Here's a new thread for contintuing discussion of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen's attempt to make themselves whole. The meeting begins at 7pm tonight at Carrboro Town Hall, and I understand it will also be on cable.
Background:
Last night's deliberation
Candidate interviews
Candidate discussion
Actual applications (PDF)
Here's Carrboro's chance to show they know how to compromise...
Issues:
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Comments
Jacquie says there is no one
Jacquie says there is no one in the annexed area this Board could appoint who would calm the waters. There are some very angry people out there who will remain angry at this Board. They are angry about their tax bills. No matter who from the annexed areas comes and sits on this Board, they will still be mad. She doesn't think appointing someone from there will do any political good, but could do a lot of politlcal harm. It will deny us the chance to appoint the best person for this position. The angry people are mad about their tax bill and 'who we are.' You can't appoint someone who's 'just like us' and calm that anger. We should appoint someone who works well with the entire community.
Joal is criticizing John for
Joal is criticizing John for talking about the need to be flexible when he himself isn't moving.
Joal is characterizing the
Joal is characterizing the other folks support of Dan as inflexible but then she says she's not going to change her mind...
Joal is throwing the
Joal is throwing the gauntlet down - "if this is going to be the way ...then so be it"..."this is going to be the way for the next two years"
Joal goes on to say we all
Joal goes on to say we all have to live with the decisions we make. This is a difficult decision. If we can't move from this decision then maybe we should think about whether this is the way it's going to be for the next two years. She says we can take another vote and we can stay as long as people like. If we're going to be fair to the process...we all read the questionnaires- she read them again last night. She's not going to say she's against anything but she's for Lydia. It's not about politics, she has no ulterior motives, she's not doing this because she wants to get reelected in 2007 (if she decides to run). But the Aldermen come at this issue differently. She has gotten e-mails from people who live in areas that aren't in the annexed areas who said Lydia is a great candidate and we hope you support her.
Mark says that with Alex's
Mark says that with Alex's logic last night, Katrina would be the logical choice. Mark wants to know why Lydia rather than Katrina if geography is important. Randee's responding.
Randee - "We need a new team
Randee - "We need a new team mate that wouldn't bring the alliances that some of us have with Dan"
Randee says Lydia has
Randee says Lydia has excellent communication skills and a good background. She is impressed with Lydia's style and ability to listen. She didn't share that last night because she wanted to see where the question was going regarding the annexed area. She says Lydia would be able to provide balance at a time when the Board needs it. We need a teammate who can bring a fresh perspective without the alliances some of us would have with Dan. You'd need a laser to find the difference between where Dan and Randee stand on the issues, but is that what we want for Carrboro? She says it's unfortunate if people are viewing Lydia as only the annexation candidate. Lydia is a member of the gay/lesbian community and would bring representation to the table. Her presence on the Board would 'enlighten us' and help us to understand minority positions. The voice of a community that has been relatively silent through this discussion would be heard.
Why is Lydia more favorable
Why is Lydia more favorable than Katrina? Because she's not polarizing. She's approachable. She's amenable to change and she's flexible.
(This is still Randee talking.)
She says Carrboro is becoming a very different place and to not be open to someone with very different experiences is just not Carrboro.
I have to agree, that of the
I have to agree, that of the two I would pick Lydia. And I know neither candidate personally.
Joal says she agrees with
Joal says she agrees with Randee. There's no expectation that any one neighborhood gets what they want. She worked her way up on this Board. She served on OWASA for 6.5 years. She was on the Salisbury Planning Board. She's outlining the things she was involved with during college. She has experience with 'governance that works.' You look for differences and similarities. She's not going to play people's experience and skills off of each other. She continues to believe Lydia is the best candidate and she's not looking at geography. She gets no political kudos for selecting Lydia.
Just finished Dr. Doolittle
Just finished Dr. Doolittle - Oh to talk to the animals. Wish I could see this live, but good for Alex and Joal for calling John out. Begging others on the board to lead is a copout, John. Your vote counts just as much. Heck, he could barely say Dan's name out loud last night.
Randee says lining up the #
Randee says lining up the # of boards each participated on is something she thought the BOA wouldn't do - "to rise out one by blowing out the candle of another" - then she goes on to say 'why not the other candidate from the NTA? Because she was polarizing, she wasn't flexible...." and several other negatives - in other words, raining on Katrina's parade
The logic of geography is getting tortuous here...
Joal - "I'm not going to play that this person has these skills or those skills" but isn't that the way most folk base, at least in part, their hiring decisions?
I usually pick folk that meet a general set of skills criteria and then interview them to determine some of the less tangible assets they bring to the table....
Randee says lining up the #
Randee says lining up the # of boards each participated on is something she thought the BOA wouldn't do - "to rise out one by blowing out the candle of another" - then she goes on to say 'why not the other candidate from the NTA? Because she was polarizing, she wasn't flexible...." and several other negatives - in other words, raining on Katrina's parade
The logic of geography is getting tortuous here...
Joal - "I'm not going to play that this person has these skills or those skills" but isn't that the way most folk base, at least in part, their hiring decisions?
WillR - I usually pick folk that meet a general set of skills criteria and then interview them to determine some of the less tangible assets they bring to the table....
Jacquie says we have
Jacquie says we have consensus that no one is changing their minds. We can stay here for a long, long time. What do we do now? Her suggestion is that if you're absolutely sure you're not going to change your mind she thinks we should remove both candidates from the ballot and see where that goes.
Jacquie wants to know "what
Jacquie wants to know "what do we do now?" if the BOA members aren't going to change their mind...
She suggests maybe the next step is to jettison these 2 candidates and go with their 2nd choices...
IRV on the honor system...
IRV on the honor system...
John H. wants to talk to the
John H. wants to talk to the candidates some more - lets grill them - Joal "it's not fair" Jacquie "it won't change my mind"
She wants to take a break
She wants to take a break and come back and talk about it. John would like to hear from the candidates themselves at this point. He wants to put them to the test. Joal and Jacquie say no. Joal doesn't want to do the 'crossexamination' thing. She says she does it well, and you may not want that. Now Jacquie says we should think about it.
Mark also wants to throw out the thought of having a straw poll on a non Lydia/Dan candidate instead of having a formal vote.
And we're taking a break.
And we're taking a break. So who do you think everyone's second choice is going to be?
Tom and Will, thanks very
Tom and Will, thanks very much for your blogging.
I think Alex and Randee will go with James.
Bad idea on cross-exams
Bad idea on cross-exams John. Not fair to Dan, Lydia or the other 10, in my view. But at least a glimpse of leadership. Wish I had a babysitter this could get interesting.... :)
Getting punch drunk here...
Getting punch drunk here... We need action... I'll try to shut up.
They're back on. Mark
They're back on. Mark outlined some options. Jacquie wants to hear from Dan and Lydia to hear what they think about all this talk.
Yes, thanks folks - the
Yes, thanks folks - the cable impaired appreciate it!
I think maybe they should vote for Elvis.
David Beck is from my
David Beck is from my neigborhood (or near enough) and I think we're under-represented.
(That was humour - though I did think David's application was one of the stronger ones -- I wish I had a babysitter too.)
can we play the Carrboro
can we play the Carrboro Fight Song during the timeout? :). Rah, Rah, sis boom bah. We love Weaver Street AND Katrina' Ma! :)
I KNOW my street is under
I KNOW my street is under represented. Not a single board member on W. Poplar Ext. I hope the board is holding to the idiot 'Don't talk to anyone" rule during the timeout. We would want the Aldermen communicating with each other now would we.... :)
It is interesting, I think,
It is interesting, I think, how everyone started talking about how qualified everyone was, but then folks had to actually say they didn't want Katrina.
And we're back... Mark says
And we're back...
Mark says we can bring Dan and Lydia up for question
Or we can have a round of balloting acting as if Dan and Lydia were no longer in the picture
Or we could do the same thing but treat it as a straw poll
John agrees. He might change
John agrees. He might change his mind. Randee thinks it's important for all of Carrboro to hear them. Alex thinks that's perfectly reasonably but shares Joal's concerns that we don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. Jacquie says it's probalby too late for that. Everyone laughs.
Mark wants to know if they
Mark wants to know if they want to make a statement. Dan wonders what the statement is about. Does any of you have a subject? Would you change your mind?
Joan, I agree that James is
Joan, I agree that James is a solid contender...he has many solid characteristics that match their criteria EXCEPT the geographical....
Randee is joining with John - now Alex jumps in saying "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable quizzing..."
Mark is suggesting that the applicants can stand and make a statement....
Dan is asking for clarification - "do any of you have a good faith feeling that anything we say in the next couple minutes that would change your minds?"
Mark laughs saying he understands his skepticism...
Lydia is ready to roll either direction....
Mark repeated Dan's
Mark repeated Dan's comments. What do you think Lydia? Lydia is happy to speak or not to speak. She is wearing a purple shirt. Dan was also wearing clothes, I believe.
Rutro... let the cross
Rutro... let the cross examinations begin. Never let them see you sweat. Note to Randee - all of Carrboro can't hear them b/c the damn board has never gotten the meetings streamed on the internet!
My computer is acting up so
My computer is acting up so I'm going to let you all take over.
Thank goodness Will and Tom
Thank goodness Will and Tom are back.
Will, my comment was based only on the fact that James (who is my neighbor) had a get-to-know-you party for Randee and a sign for Randee and Alex in his yard.
Randee is saying there's
Randee is saying there's some assumptions they threw out there about Lydia that maybe she could clarify....and on the otherhand Dan can comment on community building....
5 minutes is proposed by Joal for the candidates statements....
Mark tosses a quarter to decide who goes 1st....
Randee wants to hear about
Randee wants to hear about community building from Dan. This is a really quick summary.
They can speak up to five minutes. Is there a question? Maybe not. They can make a statement.
Mark is wearing a flowered tie. Alex is wearing a black shirt and jacket. Joal has a black top on. Randee is in black and gray. John's in a jacket, shirt, tie.
Mark is suggesting that the
Mark is suggesting that the person that goes 2nd voluntarily sequesters themselves...
this is some high stakes speaking...
Dan's up 1st...
Lydia's left the room -
Lydia's left the room - she's smiling looking somewhat relieved...
Dan's up...
Thanks to all the diligent
Thanks to all the diligent bloggers for keeping us well informed!
What a tricky situation. So many people involved are good friends and colleagues, so it must be hard for some to say what they really mean. Which makes it all the more difficult to navigate the interpersonal dynamics.
For whatever it's worth, I'm pulling for Carrboro to come through this stronger than ever . . . and I know you will.
Dan is wearing a teal shirt.
Dan is wearing a teal shirt.
He's been thinking about the first day he drove into Carrboro in 1979. He must have been coming from Chapel Hill b/c first he saw Piggly Wiggle and Family Dollar. "Where am I?" "So where can I get an espresso?" Nowhere in Carrboro, only in CHapel Hill. It was a different time. Old Carrboro meant something different, culturally, than what it is now. My point is that I've been Carrboro go through that change.
Before I filed i went to look at old planning files, at a map of 1990 Carrboro. Interesting, to me, 1990 seems recent. There's a lot of change, a lot of growth, a lot of issues that have come and gone. In the 80s we fought and won to protect the watershed though we may have to fight that again. Great victories for Ally?? (?) Adams Tract protected. Then Alex and others and i created the Land Trust. Successed.
Jacquie referred to the hot button. Politics change. Community changes. I come from the background of someone who thinks about ecology.
This will give someone the
This will give someone the excuse they need to change their vote...
He's starting with his 1st
He's starting with his 1st drive into Carrboro in '79 - there was a Piggly Wiggly , a Dollar Store...he realized he was in a culturaly different place (no espresso available)...
He's speaking about the OWASA fight, the Addams tract success, working with Alex on the Land Trust...he's talking about taking the long view....
Dan: Issues change. (I can't
Dan: Issues change. (I can't keep up.)
On community building: I am a trained facilitator, wrote a chapter in my book on community. But to go back to the forum a few weeks ago... Katrina is part of my community, and I feel that. The way we can build bridges is through our having that community feeling in ourselves. I look for that in myself, and I think people respond to that, and we have a chance to be advocates and apostles as One Carrboro as John puts it, with different views, different values, but that understands Carrboro as a living organic whole that works.
Dan goes to the so-called
Dan goes to the so-called green room. Lydia will come to speak yet. Dan is getting her.
Wow. That was fast.
Wow. That was fast.
I think Dan spoke very well.
I think Dan spoke very well. Hopefully (from my completely nonbiased perspective:)) it will make someone change their mind.
Dan spoke of "One Carrboro"
Dan spoke of "One Carrboro" and building a community based on different views but one heart.... He spoke of sitting next to Katrina at the forum and telling her that she was part of his "personal" community as well as the community as a whole - he said we need to internalize community (to paraphrase)
Lydia is up.
She's mentioning Dan's 20 years of work for social justice - she's highlighting her service for the last 18 years in Durham...
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