Denise Roth is currently Mayor Pro Tem, having received the most votes in the at-large race last fall.
As debates about data centers have intensified, Roth has spent political capital defending the questionable infrastructure, which she calls “inevitable.”
Her ties to firms promoting artificial intelligence and her role on the board of Gateway Research Park led Roth to belatedly recuse herself from future votes on data centers. Gateway Research Park heavily promoted the construction of a data center on the campus of NC A&T.
Roth’s numerous roles and the conflicting records of exactly what organizations she has been involved in, and when, raise questions about transparency and accountability.
Like other council members, Roth has received numerous campaign donations from real estate developers like Norman and Arthur Samet. The City has several contracts with the Samet Corporation. This week alone, Council’s pending approvals for increased payments to the Samets will bring three contracts up to a total of $72.8 million:
💰 Change order #4 to Samet Corporation for the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex Building Construction, Contract 2023-0060 in the amount of $767,684.08 for a total contract amount of $51,057,261.88
💰 Amendment #5 for Samet Corporation for the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex - Nocho Park Construction, Contract #2023-006A in the amount of $728,149.00 for a total contract value of $13,046,745.25.
💰 Contract 2025-0150 for the construction for Fire Station 62 located at 4229 Short Farm Road in the amount of $8,730,923 with Samet Corporation.
Just some of the reasons residents are looking to recall city council members! Fill out the recall interest form here: https://forms.gle/3xe3ZzRLcwQZYxLMA