Indy Week Questionnaire
Kelvin Stallings
Republished from https://indyweek.com/news/garner-town-council-kelvin-stallings/
Full name: Kelvin Stallings
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: www.kelvinstallings.com
1) In 300 words or less, please give our readers your elevator pitch: Why are you running? Why should voters entrust you with this position? What prior experience will make you an effective member of the Garner town council?
My name is Kelvin Stallings, and I am a candidate for Garner Town Council. As a dedicated advocate, policy nerd, and community leader, I am committed to ensuring Garner remains a vibrant, inclusive, and forward-thinking town where all residents can thrive and I am a firm believer in taking ownership in where you live, being the leader you want to see.
With years of experience in public policy, community engagement, and government affairs, I have dedicated my career to creating meaningful change for North Carolinians. As the Director of Community Engagement at a statewide nonprofit, I work to bridge the gap between communities and policymakers, ensuring that the voices of families and advocates are heard where decisions are made. I have led efforts to empower parents, strengthen advocacy networks, and push for policies that directly improve the lives of children and families across the state.
Before that, I served as the Policy and Advocacy Manager at Children’s Home Society, North Carolina’s largest foster care agency. In that role, I fought for policies that secure permanent, stable homes for children in the foster care system, ensuring that no child is left without a place to belong. My experience at the North Carolina General Assembly as a legislative aide gave me firsthand insight into how laws are shaped, how budgets are prioritized, and how to effectively navigate government to turn policy ideas into real-world solutions. I know what it takes to advocate, negotiate, and build the relationships necessary to get things done for the people I serve.
My wife, Allysa, and I, along with our dog, Olive, have called Wake County home for the past five years, and we are deeply invested in the future of this community. As Garner continues to grow, we need leaders who will prioritize responsible development, invest in infrastructure, and ensure local government remains accessible and responsive to the people it serves. I am committed to making sure that growth is intentional and benefits all residents — not just a select few.
I believe in transparent leadership, strategic investment, and policies that support families, businesses, and the overall quality of life in Garner. Garner is growing and I am ready to bring my experience, passion, and commitment to the Town Council to help shape a future that works for everyone.
I look forward to earning your support and working to build a stronger Garner together.
2) What would your priorities be as a member of the town council? Please identify three of the most pressing issues Garner currently faces and how you believe the town should address them.
Government Accessibility
Government should feel like a neighbor, not a locked building. Too often, people only encounter their town government when there’s a problem or a confusing process that leaves them feeling unheard. That’s not good enough. Accessibility means meeting people where they are not just in Council Chambers, but in community centers, libraries, coffee shops, and neighborhoods across Garner.
That’s why I will hold rotating office hours throughout the community, publish plain-language weekly newsletters on decisions and spending, and host monthly town halls with department staff so residents can directly shape solutions. If people can’t reach their government, their government isn’t doing its job. I believe accessibility is not a favor from elected officials, it is a fundamental responsibility.
Affordable Housing
We cannot call it progress if working people cannot afford to stay in the town they helped build. Garner currently faces a 766-unit shortage for households making below 60% of AMI, and rents have increased by 46% since 2019 while home values are up nearly 59%
That’s not sustainable, and it’s not acceptable. I want to be very clear: I do not support relying on Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing because it is too volatile, it can disappear overnight when market forces shift. Instead, I will fight for accessible housing that is protected, stable, and intentional. That means preserving affordability through zoning changes that allow a mix of housing types, investing in long-term affordability tools like land trusts, and rejecting any developer proposal that ignores affordability and accessibility for the very residents seeking housing. We deserve a housing policy that builds security, not speculation.
Affordability in General
Affordability is bigger than housing. It is childcare, utilities, transportation, and the rising cost of groceries and everyday life. One in four Garner households earns under $50,000 a year, and most of them are spending more than 30% of their income on housing alone.
That leaves little for childcare, healthcare, or savings. My focus will be on ensuring equitable infrastructure spending so no neighborhood is left behind, advocating for childcare partnerships that ease burdens on working families, and making sure economic development actually benefits residents, not just outside investors. Progress in Garner cannot just be about new capital project construction, it must be about stability for the families who are already here.
3) What’s the best or most important thing the town council has done in the past year? Additionally, name a decision you believe the town should have handled differently. Please explain your answers.
One of the best things Garner has done this year is bringing Garner Fire-Rescue into the town’s operations. That unanimous decision showed leadership and vision. It makes our public safety stronger and ensures seamless service for every resident. Our firefighters are now officially part of the town team, working under one structure with the same dedication our community already trusts. This merger is a smart step forward and a sign that Garner is growing with intention, maturity, and a commitment to putting people first.
While I recognize the importance of progress, I wholly disagree with the decision to replace Garner’s long-standing blue and gold logo. The original logo is more than a symbol; it represents our town’s history of integration and community unity. The town moving to a more industrial look disregards that legacy. Not everything in Garner needs to be modernized, some symbols deserve to be preserved and respected for the history and values they carry.
4) President Trump is working to ramp up deportations and curtail visas. At the same time, the state legislature has passed laws requiring agencies to cooperate with ICE. What do you think the town council can or should do to ensure safe, welcoming communities for immigrants in light of these policies?
Local government is the frontline of democracy. When harmful policies come down from Raleigh or Washington, it is the responsibility of local leaders to stand in the gap for their communities. While the Town Council cannot control federal immigration enforcement, we can take clear steps to ensure that Garner remains a safe and welcoming place for all residents.
The approach may include pushing back against practices that undermine public safety, such as unauthorized ICE activity, and ensuring that residents understand their rights. It also requires full transparency so that people always know where their leaders stand.
Accountability is not about performance metrics, it is about presence, follow-through, and respect. At its core, democracy does not live only in Raleigh or Washington, it lives in towns like Garner. The question is simple to the public, does your government show up for you, or not? My commitment is to ensure the answer is always yes.
5) As climate change leads to more intense rainfall, communities are at greater risk of inland flooding, such as the historic floods in parts of the Triangle this summer. How would you like the town council to address climate resilience, particularly flooding?
Climate resilience is no longer optional for towns like Garner; it is essential. We have already witnessed how heavier rainfall and historic flooding have impacted communities across the Triangle, and we cannot afford to wait until disaster strikes here. Garner must prioritize strategic infrastructure investments that strengthen stormwater systems, protect vulnerable neighborhoods, and ensure equitable development that does not place low-income families at greater risk.
Resilience also requires forward looking planning like expanding green infrastructure such as rain gardens, tree canopies, and permeable surfaces that naturally absorb water, while holding developers accountable for projects that increase runoff and strain public systems.
Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, and local government has a responsibility to respond with urgency, equity, and foresight. A truly people-centered approach to growth must include a commitment to sustainability and safety in the face of a changing climate.
6) Describe what sustainable growth and development mean to you in the context of Garner’s rapid growth. What is another municipality you believe has made smart decisions related to growth and development that could be similarly implemented in Garner?
Garner is one of the fastest growing cities in America. But I believe growth without values is not progress, it’s just expansion. Right now, there is a lot of development is happening at the edges of town, often with subdivisions that leave residents disconnected from services and transit especially if they have moved from places across the country where a car wasn’t really needed for travel to and from places.
As referenced, this type of burden drives up costs, strains infrastructure, and prices people out. I believe in responsible, equitable growth that invests in mixed-use neighborhoods, balances development with parks and schools, and ensures infrastructure keeps pace with expansion. Too often, leaders delay these investments in the name of being “conservative,” but the truth is those delays simply shift the cost onto the next generation. Responsible growth means building a Garner that works for families today and remains strong tomorrow.
One municipality I believe has made a smart move worth looking and possibly implementing is Apex, North Carolina in which the town recently approved the formation of a Community Land Trust (CLT). The model reduces entry costs for buyers, as the assessed land value is excluded from the purchase price while also preserving long-term affordability for future residents.
7) This summer, the General Assembly passed a law to block Garner from expanding its extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, into southern Wake County near the expanded I-540. Is this a good thing? How will it impact Garner’s economic development, and how should the town respond?
I recognize the decision by the General Assembly to freeze Garner’s ability to expand its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) into parts of southern Wake County as unfortunate. The decision will hinder our ability to plan proactively, especially around the new I-540 corridor, and could dampen opportunities for economic development and coordinated infrastructure for the town.
With that being said, I remain hopeful. I believe there is room for constructive negotiation between Garner, county leaders, and state legislators to find a resolution that respects local planning authority while addressing concerns of property owners. Garner must show up, persist, and advocate, because controlling our growth corridor is essential to ensuring Garner’s future is one that prioritizes people, not just lines on a map.
8) As with most places in the Triangle, Garner is grappling with issues related to affordable housing. How would you like to see the town approach affordability issues over the next few years? Should it promote apartment living, duplexes, and/or triplexes? Encourage density in single family housing? What do you believe the town is doing right? What could it do better?
We cannot call it progress if working people cannot afford to stay in the town they helped build. Garner is facing a 700 plus-unit housing storage while rents have risen almost 50% since 2019. This isn’t just simply unsustainable, it is morally unacceptable. I want to be very clear: I do not support relying on Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing, because it is too volatile and can disappear overnight when market forces shift.
Instead, we need protected, stable, and intentional solutions. Zoning changes as allowed that allow a mix of housing types such as apartments, duplexes, and triplexes, so families of all sizes and incomes can find a place to live. Solutions also mean investing in long-term affordability tools like land trusts. I also believe it means refusing to negotiate with any developer who does not put accessibility and affordability for residents at the center of their projects.
What Garner is doing well is starting to recognize affordability as a pressing issue and restarting the affordable housing task force work, but what it must do better is move from conversation to action. Housing policy must build security, not speculation. Our growth should never come at the expense of the very people who make this town home.
9) How can Garner improve its pedestrian infrastructure? How should it look to improve public transit options for residents?
Transit in Garner today is limited, mainly at the north end by 401. But the 2035 Wake Transit Plan includes a Bus Rapid Transit extension connecting Garner and Clayton with 30-minute all-day service This plan is an opportunity we cannot ignore. Currently, people living on the far sides of town, feel isolated from services and jobs especially if they don’t drive or have moved to the Triangle from a place where they didn’t need a car. I will fight for local solutions that bridge those gaps whether that’s neighborhood circulators, micro-transit, or walkable connections to BRT stations.
I also believe sidewalks and bike lanes are not optional, they are equity tools that make transit usable for families, seniors, and workers alike. Transit is not just about buses, It is about giving people real choices, reducing costs for working families, and connecting residents to opportunity and economic viability.