September 2015

Why We Endorsed for Hillsborough Town Board

Last night the Orange County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to endorse Evelyn Lloyd, Brian Lowen, and Mark Bell for the Hillsborough Town Board at the Party’s monthly executive committee meeting.

An ad hoc committee was appointed following a motion at the September session of the County Executive Committee. County Commissioner Renee Price chaired the committee, which unanimously recommended endorsing the three Democrats running for Hillsborough’s Town Board. Tonight’s action officially endorsed these three Democrats vying for the three seats up on the Hillsborough Town Board in this year’s elections.

Endorsing in nonpartisan elections is a rare event. Between these three candidates they have decades of service to the Town of Hillsborough and our greater Orange County community. Whether it has been as part of the current membership of the Town Board, service on town advisory boards, or in the community, these candidates exemplify the character and values that make Hillsborough and Orange County great.

Equality NC Action Fund Endorses in Chapel Hill Races

For the first time, Equality NC Action Fund has issued endorsements in key municipal races throughout North Carolina, including Chapel Hill.

What We're Reading: September 4

Here are a few things we're reading this week.

Selma to DC March

Yesterday I was in Raleigh and joined the Selma to DC Journey for Justice March sponsored by the NAACP. Lots of supporters were there from religious groups, unions and environmental groups. (Sierra Club turned out a number of members.)  Candidates and elected officials from Chapel Hill and Carrboro were there too. I talked with the reporter from Univision. She has moved to Raleigh from Florida as did the new Sierra Club organizer. The N and O has some nice photos. The rally ended with everyone holding "Support Voting Rights Advancement Act" signs. ( An attempt to fix the changes the Supreme Court made to the Voting Rights Act.)

Greenways for the 21st Century

This commentary, written my fellow OP editor Travis Crayton and myself, originally appeared in the Chapel Hill News on September 6, 2015.

Work on phase three of the Bolin Creek greenway began earlier this summer – and that’s great news for Chapel Hill residents. Phase three of the greenway is the first step in connecting where the current greenway ends at Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd below the police station to Tanyard Branch trail, the Northside neighborhood, and downtown Chapel Hill via Umstead Drive. The greenway extension will also serve as a vital link to the future trail systems planned by Carrboro and Orange County.

This Week in Orange Politics: September 7-13

Nearing the end of the summer break and after the long Labor Day holiday weekend, only a couple of local governing boards will meet this week. Both the county commissioners and the Carrboro Board of Alderpersons will hold work sessions.

Happy Labor Day

Two years ago I was endorsed by the AFL-CIO and one thing they they keep hoping is that we will all push for the right of public employees to collectively bargain. It is important to keep talking about this. This is illegal in North Carolina but someday we may be able to change the law. Also ALEC is able to get more states to pass so called Right to Work legislation. (The south has had this for a long time.) Basically what it does is it lets non union members sponge off the work of the union members who worked hard to negotiate benefits for all the employees. In Right to Work states the employees don't have to pay union dues but get the negotiated benefits.  Hope everyone saw the big article in the N and O today about coal miners. The last union mine closed in KY. Union miners pointed out all the benefits the union brought to the mining industry. Slowly ( and in some cases quickly) those benefits are being lost.

 

Light Rail Environmental Impact Statement Public Information Session

Learn more about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation (DEIS) for the proposed Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit (D-O LRT) Project.  A formal public meeting where you can give feedback will be held on September 29.

Date: 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015 - 4:00pm to 7:00pm

Location: 

Friday Center, 100 Friday Center Drive, Chapel Hill

Local AFL-CIO Affiliate Issues Endorsements

The Orange County affiliate of the North Carolina AFL-CIO has issued endorsements in the Chapel Hill Town Council and Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board races.

Chapel Hill Reminds Candidates About Rules for Signs

A combination of state law and municipal code regulate how political signs may be displayed in Chapel Hill.

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