About James
I came to Raleigh in early 2013 for the Army Reserve and fell in love with the city immediately. I decided to put down roots with my first house in South East Raleigh and while I worked for the NC Dept. of Public Safety, became the President of my neighborhood's HOA, as well being elected in state roles with Veterans Party of NC since 2016.
In 2005, I enlisted to serve in the United States Army on active duty where I was stationed in Germany as an Armor Crewman with the 1st ID and then an Airborne Cavalry Scout with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. During my time on active duty I deployed to Afghanistan for 15 straight months from 2007-2008. In 2012, I joined the US Army Reserve and began to serve one weekend a month as a Combat Engineer and further pursue an education. I earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice while minoring in US History & Computer Programming. In 2019, I deployed again to Kuwait, Iraq, & Syria as an Engineer. As of 2023, I joined Wake Tech to undertake a Cyber Security degree.
I am running for Raleigh City Council because I feel we need a council that listens to its residents & city staff, am accepting of new technology that comes into the city. and want to see it put to good use. I want to see our first responders taken care of, our cost of living reduced, & I want to see our city grow through better housing options and support of all sizes of business. It is my goal to make being a first time home buyer a possibility again.
There isn't a single member of the city council who is a veteran, and that will give me a unique perspective to bring to local government. I wish to bring about the chance of prosperity to our wonderful city's residents, business owners, & even tech startups that enter the city.
Thank you,
James G. Bledsoe
