Skip to content
The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Community
  • Schools
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • Mill
  • Flora
  • Print Archive
  • About
Menu

Totally Carrboro

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Staff

By Annette Stone

The Town of Carrboro knows who it is. The town’s elected officials emanate a cohesive message of a locally based, sustainable, creative and alive community. They are “Totally Carrboro!” as I heard Alderman Randee Haven-O’Donnell say. My immediate impression after watching the Carrboro Board of Aldermen retreat was that the word Carrboro is not only a noun, it’s also an adjective. To be “Totally Carrboro” describes being confident in who you are and to not let anything stop you from being that. To be Carrboro is to be happy and to celebrate uniqueness and a non-mainstream approach to most everything.

My assignment as a candidate for the position of economic and community development director (ECDD) was to watch a video of the January 2011 BOA retreat and to give a summary and my reaction to the meeting. I was honored when I heard the number of applicants for the ECDD position and to learn what the town was looking for in the new hire. Carrboro is special, and I truly do get that.

In Carrboro, it’s not just about profits, as Alderman Dan Coleman noted during the meeting. It is about improving the well-being of people, not only monetarily, but the overall sense of well-being, through access to the arts and public spaces, by encouraging creativity and caring for the planet, by providing safe decent housing and by celebrating diversity. I believe the economy will recover and stabilize, but in a smaller, more localized and sustainable model. Carrboro has it right!

I was very impressed with the hands-on approach and the working knowledge of the BOA. I am pleased that the arts are a key factor in the town’s economic-development philosophy. The town’s centennial is an excellent opportunity to use the arts to communicate Carrboro’s heritage and unique (funky!) character. New Bern just completed a year-long celebration of its 300th anniversary. I was fortunate to serve as a member of the celebration planning committee. New Bern was very successful in creating events that were unique, meaningful and inclusive of all people. I expect Carrboro will do the same in the unique and cool Carrboro way.

Several items were discussed during the meeting that establish the next steps for the town and the new ECDD. One of the first tasks is to implement the “Think Local First” campaign. Coleman emphasized the importance of following through on recommendations to initiate a committee. It will be the job of the new ECDD to build leadership for the Think Local First committee. There is the immediate need for the new hire to get to know the people of the community quickly. Relationship-building and collaboration will be critical to this position.

A second and simultaneous step is getting information out to the public, other local governments and community partners. A common theme during the BOA meeting was how to effectively communicate the Carrboro message. Alderman Lydia Lavelle mentioned several times the need to “let others know what we are doing.” Alderman Sammy Slade suggested the use of mini-billboards. If designed well, in a creative fashion, the “info-boards” can be an attractive, effective, low-cost way to communicate the Carrboro message. Whether it is to the chamber of commerce, a new potential entrepreneur or a new resident, Carrboro needs to effectively communicate the plan for building a local living economy.

Other next steps include continuing with entrepreneurial training, particularly for those in the creative sectors. It was suggested that training workshops include successful creative individuals who can enlighten and inspire others to transform their talents into businesses with living wages. One idea to expand green and creative businesses is to have a competition and a “New Business Fair.” The idea is that the competition will stimulate innovative thinking and inspire new green and creative businesses. This will help to motivate new entrepreneurs to create a business plan and work toward the BOA’s goal of doubling the commercial tax base.

The BOA discussed other items related to economic development and climate-action planning. These items include working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support local-business initiatives and to identify, encourage and create green jobs. A residential energy-conservation program that targets low/moderate income housing would support green jobs, facilitate carbon reductions and make housing more affordable by lowering utility costs.

Finally, I wanted to comment on the BOA’s sensitivity toward day laborers, which illustrates the uniquely Carrboro approach to social responsibility. BOA members asked, “How can we collectively solve this problem?” and, “How can we provide other support systems?” Their concern was about the people and doing their best to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to work, contribute, be happy and be completely who they are. This brings me back to my original thoughts about the BOA retreat and how confident and self-assured this board is in its identity. It’s “Totally Carrboro”!

Annette Stone is the new economic and community development director for the Town of Carrboro.

Web Archive

© 2025 The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme