Stormie Denise Forte

Stormie Denise Forte is an at‑large member of the Raleigh City Council and is seeking re‑election for a second at‑large term in the November 3, 2026 general election. She currently serves as Mayor Pro Tem and as Vice‑Chair of the Housing and Environment Committee while also sitting on the Economic Development and Innovation Committee ²⁴.

Forte was born and raised in Raleigh and graduated from Needham B. Broughton High School in 1989 ⁵. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law ¹²⁵. She is a licensed attorney in North Carolina and in the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of the federal court, and also holds a North Carolina real‑estate license ¹²¹¹.

Before entering elected office, Forte worked in both the public and private sectors. She served as an Assistant Attorney General and later as the Ombudsman for the State Crime Lab at the North Carolina Department of Justice, where she also acted as the department’s Ethics Liaison ¹¹. She has held senior roles at the Departments of Corrections and Health and Human Services, and worked as a vocational rehabilitation case manager and family preservation specialist ¹¹. In the private arena, she founded Obsidian Consulting Services, LLC, a business‑development firm, and is a partner in Cardinal Consulting Company and Cardinal Blue Consulting, which provide campaign and advocacy services ¹¹¹².

Forte entered Raleigh politics when she was appointed to represent District D on the City Council on July 14, 2020, becoming the first Black woman and the first openly LGBTQ woman to serve on the council ⁵¹. She was subsequently elected at‑large in 2022, assuming office on December 5, 2022, with her term set to expire in 2026 ¹. During her tenure she has focused on affordable housing, homelessness, infrastructure, and public safety, citing the growing unsheltered population, aging infrastructure, and staffing needs for police and fire departments as top priorities for her next term ⁷⁹. She supports a new affordable‑housing bond of roughly $100 million and advocates for expanded public‑transport options and flood‑resilience investments ⁷⁹.

In addition to her council work, Forte hosts a weekly radio program, “The Art of Listening with Stormie Forte,” on 92.1 Choice FM, and is active in numerous community organizations, including the Clarence Lightner Y Achievers advisory board, the Preparing to Soar program, the North Carolina Commission for Racial and Ethnic Disparities, and the Friends of the NC State Science Museum board ²¹¹. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and volunteers at events such as the Rex Hospital Open, Hopscotch Music Festival, and the Oak City Marathon ²⁵.

Forte’s campaign is run under the website Stormie4Raleigh.com, where she outlines her priorities of addressing homelessness, expanding transportation, and supporting small‑business owners, emphasizing a balanced approach that leverages her legal, mediation, and business‑development experience ⁹¹².

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