Month: October 2009

  • Unfunded Liabilities: Pay As You Go Not Sustainable

    Following up on last night’s post Unfunded Liabilities, the presentation finance head Ken Pennoyer made is here [MS Powerpoint]. This graph isn’t only a call-to-arms for Chapel Hill but is reflective of why health care reform is critically needed NOW. If the Town decides to change its plan in response to the OPEB criteria, the […]

  • Unfunded Liabilities

    [X-POSTED from my campaign website] Tonight was the final Council meeting before the election. I’ve attended every Council meeting this Fall except the special Friday morning one. I go to quite a few Council meetings in general, so attending this Fall’s during my run for office was not much of a stretch. Penny Rich and […]

  • NRG Chapel Hill’s Mayor Candidate Forum

    Thanks to Madeline Jefferson, Bob Henshaw, Julie McClintock, Janet Smith, Alan Snavely, Mickey Jo Sorrel and the rest of the membership of Neighborhoods For Responsible Growth (NRG) for both sponsoring the recent Chapel Hill Mayor candidate forum and making the following video available to the wider community. While Julie did a great job of moving […]

  • Engage Now in the NC54 Planning Process

    Given the time of year and Durham’s recent problems in protecting the Lake Jordan watershed, the fiscal impact of mitigating damage which might well be shared by Chapel Hill’s taxpayers, I was tempted to title this post “Trick or Treat on NC54?” Even if the “development process is broken in Durham”, as LaDawnna Summers, who […]

  • Finishing in the Midst of Community

    [X-Posted from WillRaymond.org] After 17 formal forums, neighborhood meetings, community picnics and other organized opportunities for candidates to meet and engage with our wider community, we ended this evening in the midst of community. Tonight I witnessed the birth Orange County Justice United, a new umbrella organization comprised of 25 local advocacy, service and faith-based […]

  • Varsity to Reopen: $3 Seats, $? Parking

    According to this WCHL 1360 story Downtown’s Varsity will reopen in November. The Varsity’ new website VarsityOnFranklin.com advertises all seats are $3 for “recently released and classic movies with excellent service and a customer focused staff to create an enjoyable movie experience at a discounted price.” I’ve seen hundreds of movies at the Varsity over […]

  • IFC Men’s Shelter: Not Until Questions Have Been Answered

    According to today’s Chapel Hill News (IFC may delay new shelter), the Inter-Faith Council is looking at a delay while the questions raised by local residents over the last few weeks are resolved. Inter-Faith Council director Chris Moran said the agency may delay its development permit application amid neighbors’ opposition to a new men’s homeless […]

  • Rev. Robert Campbell’s Letter

    I first met Rev. Robert Campbell, an incredibly dedicated advocate for the Rogers/Millhouse community, over 8 years ago. At the time I was attending one of my first Council meetings. Fred Battle, Robert Campbell, Yonni ChapmanYonni’s Picassa, Aug. 28th, 2009, Peace and Justice Commemoration Fred Battle, then President of the local NAACP (and member of […]

  • Yonni Chapman

    Yonni Chapman, local historian, stalwart civil rights activist, documenter of Chapel Hill’s struggles for peace, justice and equality, after a long struggle with cancer, has passed on. I last saw Yonni Aug. 28th at the commemoration of Chapel Hill’s new Peace and Justice Plaza. We talked awhile about the possible Board of Commissioner’s decision to […]

  • IFC Men’s Shelter: Expand the Heart of Chapel Hill

    After seeing the range of concerns and responses thoughtfully expressed during last night’s citizen presentations, I’m more confident than ever that our community can pull together, find common ground and work to settle on a permanent home for the IFC Men’s Shelter. I’m going to continue to post as much material as I can so […]

  • IFC Men’s Shelter: One Neighbor’s Letter of Support

    I have read over 100 emails detailing concerns around moving the IFC’s Men’s Shelter to Homestead Rd. Not all emails have been positive, many have very good questions that need to be laid to rest. I’m working on another post that condenses and highlights those specific neighborhood concerns. Here’s a letter in support of the […]

  • Hank Anderson-Bill Thorpe Breakfast Club Endorsement

    Big thanks to the Anderson-Thorpe Breakfast Club for endorsing my candidacy for Town Council. More on my campaign website.

  • Sorting Out the Facts: Scope of Street Crime Occuring Downtown and Near Homestead Road

    Beginning to get some of the crime statistics I requested 11 days ago. I had asked for crime statistics going back 1 year covering Parkside, Northwoods, Vineyard (Weaver Dairy Ext.) and other neighborhoods around the proposed Homestead Rd. IFC men’s shelter. Unfortunately, since I’m not a Council member (as yet) but only a citizen, a […]

  • Orange County Justice United Northside/Pine Knolls Census

    Big thank you to all the volunteers, including many, many UNC students who turned out this morning to help Orange County Justice United do a survey of the Northside and Pine Knolls areas in order to: Position community priorities in the public eye, Build relationships and get support for their social justice agenda by residents […]

  • IFC Men’s Shelter Timeline

    There are a lot of questions (and comments) about the potential relocation of the IFC Men’s Shelter to the corner of Homestead Rd. [MAP]. At last night’s WCHL 1360 candidate forum [MP3] I talked about how, if elected to Council, I would use an approach like the one I helped develop for siting the new […]