Staff Writers
Growth. Economic development. Budgetary woes. A new school superintendent. It’s an even more transitional time in Orange County than usual.
As Election Day draws near, The Citizen asked a number of individuals who keep a close watch on local government what they believe to be the most important issues confronting those who will be holding office on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, Chapel Hill Town Council and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. As a refresher, as you head to the polls, here’s a sample of their responses.
Carrboro
Incumbents Dan Coleman and Lydia Lavelle and challengers Braxton Foushee and Michelle Johnson are vying for three open seats on the board of aldermen. Mayor Mark Chilton is running unopposed.
“Which candidates are going to work tirelessly to keep taxes where they are?†asks James Carnahan, a founder of the Village Project and former chair of the Carrboro Planning Board.
Property taxes are already too high, Carnahan said.
Carrboro is already barely affordable for senior citizens and those with fixed and limited incomes, Carnahan said, and any increase will be punitive for many residents.
“If Carrboro is ever going to be transit friendly and affordable to the diverse population we keep saying we want, we’re going to have to grow our economic base, and that’s not going to happen if we NIMBY [Not In My Backyard] these developments to death,†he said. “In the current economy, it is a wonder anyone wants to build anything.â€
Proposed mixed-use development Shelton Station will put many more residents within walking distance of downtown businesses, Carnahan said, and a multi-use proposal for the northeast corner of N.C. 54 and Old Fayetteville Road could provide affordable housing and healthy competition to Carrboro Plaza merchants.
Putting a CVS at the corner of North Greensboro and Weaver streets, he said, “would underutilize a strategic downtown site with a two-story building, where zoning allows four floors.â€
Joal Hall Broun, who chose not to run for reelection after serving on the board of aldermen since 1999, said how the incoming board deals with the siting of a downtown library is an important issue. The question the board must confront, she said, is whether it wants to take a downtown property off the tax roles.
Affordability for the middle class – the ability to purchase a home and pay property taxes – is of concern to Broun.
Also: “Is the board really committed to the increase of commercial and economic development?†she asks.
“The commitment would entail actually approving commercial development instead of nixing the idea of larger commercial retail and office areas where appropriate,†she said.
Broun said the board must be realistic about how to provide an adequate water supply – a decision that will affect “future development in all of southern Orange County and impact UNC’s ability to develop Carolina North.â€
Broun is also concerned with the position the board takes on closing the county landfill and any settlement or remediation for Rogers Road residents for having had the landfill in their neighborhood for nearly 40 years.
Former board member Mark Dorosin shares that concern.
With the county moving forward with mitigations for the Rogers Road community, Dorosin will be watching “whether and how the town will fulfill its obligations to the residents that were annexed by Carrboro a few years ago.
“Those Carrboro residents still do not have sewer service, for example, and also need support for their fledgling community center and improved bus access.â€Â
Renewed outreach and engagement with the Latino community is also of concern to Dorosin. And the new board must address the “growing economic disparities in our town.â€Â
Chapel Hill
Incumbent Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt is challenged by newcomer Tim Sookram and Kevin Wolff, who has previously run for mayor.
Town council incumbents Donna Bell, Matt Czajkowski and Jim Ward are seeking reelection, challenged by Jason Baker, Augustus Cho, Laney Dale, Jon DeHart, Carl Schuler and Lee Storrow. Four seats are available on the council.
Throughout the election season, candidates have attended a number of forums and shared their views on issues running the gamut from developments and crowded schools to the county landfill and social justice.
“To me, responsible growth remains the most important issue,†said Julie McClintock, president of the Friends of Bolin Creek and a former member of the council, including “how we do it and where we do it.â€
McClintock said the environment – and how business interacts with it – also remains a pressing concern for the town.
To determine how candidates would serve on the council, McClintock said she looks at their past work and to what degree they’ve been active in the groups they’re a part of.
Will Raymond, a member of the OWASA board of directors, said the town faces a number of issues moving forward.
“The big one, of course, which has been brewing for a while, is the budget,†he said, noting significant challenges, like the library expansion, that the town will deal with in coming years.
“We’re still bringing in fairly decent revenues, but where we’re putting those revenues is not very sustainable,†he said.
Raymond said he’s also considering candidates’ stances on the comprehensive plan and whether the county should seek its Jordan Lake water allocation, but that his main focus is on the budget.
“I don’t think people really understand just how screwed up our budget is,†he said. “I think people are looking for very serious folks for the next two years, because it’s not going to be fun.â€
CHCCS
In the school board race, there are seven candidates running for five available seats: Jamezetta Bedford, Mia Burroughs, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streater are running for reelection against challengers James Barrett, Kris Castellano and Raymond Conrad.
During election season, all seven candidates have been out meeting voters and attending forums, sharing their views on issues from the schools shrinking budget to the achievement gap.
Kim Hoke, executive director of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation, said that with the district faced with reducing expenditures, budget cuts are definitely a major issue, and she would like to know the candidates’ strategy for making cuts.
“At a certain point, the typical response is ‘I want to protect the classroom,’ and I think that is a laudable goal. However, there is a point at which the district can’t achieve the cuts it needs to make without affecting structural programs,†she said.
Amanda Hartness, principal at McDougle Elementary School, said that in addition to fiscal responsibility, one of the most important issues is candidates’ accountability in implementing the many changes that are occurring in the school system, especially regarding curriculum.
Hartness said that in the past, each state has created its own curriculum, but with the next school year, “We will be moving into a national core-curriculum standard, which is the first time in history that has happened.â€
“Teachers are going to be learning a new curriculum at the same time they are going to be teaching it,†she said. “We need board members that will know how it is going to impact our teachers and our schools.â€
VOTE
Early voting – Thursday and Friday (times vary by location – check www.co.orange.nc.us/elect); Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.