What perhaps was fascinating about Mayor "downtown first" Meeker's State of the City speech was not all that was in it, but what was lacking.
What he avoided talking about.
Mayor Meeker went through a litany of items - lavish spending for Fayetteville Street, Raleigh's new Convention Center, etc. All things that are not basic functions of local government.
But addressing crime is. And it was completely absent from his remarks. Not a single word said.
NOTHING.
Just think about the high profile murders that have occurred this year. Crime remains rampant along Tarboro Road and Bragg Street. Just this past week found yet another violent murder committed on Camden Street - just blocks from where Mayor Meeker has pushed multi-million dollar public investments along Fayetteville Street.
Raleigh saw a 48% increase in murders in 2008. One might think that would be worthy of discussion among the Mayor's overview of the "State of Raleigh."
Raleigh's violent crime went against national trends last year and saw a substantial upswing.
So the next time you personally experience theft of your personal property or are the unfortunate victim of violent crime, remember what Mayor "benign neglect" Meeker had to say about it........
NOTHING.
