Citizen Will

Category: OrangeCounty

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • Q&A IFC Community House

    There are a lot of questions about the IFC’s plans to site the new men’s homeless shelter on Homestead Road. As a candidate for Town Council, I have been reading concerned citizens emails and letters – almost 100 or so – on this project. Executive Chris Moran has prepared the following Q & A based […]

  • Trash Talk: Council Confusion

    Council seemed somewhat confused in making the decision to take the Rogers Rd./Millhouse community off the table as far as the new County transfer site. Details on the site selection criteria and an analysis of anticipated municipal fiscal impacts have been available since Spring here. The community-based, technical and exclusionary criteria were well established prior […]

  • ChapelHillWatch: Oates, Evans Invite New Perspectives

    There’s a new ‘blog in Town! Local journalists Don Evans and Nancy Oates have started a new ‘blog, Chapel Hill Watch, to serve our local community. Both Don and Nancy have an extensive institutional memory of local history and a keen eye towards local issues (I, along with many readers of the Chapel Hill News, […]

  • Will Raymond for Town Council 2009

    A big thank you to all the folks who contacted and encouraged me to run. Below is my formal announcement, more posts to follow: Will Raymond Announces Run for Chapel Hill Town Council 2009 Chapel Hill, NC – July 17th, 2009 I am taking the next step in my eight year continuum of public service […]

  • Make That A Flood of Tax Payers

    Following up on my earlier post, it appears that appeals to the tax assessors office this year will be at least triple the norm. More from the Herald’s Lisa Young.

  • A Stream of Concerned Taxpayers

    Made a quick trip to Hillsborough to submit my application for an informal review of my tax revaluation (we took a %35 whack , $327,697 to $442,912 or an $115K increase!). I definitely wasn’t the only concerned citizen. A crowd of folks were milling about the assessor’s front desk when I entered at 4:30. From […]

  • Orange County Voice Pushes Plan B

    Orange County Voice, another Orange County organization working on the trash transfer site issue along side Preserve Rural Orange, has picked up on the Plan B options I have posted on as recently as last Fall (Trash Talk:Commissioner Gordon “No Plan B”). Bonnie Hauser, Tony Blake, Susan Walser (recent editorial) and other members have done […]

  • Preserve Rural Orange: Greensboro Transfer Station Review

    Watching the folks who formed PRO – Preserve Rural Orange – in response to UNC’s foray into airport building and Orange County’s crazy siting of the trash transfer station on Hwy. 54 has been encouraging. From a small group of concerned citizens, they have developed an activist organization that puts the “pro” in PRO. These […]

  • Chancellor Thorp on HWA Closure: Not until we have to…

    UNC’s Chancellor Holden Thorp takes a postion (“Carolina North: A Glass Half-Full Perspective”) on Horace-William Airport’s closure. One of the most vexing issues, though, has been the future of Horace Williams Airport. As you know, it occupies the heart of the Carolina North acreage. It’s the flattest part of the tract and, therefore, the best […]

  • Eve Carson: Ripples of Hope

    Eve Carson was universally lauded by the local community for epitomizing the Carolina Way. Her friends honor her by ensuring that her contribution to our community continues. Linda send out this reminder. Dear Friends and Neighbors, The death of Eve Carson last year was a tragic moment that stunned us all. In the months since […]

  • Persons Out of Place

    In my application for Bill’s seat on Council, I mentioned my concern (“Walking is not a crime.”) that the recently announced Orange County Community Safety Partnership program, which trains Town staff and the general public to identify and report criminal activity or other public safety related issues, needs to be careful in discriminating what is […]