{"biography":"Stormie Denise Forte is an at\u2011large member of the Raleigh City Council and is seeking re\u2011election for a second at\u2011large term in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. She currently serves as Mayor Pro\u202fTem and as Vice\u2011Chair of the Housing and Environment Committee while also sitting on the Economic Development and Innovation Committee\u202f[2][4].\n\nForte was born and raised in Raleigh and graduated from Needham\u202fB.\u202fBroughton High School in 1989\u202f[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\u202f[1][2][5]. 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\u2011estate license\u202f[1][2][11].\n\nBefore 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\u2019s Ethics Liaison\u202f[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\u202f[11]. In the private arena, she founded Obsidian Consulting Services, LLC, a business\u2011development firm, and is a partner in Cardinal Consulting Company and Cardinal\u202fBlue Consulting, which provide campaign and advocacy services\u202f[11][12].\n\nForte entered Raleigh politics when she was appointed to represent District\u202fD on the City Council on July\u202f14,\u202f2020, becoming the first Black woman and the first openly LGBTQ woman to serve on the council\u202f[5][1]. She was subsequently elected at\u2011large in 2022, assuming office on December\u202f5,\u202f2022, with her term set to expire in 2026\u202f[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\u202f[7][9]. She supports a new affordable\u2011housing bond of roughly $100\u202fmillion and advocates for expanded public\u2011transport options and flood\u2011resilience investments\u202f[7][9].\n\nIn addition to her council work, Forte hosts a weekly radio program, \u201cThe Art of Listening with Stormie Forte,\u201d on 92.1\u202fChoice\u202fFM, and is active in numerous community organizations, including the Clarence Lightner Y\u202fAchievers 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\u202f[2][11]. 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\u202f[2][5].\n\nForte\u2019s campaign is run under the website Stormie4Raleigh.com, where she outlines her priorities of addressing homelessness, expanding transportation, and supporting small\u2011business owners, emphasizing a balanced approach that leverages her legal, mediation, and business\u2011development experience\u202f[9][12].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Stormie Forte - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Stormie_Forte)\n- [2] [Stormie D. Forte | Raleighnc.gov](https://raleighnc.gov/mpt-forte)\n- [4] [Stormie D. Forte | Raleighnc.gov](https://raleighnc.gov/city-council/stormie-d-forte)\n- [5] [Stormie Forte - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormie_Forte)\n- [7] [Raleigh City Council: Stormie Forte | 2026 Primary Candidates](https://indyweek.com/news/raleigh-city-council-stormie-forte-2026/)\n- [9] [Candidate Info - Stormie Forte - Wake County Democratic Party](https://www.wakedems.org/election-central-2024/candidate-info-stormie-forte/)\n- [11] [About Stormie - Stormie Forte for Raleigh City Council At-Large](https://stormie4raleigh.com/about-stormie/)\n- [12] [Home - Stormie Forte for Raleigh City Council At-Large](https://stormie4raleigh.com/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_at_large","county":"durham","county_count":2,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"City Of Raleigh City Council At-Large"},{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_at_large","county":"durham","county_count":2,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"City Of Raleigh City Council At-Large"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Stormie","fullname":"Stormie Denise Forte","lastname":"Forte","middlename":"Denise","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_at_large","contest_title":"City Of Raleigh City Council At-Large","county":"durham","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_at_large","contest_title":"City Of Raleigh City Council At-Large","county":"durham","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"wake","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_at_large","contest_title":"City Of Raleigh City Council At-Large","county":"durham","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Stormie Forte is the incumbent at\u2011large Raleigh City Council member running for re\u2011election in 2026, with a background as an attorney, consultant, and radio host.","terms":[],"token":"6071d3e5a1e4f8ab"}