By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
CARRBORO – All three candidates running for two vacant District 1 seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners agree that in order to achieve more for the county, the different governing boards need to work on working together.
“There has been a bad history of communicating between the governments,†incumbent Pam Hemminger said at a candidate forum held last Wednesday at Carrboro Town Hall, sponsored by the Orange County Democratic Party.
“We need to let go of this bad history and realize we have to work together,†she added. Candidate Mark Dorosin, a former mem- ber of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, offered as a recent example the county and the board of aldermen having difficulties in their attempts to site a library in southern Orange County, partially due to poor communications. “We need engaged leadership that is com-
mitted to having collaboration that has to happen up front,†Dorosin said.
Penny Rich, a candidate who currently serves on the Chapel Hill Town Council, also admitted being frustrated with a lack of communication.
“Being on the Chapel Hill Town Council I sometimes get really frustrated with the county commissioners,†Rich said.
“I’ve felt like the communication lines weren’t always open, but this frustration has been going on too long,†she added.
Candidates discussed a wide range of topics, including the proposed Orange County transit plan and the rural buffer, and shared ideas on issues such as how to generate positive economic development and what to do with the county’s trash.
All three candidates expressed their approval of the proposed transit plan and its light-rail component and said they would be supportive of putting a transit tax on the November ballot.
“My belief is we need to put the transit tax out there to improve transit in general, because there is no money in the towns or county to increase transit,†Hemminger said.
The candidates also found themselves in agreement about the rural buffer, saying they liked the concept but would be in favor of discussions to make certain it was working as effectively as intended.
“I think the idea of the rural buffer is a good one,†Dorosin said, “but we need to consider whether it is still working the way it was intended to.â€
“We should look at if there are ways the community would support using parts of it,†he added.
When asked about what to do with the county’s trash, each expressed disappointment with the current, temporary decision to ship it to Durham – and once again the discussion focused on communications among the governmental entities.
“The solid-waste issue has been going on for just way too long,†Rich said, “but every time groups get together, nothing happens.â€
“I think we need to come up with a 21st century solution and I think we need to be forward thinking,†she said.
To help improve not only relationships among the different governmental bodies but the entire Orange County community, Dorosin gave a suggestion that garnered a lot of smiles in the room.
“We need to have a county fair,†Dorosin said. “Something that celebrates … the diversity and the unique range of interests in the county.â€
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