Welcome to WakeUP Wake County’s January 2024 Newsletter

WakeUP News & Things to Know | Catch up Quick | Set a Reminder | Stay Connected

Welcome to new WakeUP Members: Reeves, Steve, Jake, Jeanne, Jonathan, Utica, Whitney, Brittany, Tanika, Hayes, Robin, Alexandra, Adam, Samantha, Phil, Suzanne, Phillip and Laura

**Action Alert! Raleigh TOD Public Hearing: Jan. 30th 7pm; Registration deadline is TODAY at 5pm. Sign-up here for the 1/30/24 meeting as “supportive” of Rezoning Z-92-22; Email and phone options are available.**

WakeUP News & Things to Know

Dear WakeUP member,

It has been a busy month at WakeUP and we are excited to start the new year off right by welcoming WakeUP’s new Executive Director Denzel Burnside. Denzel joins us with years of experience in environmental activism and campaign management with Climate Nexis and Dogwood Alliance.

With a big year ahead, we’re excited to have Denzel joining our small but mighty team at just the right time and are looking forward to what's to come. Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to meet Denzel and be involved in WakeUP’s newest era of advocating for our community.

In addition to welcoming Denzel, the new year brings exciting changes and additions to our board. Tom Barrie is officially taking over as Board Chair and Bert Fox will be joining our Executive committee as Vice Chair. Tom is a long time Wake County resident that has a board member for over three years. He brings notable professional experience as a Professor of Architecture and Design and having led the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Initiative at NC State. Bert is also a long time resident who brings an Urban Design background and a wealth of community leadership experience in Wake County. Tom and Bert will lead a newly expanded board, with new members: Samantha Krop, Nils Peterson, Rodney Swink, Audrey Galloway, Harry Johnson, and Jonathan Blasco! Head to our website to learn more about our board and reach out and connect.

We are so grateful to have started out this year with such a wonderful gathering of residents, small business owners, and community leaders at our “Thriving Communities: Connecting the Pieces” Annual Reception on January 23! Our panel engaged in meaningful dialogue around the intersection of affordable housing, transit, and environmental justice - helping breakdown and connect these complex issues for community success.

A special thank you to our event sponsor, Morningstar Law Group, for ensuring our community continues to focus on issues that we can prioritize today for a better tomorrow. In case you missed it, here is the panel discussion.

As we wrap up the first month of what is sure to be a busy year in community decision-making, WakeUP will continue to focus our efforts in educating and mobilizing residents and leaders on these crucial issues that ensure the Wake County of tomorrow has been planned by a diverse, informed community. Be sure to check out WakeUP Policy Analyst Christina Perella’s new blog post, Why Local Engagement Matters.

Watch the panel discussion

And finally, we are excited to officially launch our new webpage: a comprehensive collection of ways that you can SpeakUP and engage in our community at a deeper level.

As a part of WakeUP Wake County’s effort to encourage citizen participation in their local governments, we have created a new page to make this even easier! Great engagement in all areas of local government helps ensure a diversity of voices in decision-making and aids in community awareness. Our Community Engagement page displays each municipality's various citizen engagement opportunities from board opportunities to civic classes and opinion surveys, it’s a one-stop-shop for being involved in your local area.

Click here to go to our Community Engagement page or through our website under the “Get Involved” tab.

Visit our blog

Catch up Quick

Being Green Doesn’t Mean Sacrificing Fun - The Happiness Lab
7 Need to know trends for planners in 2024 - Planning Magazine
EPA Provides Toolkit to State and Local Governments on Community Engagement - The National Law Review
Why are So Many Pedestrians Dying in the U.S. - The Daily
Expanding Affordable Housing Opportunities: Zoning and Land Use Case Studies - Bipartisan Policy Center
Forging Healthier Communities through Civic Engagement - The Aspen Institute

SpeakUP: Set a Reminder

Action Alert! Raleigh TOD Public Hearing: Jan. 30th 7pm; Registration deadline is TODAY at 5pm. Sign-up here for the 1/30/24 meeting as “supportive” of Rezoning Z-92-22; Email and phone options are available.

Other Engagement Opportunities: