Context isn’t spin, it’s honesty. Misleading mailers don’t just twist policy; they corrode trust in how local democracy works.
A season of sharp mail and short memories
Municipal elections are where democracy meets the curb—literally. The stop-sign arguments about growth, traffic, and taxes in Wake Forest are as local as it gets. Yet this year’s campaign flyers feel imported from a different political climate: bold colors, national-style taglines, and claims that stretch the truth to the breaking point.
Most notably, mailers supporting challengers Pam James and Thomas Dement accuse incumbent commissioners R. Keith Shackleford and Nick Sliwinski of “pushing for toll roads,” “raising taxes,” and “supporting 6- and 7-story high-rises downtown.”
Technically, those statements contain grains of truth. Context, however, turns those grains into dust.
Claim 1 – “Toll Roads on Capital Boulevard”
The record shows otherwise.
“No tolls are the preference.”
— Wake Forest Board of Commissioners meeting notes, May 20 2025
On May 20, 2025, the Board’s meeting summary says exactly that: “No tolls are the preference.”
On June 3, 2025, the Board unanimously passed (5-0) a resolution petitioning the General Assembly to fund U.S. 1 “by any means necessary,” while explicitly noting the resolution “is not requesting tolling.”
The earlier May 6, 2025, work-session packet contained only an NCDOT briefing.
And per NCDOT’s project page, any tolling would require legislative approval — something the N.C. House later moved to block.
Bottom line: frustration with congestion? Yes. A local push to toll U.S. 1? No. The Board’s record favors no tolls and urges state funding without them.
Claim 2 – “Raised Your Taxes”
In 2024, Wake County property values jumped by about 50 percent in the countywide revaluation (Wake County Revaluation brochure PDF).
Wake Forest’s Board then set its FY 2024–25 rate at $0.42 per $100, above the revenue-neutral $0.346.
Commissioner Sliwinski moved to adopt the budget.
Commissioner Shackleford voted yes.
Commissioner Cross voted no.
(Budget hub)
What that means: most homeowners saw higher bills because assessments rose faster than the rate fell. The “tax hike” line is technically accurate in effect but stripped of cause and scale.
Rising values, not reckless votes, drove most of the increase.
Claim 3 – “6- and 7-Story High-Rises Downtown”
When the Downtown Plan was approved 4-1 on Nov 19, 2024, staff explained that six-story buildings were already permitted under existing zoning; the plan primarily clarified design standards and incentives. Minutes: Nov 19 2024 PDF
Calling that vote support for “7-story high-rises” isn’t a lie — it’s a distortion. The policy didn’t authorize new heights; it acknowledged current law and refined where height fits.
The Downtown Plan didn’t add height — it added clarity.
Money, growth, and the national undertow
North Carolina now allows $6,800 per election contributions — a lot of money in small-town races (NCSBE Campaign Finance Portal). That change, plus Wake County’s explosive growth, has drawn state-level donors and party committees into officially nonpartisan contests. Local debates over height, taxes, and tolling now mirror national fault lines over growth, equity, and who gets to shape a community’s future.
Even potholes get partisan when big money arrives.
Why misleading mail matters
This isn’t about one flyer; it’s about civic trust.
Ethos – Credibility
Facts are the foundation of trust. Quoting minutes accurately and citing sources honors both readers and democracy.
Pathos – Civic Respect
Cherry-picking and quote-mining insult the intelligence of the very voters candidates hope to serve.
Logos – Reason
Tax rates, zoning rules, and infrastructure funding are complex. Arguments need evidence, not innuendo.
Minutes, budgets, and statutes aren’t partisan — they’re public.
A call for transparent campaigning
Elections are the most visible civic classroom. When candidates imply that context doesn’t matter, citizens learn cynicism instead of accountability.
Wake Forest doesn’t need saints; it needs honesty. Growth, congestion, and affordability are solvable only through shared facts.
Read the minutes. Check the budget. Then vote for whoever you believe in — but vote armed with truth, not postcards.
Sources & References
A Note from the Author
It’s after 1 a.m. as I finish this piece, but I stayed up late because this one matters. Over the past few days, I’ve talked with neighbors and friends—both in person and online—who’ve been getting these mailers and asking what’s really going on. I wanted to give clear, fact-based answers and share that clarity with anyone else trying to make sense of it, too. Getting accurate, grounded information out there before the election feels important, and if you’re reading this over your morning coffee, thanks for letting my late-night brain join you for a few minutes.
These photos capture the experiences that shaped why I care so much about civic life and local democracy: visiting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in 2019 for policy briefings at the White House complex (left), and attending the Joint Session of Congress in 2020 as a Veterans of Foreign Wars legislative fellow (right), where I presented a proposal to reform 10 U.S.C. §1553. Those experiences—and the people I met along the way—taught me that democracy doesn’t just live in D.C.; it lives in communities like ours, in the everyday conversations we have about what’s fair, what’s true, and what kind of place we want to build together.
— Tom Baker IV
