Clark Neal Rinehart

Clark Neal Rinehart is a candidate for an at‑large seat on the Raleigh City Council in the 2026 general election on November 3, 2026. The race is nonpartisan; Rinehart advanced from the March 3 primary with 12.1% of the vote (13,451 votes) and will appear on the November ballot alongside incumbents Stormie Forte, Joshua Bradley and challenger Sana Siddiqui ¹.

Rinehart was born in Miami, Florida; his mother grew up in Guatemala City and his father is from Stark County, Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering (University of Miami) and later completed two master’s degrees – a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology – at Duke Divinity School after moving to the Triangle in 2009 to attend Duke ³⁸. He has lived in Raleigh since August 2009.

Professionally, Rinehart has blended engineering, ministry, and entrepreneurship. After serving as a pastor at Edenton Street United Methodist Church and Grace Community Church, he entered the local startup ecosystem, joining The Loading Dock in 2017 and later working with Innovate Raleigh. He founded LOCAL Coworking, a consultancy that provides fractional management for coworking spaces, and currently serves as interim executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership while operating as a consultant through Coworking NC, LLC ³⁷¹¹. He also coaches youth sports in Raleigh parks and has participated in a city‑appointed working group on the redevelopment of the former Division of Motor Vehicles site on New Bern Avenue ¹¹.

Rinehart’s campaign platform emphasizes five key priorities: expanding the supply of affordable housing, strengthening public safety, investing in robust, multimodal infrastructure, fostering an entrepreneurship culture that supports small‑ and medium‑sized businesses, and pursuing a “next‑generation” approach that makes Raleigh affordable, green, and vibrant for future residents ¹³¹⁰. He advocates for living‑wage policies for city employees, limits on campaign contributions, and anti‑displacement measures to protect long‑time residents, especially in historically Black and brown neighborhoods ¹⁰⁸.

Rinehart is married to Laura and they have two children, ages seven and nine. He describes himself as a “social entrepreneur” and “urbanism nerd” who wants to translate his experience in community engagement, economic development, and faith‑based service into public‑service outcomes for all Raleighites ³⁸.

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