By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
After 24 years on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, Moses Carey attended his last official board meeting last week.
Retiring after six terms on the board, Carey is proud of the work he’s done with the commissioners. He admits there are things that he might have done differently, but believes the board has dealt with challenges appropriately.
“I feel good about the contributions I’ve made making this place the best place to live,†he said.
Carey, who lost in the Democratic senatorial primary to incumbent Ellie Kinnaird in the spring, said he looks forward to spending time with his family, while remaining involved in the community.
“I’m just going to take a little while to enjoy my grandchildren and continue to do volunteer work in the community,†he said. “For right now, that’s enough.
“My wife and I will have to get used to me being home at night,†he added, laughing.
Looking back on his time on the board, Carey says the county’s rapid growth has been the greatest challenge the board faced.
“For some reason, [people] are surprised that the county is growing. I’m not, because we work hard to make it the best place to live,†he said. “The greatest challenge is dealing with that encroachment out into the rural areas.
“It’s a real opportunity to try to channel that growth into areas where it can be accommodated. I’m actually proud of the way that we’ve managed that growth.â€
Still, looking back there are things he might have changed, Carey said.
“There are a number of things I probably wish I’d done differently. I think the one that most people identify me with was that attempt to merge the schools.â€
Carey’s support for a merger of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school systems in 2003 drew strong opposition throughout the community.
“I learned a lot in that process. I’m not saying I wouldn’t have done it had I known the outcome was going to be the same. I just couldn’t convince the people in this community that having two school systems in this small of a community with such a funding difference was a social-justice issue,†he said, adding that he might have approached it from a different angle if he’d known he would have met such opposition.
Despite all the controversy, Carey notes that the county’s social-justice goal, as well as its Department of Human Rights and Relations, came out of the defeated proposal.
“Good things do come out of failed packages,†he said.
While he won’t miss the night meetings that come with the job, Carey will miss his involvement with the people of county government.
“I’ve learned so much from the input that we get from the public and the opportunity to work with talented people…. You meet a lot of great people over the years. That’s one of the things I’ll miss.â€
But, he reiterated, he will stay involved in the community.
“Retiring around here doesn’t mean that you go home and sit on the porch.â€
A new board
Carey’s retirement marks the end of one chapter of county government and the opening of another as three new members join the board, expanding the commission from five to seven members.
With Carey’s retirement and the expansion, the board is in a period of adjustment and transition, Commissioner Barry Jacobs said.
“Moses is a good-spirited, good-humored, people-oriented person with a lot of common sense and a willingness to try and work through problems to solutions,†Jacobs said. “Government doesn’t always come up with solutions that satisfy everybody, and Moses understands that.â€
Jacobs and Commissioner Alice Gordon are the only board members who have served more than one term on the board.
“I think we’re going to have to make more of an effort to put things in historical perspective,†Jacobs said. “The new members are intelligent and well-informed and seem to be geared to do the work, but it’s different than having somebody sitting there who’s seen the same problem two or three times.
“That will be an adjustment we all have to make. The danger is that we see the present in a vacuum.â€
As for the challenges the new board faces, Carey believes financing will be the most difficult.
“The board has more demand for resources than the resources are available,†he said. The public’s desire for services isn’t consistent with its willingness to be taxed, Carey added, noting the defeat of the land transfer tax on the ballot in May.
“Had that passed, the board would’ve been in a much better position to finance some of the things that are going to be needed,†he said.
While he’s seen a range of economic climates over the course of his tenure on the board, Carey said, “I don’t think any has been this serious.â€