert-Melton (Nonpartisan) | 23.1 | 21,183 |
 | Russ Stephenson (Nonpartisan) | 19.4 | 17,805 | |
| Portia Wilson Rochelle (Nonpartisan) | 12.5 | 11,449 | |
 | Carlie Allison Spencer (Nonpartisan) | 6.0 | 5,502 | |
| James Bledsoe (Nonpartisan) | 4.9 | 4,484 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 382 | ||
| Total votes: 91,765 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To see a list of endorsements for Jonathan Melton, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jonathan Lambert-Melton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lambert-Melton's responses.
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I have experience working across jurisdictions with county government, school leaders, nonprofit partners, and the state to deliver results on complex challenges. I understand how Wake County and its municipalities must coordinate on growth, infrastructure, public services, and fiscal responsibility as the region continues to expand.
Professionally, I am an attorney and mediator, which informs my approach to public service: thoughtful, detail-oriented, and grounded in accountability. I believe good governance requires careful planning, transparency, and collaboration.
If elected, I would also be the only LGBTQ commissioner on the Wake County Board, bringing lived experience and representation to ensure county policies reflect and serve the full diversity of Wake County. My motivation for public service is simple: to help build a county where people can afford to live, move easily, and feel represented by their local government.- I bring proven local government experience and a track record of delivering results. As an at-large member of the Raleigh City Council and former Mayor Pro Tem, I have worked on housing affordability, land-use reform, transportation, and economic development. I understand how Wake County partners with cities, schools, nonprofits, and the state to solve complex challenges, and I am prepared to bring that experience to the County Commission.
- Wake County’s rapid growth demands thoughtful planning. I am focused on expanding access to attainable housing, investing in infrastructure and transit, and ensuring growth is fiscally responsible. My approach emphasizes coordination across jurisdictions so growth strengthens our communities rather than straining services or pricing people out.
- I believe county government works best when it is collaborative, transparent, and accountable. If elected, I would be the only LGBTQ commissioner on the board, bringing both professional experience and lived perspective. I am committed to inclusive leadership that listens to residents, works across differences, and delivers practical solutions that improve everyday life in Wake County.
I care deeply about ensuring people can afford to live in the communities where they work, have reliable transportation options, and access essential services. I am also committed to good governance—policies that are data-driven, fiscally responsible, and implemented through collaboration with municipalities, schools, and nonprofit partners. My goal is to help build a county that is inclusive, well-planned, and positioned for long-term success.
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.
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 19, 2024 |
Jonathan Lambert-Melton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lambert-Melton's responses.
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- Our public safety issues require a comprehensive approach, encompassing work in the areas of housing for the unsheltered, overall housing affordability, and support for our first responders. Our efforts on public safety are showing results. To recruit and retain good qualified first responders, I have supported efforts to increase the salaries of these critical workers. I have also voted to increase the number of our first responders, including creation of our ACORNS unit, comprised of officers and social workers who address mental health and other related crisis issues, as well as a special unit to patrol our greenways. I will continue to support efforts to prevent gun violence, including voluntary gun buyback programs.
- Raleigh is going to continue to grow at a rapid pace; my promise is to ensure that our city remains a great place to live and work for everyone. To do that, we must continue to address housing affordability and find a balance that provides for smart growth including more housing options throughout the city. I have supported the City’s efforts to provide over 5,500 affordable housing units in Raleigh by 2026 – and we are on target to meet that goal. Raleigh’s growth can’t come at the expense of its longtime residents, and our efforts to end exclusionary zoning throughout the city relieves pressure of gentrification in our neighborhoods.
- Access to safe, frequent, and reliable public transit is a major issue for Raleigh; for many folks, transit is a lifeline to employment, retail and services, and friends and family. We are so far behind as a city and a region on implementing non-car infrastructure that works for more people. Thankfully, we are finally making progress with the start of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT, like light rail on wheels) in Raleigh.We must continue to prioritize and fund transit investments. Those investments should include consistent funding to increase frequency on our regular, traditional bus routes, more funding for bike lanes and sidewalks, and funding to complete all four planned BRT routes.
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.
2022
Jonathan Lambert-Melton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lambert-Melton's responses.
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- Responsible Development: Raleigh is a rapidly growing city. It’s an exciting time to live here. But with that growth comes challenges, like infrastructure and transportation needs. I am an advocate for responsible development that is mindful of these needs. Public transportation should be safe and accessible to all, especially to those who rely on it most. I am also working to find solutions to protect and increase affordable housing, so that as Raleigh continues to grow, we ensure there remains space and opportunity for all. Looking forward, we must continue to work to reduce car dependency by placing goods and services closer to people.
- Innovation: Our city cannot afford to stifle innovation. We must continue to be a place that is accepting of new ideas and businesses. I govern from a place of “yes” when confronted with new opportunities. I am also committed to making doing business with our city more efficient, especially as it relates to construction and permitting. Many small business owners simply cannot afford to endure long delays in the permitting and construction process.
- Equality and Equity: As a former community organizer and nonprofit leader, I have seen firsthand what happens when we greet all people with open arms. During my first term, I led on requesting oversight capabilities for our newly-created police advisory board, on drafting new rules of decorum and public comment for council meetings (reducing barriers to addressing City Council), on including renters in notices of new projects, on suspending fares for public transit, and on enacting a Nondiscrimination Ordinance protecting residents and visitors from discrimination in private employment and public accommodations. We all share in the responsibility to guarantee Raleigh is a diverse, open and welcoming city for all.
After years of trying the same old solutions to our city’s challenges, I have embraced innovative new solutions by listening to voices from across our city, not just a select few with a connection to City Hall. In my first term, I have worked to:
(1) Expand housing affordability, including ‘missing middle’ housing for working families;
(2) Raise pay for first responders and enter new partnerships to find alternative responses to 911 calls;
(3) Strengthen protections for all city residents through a Nondiscrimination Ordinance;
(4) Ensure that goods and services are available closer to where people live;
(5) Improve Raleigh’s public transit system.
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.
2019
Jonathan Lambert-Melton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lambert-Melton's responses.
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- Public transportation should be safe and accessible to all, especially to those who rely on it most.
- Our city cannot afford to stifle innovation. We must continue to be a place that is accepting of new ideas and businesses.
- We must ensure that access to city resources is equitable. I am committed to confronting injustices facing underrepresented communities and expanding protections for our LGBTQ neighbors.
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.
Campaign website
Melton's campaign website stated the following:
| “ | Raleigh is one of the best places to live and work. But our continued success depends upon a City Council that will address certain important issues.
I want to help.
Raleigh is a rapidly growing city. It’s an exciting time to live here. But with that growth comes challenges, like infrastructure and transportation needs. I will advocate for responsible development that is mindful of these needs Public transportation should be safe and accessible to all, especially to those who rely on it most. Many bus stops in our city lack shelters or lighting, especially in areas that are most dependent upon public transit for connectivity. This is an issue we must address immediately. We must also build more bike lanes, and begin building protected bike lanes, especially downtown, so that our citizens have more safe, diverse transportation options. I will also work for solutions to protect and increase affordable housing, so that as Raleigh continues to grow, we ensure there remains space and opportunity for all our citizens. We must focus on building density and height downtown and along our transit corridors. Allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) would immediately address some of or affordable housing needs. We should also allow duplex, triplexes, and fourplexes; these types of structures make housing more affordable while also reducing carbon emissions.
Our city cannot afford to stifle innovation. We must continue to be a place that is accepting of new ideas and businesses. Our leaders should come from a place of “yes” when confronted with new opportunities. Sometimes a new opportunity will also create new challenges; recent examples being ADUs, homestays, and electronic scooters. How we address these emergent issues says a lot about our city, and our willingness to innovate and grow. We should work to reach compromise solutions, rather than taking positions that are regressive. Many of these opportunities and challenges are facing other cities throughout the country; some of those cities have handled them well, and other cities have not. We must educate ourselves on best practices. It’s crucial that we get this issue right for continued growth and opportunities for our citizens. We must also make doing business with our city more efficient, especially as it relates to construction and permitting. Many small business owners simply cannot afford to endure long delays in the permitting and construction process. Our City Council should empower the city staff to streamline this process so that our city remains business friendly.
As a community organizer and nonprofit leader, I have seen firsthand what happens when we greet all people with open arms. We must also address inequities in our city, so that everyone who lives here has the opportunity to succeed. We must ensure that access to city resources is equitable. Many areas in our city have new community centers, with air conditioning, gym equipment, and well-maintained green spaces, while other communities do not. Too often the areas of our city that lack funding and resources are in communities of color. We must address this issue, quickly. I am committed to confronting injustices facing underrepresented communities and expanding protections for our LGBTQ neighbors. We all share in the responsibility to guarantee Raleigh is a diverse, open and welcoming city for all.[2] |
” |
| —Jonathan Melton’s campaign website (2019)[3] | ||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Wake County Board of Commissioners At-Large |
Officeholder Raleigh City Council At-large |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 11, 2026
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jonathan Melton's campaign website, “Issues,” accessed August 25, 2019
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