Citizen Will

Tag: Government

  • Trash Talk: Promises Unmet

    [UPDATE:] Dan Coleman posted this nice summary over on OrangePolitics of the ’97 minutes: Thanks, Mark. Your four points are absolutely correct. As well as reviewing the 1997 agreements, the Commissioner’s ought to take a close look at the landfill neighbors’ current “Hope List”: 1) Cover open bed trucks going to landfill (agreed to in […]

  • Trash Talk: The Ticking Clock

    For a problem 35 years in the making, the push to finalize the site of the transfer station seems precipitous. To echo Mark Chilton’s letter, until a county-wide assessment is made, setting a timetable now is not prudent. Here’s the draft timetable from tonight’s agenda item: It would be nice to see a concurrent push […]

  • 2035 Orange County’s Garbage Center of Gravity?

    I was struck by a conjunction between the following image from the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan Socio-Economic projections I mentioned earlier and the debate currently raging over siting a trash transfer station on Eubanks Road. 35 years ago the Orange County landfill currently blighting the Rogers Road community was […]

  • The page cannot be displayed…Chapel Hill’s Website Woes

    I use the our Town’s two websites, Townhall.TownOfChapelHill.org and TownOfChapelHill.org, quite extensively to keep up with our local governance. More and more I’ve run into: The page cannot be displayed Explanation: There is a problem with the page you are trying to reach and it cannot be displayed. Try the following: Refresh page: Search for […]

  • Chapel Hill 2035

    [UPDATE] The Chapel Hill News’ OrangeChat noted the growth Mar. 5th. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan Socio-Economic projections are in and, as Sally notes, they forecast a whopping increase in population. Table 1: Draft 2035 Plan Socio-Economic Projections Jurisdiction Population Employment 2005 2035 % inc. 2005 2035 % inc. […]

  • Giving Kiosk Out, Panhandling Meters In?

    Last year, the Downtown Partnership (DPC) commissioned a “giving kiosk” for Downtown. Callie Warner, my neighbor and metalsmith, designed what Liz Parham, Direcor of the DPC, described in this May 16th, 2006 Chapel Hill News column [PDF] as an “economic development tool”: This past week the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership carried a concept proposal for […]

  • Community Networking: Profiting from Poor Leadership Clearwire Gains a Toe-hold

    Profiting from Council’s continued inability to craft effective technology policy, Clearwire, a wireless Internet service provider utilizing proprietary spectrum, has gained a toe-hold in our community. These days, it’s hard to imagine getting through high school without the Internet. However, there are at least 100 students at East Chapel Hill High School whose families cannot […]

  • Proprietary Public Policy: Chapel Hill Streaming Video Goes Live?

    In reviewing this evening’s notes on increasing the Town’s election contribution limits ($200 to $250) and lowering the standards of disclosure ($25 instead of $20), I noticed that Internet video is now available. The Town’s proprietary Windows Media-based solution from Granicus was opposed by a number of members of the since dissolved Town Technology Advisory […]

  • Treasonous Slime: I know how Howard feels…

    Used by Joe Killian’s kind permission. Automatic Writing’s Joe Killian caught NC’s Rep. Coble (R) returning to Greensboro after his finally joining in with the critics of Bush’s Iraq “surge” nuttiness. Howard, I’ve been part of the treasonous cabal protesting our actions in both Iraq and Afghanistan since the beginning – welcome to the our […]

  • Chapel Hill News: Crushed by Council’s Jagganath

    I commented Dec. 4th that the Lot #5 development juggernaut was powered by an all-consuming illogic I fully expected to crush rational opposition. I wasn’t disappointed [VIDEO]. Echoing that sentiment, today’s Chapel Hill News speaks of a “proposal…so big and had so much town involvement — Mayor Kevin Foy and council member Bill Strom have […]

  • I’m just a Bill

    Former Council member, occasional OP poster and Director of Bill Drafting for the North Carolina General Assembly since 1981, Gerry Cohen has a new ‘blog, NC Bill Drafting: 30 Years on Jones St., capturing the tug-n-pull of NC’s legislative tides. What a great niche subject covered by a key player. For instance, he notes in […]

  • Trashing the Rogers Road Community, Again

    [UPDATE: Response to davepr from Orange County BOCC member Moses Carey. The Rogers Road (MAP) community has long suffered from promises unkept. [UPDATE:] Embedded video: At Feb. 12th’s Chapel Hill Town Council meeting Sharon Cook and Jeanie Stroud defend their Rogers Road community. As you might remember from my recent posts, the area is coming […]

  • Downtown Development: Feb. 12th Council Debate

    [UPDATE:] The video below streams from my site – here’s the Google Video that streams faster. Here’s the complete “debate” Council held on the Lot #5. Note how quickly the expedited SUP application was approved.

  • RAM’s VP Casey Cummings – The Sixth Beatle?

    Is RAM Development’s Casey Cummings the sixth Beatle? I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get some video snippets (wish the Town was streaming video!) to get direct confirmation but it sure seemed like he was comfortable jumping up to the podium sans a request of Council. I’m not quite sure the propriety of his […]

  • Downtown Development Intiative: Easthom, Ward on Hazardous Waste Liability

    Live ‘blogged from hearing: Laurin Easthom picked up on a point that I didn’t have time to speak to this round: hazardous material remediation. It’s incredible that a hazardous waste assay hasn’t been done on a piece a property that is known to have had oil and gasoline exposures. Back in the ’80s I used […]