By Isaiah Grady
Check out a new podcast episode with the man himself, James Shaughnessy.
The Story of a Fulltime Student with a Dream
James “Seamus” Shaughnessy had always been a politically active man, being the head of the after school club “Civic Order”, a gathering where students discuss the importance of political literacy and a fulltime student. Now that he is running for mayor his schedule was likely to be tight. As the thought of playing hooky for an interview at 10 started to take hold, there he was.
Clad in caci shorts, a t-shirt beneath an 90s jacket, glasses, and a backwards cap he had the look of a college student. “I’m free now, if you have time”, Shaughnessy said. We made our way to an empty study room, plenty of time on our hands, and a long list of questions.
Living A Double Life
Shaughnessy is a senior political science major, with a minor in Global Studies, and Criminal Justice. With so much on his plate how does someone balance this with a political career?
“So far, pretty easily, because of the times in which I’m active that usually, it’s occasionally during the day, but most of it happens kind of during the evening”, Shaughnessy said. “It balances out pretty well.”
What had been evident to me from the beginning was James’ non-traditional approach to campaigning. Even his campaign slogan “Shaughnessy4You” invoking the usage of modern day online lingo used among Gen Z. At his rally Shaughnessy even expressed a dislike of the traditional politician image with the button up lawyer suits and polished black shoes. “I feel like it’s really disingenuous”, said Shaughnessy . “A lot of politicians will try to appeal to everyone, but most people don’t wear suits and ties to work. I feel like it’s political to appeal to people ‘look I’m smart, I’m busy savy’ and I don’t really like that.”
A Modern Politician
That idea of appealing to certain demographics of people comes hand and hand with election campaigns. I asked Shaughnessy if there was any attempt in his campaign appeal to Gen Z voters. He agreed saying “I think by the nature of my age and the age I grew up in, yes.” He continued, “ I think a lot of people dissociate with politics a lot, because they feel like it’s a wheel house they don’t want to get involved in.”
Shaughnessy cites that a part of this lack of appeal for local politics is the lack of grandiose that comes with the title of “Local Mayor”. “Local politics might not be sexy but it will have a greater impact on your life”, said Shaughnessy . “What are the traffic patterns? How are police paid? What are the new housing projects getting approved?”
Gentrification
Like many large cities in America, Raleigh is going through the process of gentrification. This is even evident right next door to our campus with the shopping center Seaboard Station having finished it’s construction. Shaughnessy calls the phenomenon “terrible”. “But on the second end of it,” he continued, “gentrification will always happen”.
He alluded to similar processes being seen throughout history in ancient places like the Roman Empire and even modern places like Harlem, New York. Shaughnessy believes that gentrification is part of the “ebbs and flows of life”. However he does think that there is a better way of allowing gentrification to occur more ‘naturally’.
Shaughnessy proposes a sort of “community land management” program similar to organizations like ‘Cottages for Indlewood’. This would put the ownership of property not in the hands of a billion dollar corporation, but in the hands of a non-profit. Citizens wouldn’t have to pay taxes, but would have to live under a sort of ownership of the organization.
“It doesn’t feel like a great solution to do everywhere but in certain key areas, it would be beneficial”, said Shaughnessy .
AI Expansion
In recent times, AI has taken a larger role in the day to day life of many Americans. From Otter AI transcribing audio to text, to Chat GPT helping out with a late assessment, the booming industry has unlocked its possibilities.
However, fear of job replacement has risen with the implications of AI’s effect on the job market. Shaughnessy’s see’s AI not necessarily as a threat, but rather as an opportunity to expand Raleigh’s infrastructure.
“[The] Government’s main purpose is to reduce the amount of taxpayer spending, but increase the returns that taxpayers get”, said Shaughnessy . “I wouldn’t want to necessarily cut everyone’s job but like, that’s just kinda how it’s gonna work.”
While this may seem off putting to the middle class, the possible mayor believes there’s more money to be made in the private sector than in the public.
“AI is going to cut jobs the same way that the internet cuts jobs,” he said. “But there’s going to be more jobs that are going to be created because of AI”.
Love For The Blue Collar
Shaughnessy plans to fund “Blue Collar Programs” in schools across the city. These programs will expose children to hands-on learning activities that expose students to blue collar working skills.
Shaughnessy believes that encouraging kids to take on blue collar jobs at a young age can change their outlook on these things later on. “ Increasing that kind of blue collar encouragement can show kids that, ‘Hey, it’s not a very sexy job, but it is a good job’”. This proposal comes in the face of a rising epidemic of young Americans who are dissatisfied with their occupations known as ‘The Great Resignation’.
According to a Pew Research study conducted in 2023 only 44 percent of Gen Z workers feel satisfied with their current occupation. Many in the survey cited feeling underpaid and disrespected with no opportunities for advancement. How this approach will appeal to Gen Z voters remains to be seen. But Shaughnessy is determined to put some spazas on the blue collar lifestyle for Raleigh’s up and coming Gen Alpha.
With the aforementioned shopping complexes someone will have to take up the hard hat and hammer to handle it. “They have to be built by someone, and we have a shortage of people who want to build them,” said Shaughnessy .
A Pacer With A Dream
With less than 50 days left till the election, Shaughnessy seems to have his work cut out for him. It remains to be seen if he will be able to take on the likes of Janet Cowell or Paul Fitts. But being a younger man who shares many similarities with the young adult voter, we shall see how his proposals will turn out in the polls. No matter the outcome, we at William Peace wish him luck on his endeavor.