
{"id":21785,"date":"2011-11-03T15:03:40","date_gmt":"2011-11-03T19:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/?p=21785"},"modified":"2011-11-03T15:06:00","modified_gmt":"2011-11-03T19:06:00","slug":"big-decisions-ahead-for-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2011\/11\/03\/big-decisions-ahead-for-voters\/","title":{"rendered":"Big decisions ahead for voters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><figure id=\"attachment_21786\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21786\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Elections110311.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"301\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21786\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Elections110311.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Elections110311-113x75.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Elections110311-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Elections110311-100x66.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21786\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Renee Price and Mary Bushnell (right) enjoy a light-hearted moment with the candidates for the Carrboro Board\u00c2 of Aldermen at a forum hosted by the Orange County Democratic Women earlier this election season. Photo by Alicia Stemper<\/figcaption><\/figure><strong>By Taylor Sisk, Rose Laudicina and Susan Dickson<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Staff Writers<\/em><br \/>\nGrowth. Economic development. Budgetary woes. A new school superintendent. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an even more transitional time in Orange County than usual.<\/p>\n<p>As Election Day draws near, <em>The Citizen<\/em> 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sample of their responses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carrboro<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Which candidates are going to work tirelessly to keep taxes where they are?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d asks James Carnahan, a founder of the Village Project and former chair of the Carrboro Planning Board.<\/p>\n<p>Property taxes are already too high, Carnahan said.<\/p>\n<p>Carrboro is already barely affordable for senior citizens and\u00c2\u00a0those with fixed and limited incomes, Carnahan said, and any increase will be punitive for many residents.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If Carrboro is ever going to be transit friendly and affordable to the diverse population we keep saying we want, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have to grow our\u00c2\u00a0economic base, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not going to happen if we NIMBY [Not In My Backyard] these developments to death,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the current economy, it is a wonder anyone wants to build anything.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>Putting a CVS at the corner of North Greensboro and Weaver streets, he said,\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u0153would underutilize a strategic downtown site with a two-story building, where zoning allows four floors.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>Affordability for the middle class \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the ability to purchase a home and pay property taxes \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is of concern to Broun.<\/p>\n<p>Also: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is the board really committed to the increase of commercial and economic development?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she asks. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The commitment would entail actually approving commercial development instead of nixing the idea of larger commercial retail and office areas where appropriate,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Broun said the board must be realistic about how to provide an adequate water supply \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a decision that will affect \u00e2\u20ac\u0153future development in all of southern Orange County and impact UNC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ability to develop Carolina North.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Former board member Mark Dorosin shares that concern.<\/p>\n<p>With the county moving forward with mitigations for the Rogers Road community, Dorosin will be watching \u00e2\u20ac\u0153whether and how the town will fulfill its obligations to the residents that were annexed by Carrboro a few years ago. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Those Carrboro residents still do not have sewer service, for example, and also need support for their fledgling community center and improved bus access.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Renewed outreach and engagement with the Latino community is also of concern to Dorosin. And the new board must address the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153growing economic disparities in our town.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chapel Hill<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Incumbent Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt is challenged by newcomer Tim Sookram and Kevin Wolff, who has previously run for mayor. <\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153To me, responsible growth remains the most important issue,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Julie McClintock, president of the Friends of Bolin Creek and a former member of the council, including \u00e2\u20ac\u0153how we do it and where we do it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n<p>McClintock said the environment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and how business interacts with it \u00e2\u20ac\u201c also remains a pressing concern for the town.<\/p>\n<p>To determine how candidates would serve on the council, McClintock said she looks at their past work and to what degree they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been active in the groups they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a part of.<\/p>\n<p>Will Raymond, a member of the OWASA board of directors, said the town faces a number of issues moving forward. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The big one, of course, which has been brewing for a while, is the budget,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, noting significant challenges, like the library expansion, that the town will deal with in coming years. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still bringing in fairly decent revenues, but where we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re putting those revenues is not very sustainable,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Raymond said he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also considering candidates\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 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. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think people really understand just how screwed up our budget is,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think people are looking for very serious folks for the next two years, because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not going to be fun.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n<p><strong>CHCCS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 strategy for making cuts. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153At a certain point, the typical response is \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI want to protect the classroom,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and I think that is a laudable goal. However, there is a point at which the district can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t achieve the cuts it needs to make without affecting structural programs,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. <\/p>\n<p>Amanda Hartness, principal at McDougle Elementary School, said that in addition to fiscal responsibility, one of the most important issues is candidates\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 accountability in implementing the many changes that are occurring in the school system, especially regarding curriculum. <\/p>\n<p>Hartness said that in the past, each state has created its own curriculum, but with the next school year, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We will be moving into a national core-curriculum standard, which is the first time in history that has happened.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Teachers are going to be learning a new curriculum at the same time they are going to be teaching it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We need board members that will know how it is going to impact our teachers and our schools.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n<p><strong>VOTE<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Early voting<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00c2\u00a0Thursday and Friday (times vary by location \u00e2\u20ac\u201c check www.co.orange.nc.us\/elect); Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.<br \/>\n<strong>Election Day<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growth. Economic development. Budgetary woes. A new school superintendent. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an even more transitional time in Orange County than usual. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":21786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230,4,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elections","category-news","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21785"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21788,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785\/revisions\/21788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}