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Candidate Endorsement Letters: Other

Posted on October 11, 2007 by Staff

Incumbent support

I am in enthusiastic agreement with the Sierra Club in supporting Mayor Mark Chilton for mayor of Carrboro, and Alderman Dan Coleman, Alderman Joal Hall Broun and candidate Lydia Lavelle for the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.

Mayor Chilton has enjoyed great success in his first term as mayor. He has been an effective and distinguished ambassador for Carrboro in working with other governments. He has also demonstrated his skill in leading the board and in managing board processes. Mayor Chilton is an effective communicator and negotiator as evidenced by his success in convincing NCDOT to add pedestrian and bicycle facilities on Estes Drive and Smith Level Road. He remains committed to diversifying Carrboro’s tax base and has consistently advocated for diversity in our housing stock.

Alderman Coleman has been a leader in our community for over 20 years. We have all benefited from his leadership at Weaver Street Market, The ArtsCenter and on transit, economic development, affordable housing and Carolina North committees, among others. He is unequivocally qualified to continue leading our community as an alderman. He researches best practices, thinks outside the box and is well positioned to help move our community forward. Alderman Coleman has also shown an innate ability to work collaboratively with others and to help resolve disputes. I know of no candidate who is as entrenched in the Carrboro community as is Alderman Coleman.

Alderman Broun has been on the board for two terms, or nine years. She is an extremely effective leader and active board member, which has earned her high praise.  Her leadership was instrumental in helping to secure land for the Adams Tract and MLK parks. Her advocacy for affordable housing has also been unwavering. Where she is at her best, however, is in ensuring all citizens have a voice, all are treated fairly and all who would like to call Carrboro home can always find a place here.

Ms. Lavelle became a resident of Carrboro when her neighborhood was annexed in January 2006. She was the chairwoman of the New Horizons Task Force, which was formed to help ease new residents into the town. Of the three candidates from the annexed neighborhoods vying for a seat on the BoA, only Ms. Lavelle has the experience, temperament and skillset to work collaboratively with other board members in order to effectively represent these new residents and all of Carrboro. In her career as an attorney, Ms. Lavelle regularly brings together parties with divergent viewpoints — it’s where she excels. She is levelheaded, brings efficiency to process and is a master thinker. She is a staunch advocate for the environment and brings a wealth of experience from her involvement on numerous Durham City advisory groups.

Gary Kramling

Keep Strom

This town has made some amazing steps forward in the past eight years, and much of that has been due to the able leadership of our Town Council. We’ve modernized our Land Use Management Ordinance, introduced fare-free bus service, instituted Neighborhood Conservation Districts, expanded greenways and introduced and adopted a series of environmentally-friendly policies. We’ve faced tough talks on Carolina North as we move toward a plan that works both for our community and for UNC.

Bill Strom has been at the forefront of all these issues and more. He has never failed to stand up for the community and the quality-of-life issues that make Chapel Hill such a great place to live. But what is striking is how far beyond parochial thinking his leadership goes. His initiatives and approaches reflect a farseeing approach to our problems and future that is all too rare among our political leaders. He has worked for sensible development instead of sprawl, sensible transit options instead of wider roads, downtown revitalization instead of strip malls.

As a citizen, I have found Bill accessible, helpful, and effective. His support on neighborhood issues has been strong. We can count on him to lead us in the right direction.

We’ve made a lot of progress, but there are difficult days ahead. Let’s keep Bill Strom on Council.

Mike Collins

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