Russ Stephenson
Russ Stephenson is a former at-large member of the Raleigh City Council in North Carolina. Stephenson lost the general election on October 8, 2019. Stephenson was the runner-up in the general election, and because no candidates received a majority of the vote, he could have called for a runoff election on November 5, 2019. He did not call for a runoff election, meaning Jonathan Melton was declared the winner.[1]
Biography
Stephenson earned two bachelor's degrees, one in architecture and one in environmental planning, from North Carolina State University. His professional experience includes working as an architect and urban designer.[2]
Elections
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 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. | ||||
2017
The city of Raleigh, North Carolina, held municipal elections for mayor and city council on October 10, 2017. A runoff took place on November 7, 2017, in those races where no candidate received a majority of the vote. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2017. All seven council seats were up for election.
Russ Stephenson received a majority of the vote and was re-elected. While Nicole Stewart did not receive a majority, Stacy Miller declined to ask for a runoff.[3][4]
| Raleigh City Council, At-large Municipal Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Russ Stephenson Incumbent |
28.26% | 26,680 |
| Nicole Stewart |
23.00% | 21,714 |
| Stacy Miller | 16.55% | 15,623 |
| Shelia Alamin-Khashoggi | 11.46% | 10,822 |
| Zainab Baloch | 11.02% | 10,406 |
| Robert Ward | 7.52% | 7,104 |
| Rob Axtell | 1.99% | 1,878 |
| Write-in votes | 0.2% | 193 |
| Total Votes | 94,420 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake," accessed October 10, 2017 | ||
2015
The city of Raleigh, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and city council on October 6, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015.[5] In the at-large city council race, incumbents Mary-Ann Baldwin and Russ Stephenson defeated Matt Tomasulo and Craig S. Ralph in the general election on October 6, 2015.[6][7][8]
| Raleigh City Council At-large General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Mary-Ann Baldwin Incumbent |
31% | 19,086 | |
| Russ Stephenson Incumbent |
30.2% | 18,547 | |
| Matt Tomasulo | 24.4% | 15,002 | |
| Craig S. Ralph | 14% | 8,636 | |
| Write-in | 0.3% | 202 | |
| Total Votes | 61,473 | ||
| Source: Wake County Elections, "Municipal Elections Unofficial Results," October 6, 2015 | |||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Russ Stephenson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Stephenson's campaign website stated the following:
| “ | RUSS IS FOR...
|
” |
| —Russ Stephenson’s campaign website (2019)[10] | ||
2015
Stephenson's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
Fiscal responsibility
- Excerpt: "Most of the City's debt is associated with capital improvements to enterprise fund services such as water and sewer utilities and solid waste services. It is important to note that enterprise fund debt is repaid from business related charges and not from general revenues such as property taxes."[11]
Affordable housing
- Excerpt: "Raleigh currently has as shortfall of 32, 000 affordable housing units. We must change this to allow citizens of all income levels convenient access to work options and to the great amenities the city has to offer. With good design and a reliable funding source we can set realistic goals to produce quality, affordable housing for a variety of family sizes, ages, and incomes."
Transportation
- Excerpt: "Russ led efforts in 2008 to include a series of Complete Streets policies in Raleigh’s Comprehensive Plan. Those strategic policies expanded the city’s traditional transportation thinking and have guided major infrastructure investments since. Those investments have included sidewalks and pedestrian safety projects, bike lanes, road diets, traffic calming, bus shelters and transit infrastructure planning, including a bikeshare program and major transit investments that will be made when the Wake Transit referendum is approved in 2016."
- Excerpt: "As an architect and urban designer, Russ understands that designing our city for people first, rather than cars, is a fundamental strategy for achieving shared prosperity. Putting people first ensures that our growth decisions will produce walkable, bikeable and transit-friendly options."
Environment
- Excerpt: "In 2007, Russ was one of the original Council signers of The US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing Raleigh to reducing our city’s carbon emissions. That action initiated the creation of Raleigh’s Office of Sustainability and the implementation of a range programs promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy use and production and waste recycling."[12]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Stephenson has a wife, Ellen, and a son, Jasper.[2]
See also
2019 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- City of Raleigh
- City of Raleigh City Council
- Profile from the City of Raleigh
- Official campaign website
- Russ Stephenson on Facebook
- Russ Stephenson on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ Indy Week, "Updated: Raleigh Has Its First Two LGBTQ Council Members. Kay Crowder and Russ Stephenson Will Not Seek Runoffs." October 11, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 City of Raleigh, "Russ Stephenson," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake," accessed October 10, 2017
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Longtime Raleigh City Council member Bonner Gaylord won’t call for a runoff election," October 12, 2017
- ↑ Correspondence with Gary Sims of Wake County on November 17, 2014.
- ↑ Wake County Board of Elections, "Future Election Dates," accessed September 19, 2014
- ↑ Wake County Board of Elections, "Official candidate list," accessed July 24, 2015
- ↑ Wake County Elections, "Municipal Elections Unofficial Results," October 6, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 'Russ Stephenson’s campaign website, “Russ for Raleigh,” accessed August 24, 2019
- ↑ Russ for Raleigh, "Fiscal Responsibility," accessed August 4, 2015
- ↑ Russ for Raleigh, "Shared Prosperity," accessed August 4, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Raleigh City Council, At-large 2005 – 2019 |
Succeeded by Jonathan Melton |
| |||||||||
 |
State of North Carolina Raleigh (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
