January 2013
I was in Ohio for the holidays. My sister works for a fastfood place. Her boss told her she needs to reschedule all of the full time employees to 28 hours or less so he does not have to comply with any of the new health law requirements. Is this happening in North Carolina and is it legal?
Loren
This forum, organized by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Citizens Advocating for Racial Equity and co-sponsored by the Community Education Collaborative, the Chapel Hill Town Council's Justice in Action Committee, and the UNC Center for Civil Rights, will feature Orange County Commissioner Mark Dorosin giving the keynote address. Orange County Public Defender James Williams will give opening and closing remarks, and a panel of experts and community will discuss school discipline laws and policies, policing, and their effects on students and families in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and brainstorm possible solutions.
Date:
Saturday, February 2, 2013 - 1:00pm to 4:00pm
I have copied the letter I submitted today for town council. As of today 5 other people have applied for the position. I look forward to learning about the other candidates. Fifteen years ago when my son was one I applied for a vacancy. Since then I've served on numerous committees and boards but never ran for office. (My only attempt was in 1990 when I ran for the State House.) More recently I decided not to run because of my aging parents who then passed away. My wife had an illness but she has completely recovered. My son is older and more independent. Teaching always keeps me busy but I now have a much better handle on it. So I am ready to devote myself to Town Council.
Loren
Application for Town Council by Loren Hintz Jan. 4, 2012
Newly minted county commissioner (and former Chapel Hill Town Council member) Penny Rich just sent a letter (quoted in its entirety below) to Chapel Hill mayor Mark Kleinschmidt. In it she takes strong exception to the behavior of Chapel Hill Planning Board chair Del Snow, who attended a county commissioners meeting last month to speak against the implementation of the Orange County transit plan. (See OP's live coverage of the meeting and discussion of the transit vote.)
While I wholeheartedly share Penny's concerns about Del misrepresenting the town, her call for the town to remove Del from the Planning Board will probably provoke a defensive response about municipal sovereignty, which will make it politically difficult for the town to actually do anything about it. Frankly I'm even more bothered that someone in a position of planning leadership such as Del is working to undermine the large-scale community transportation planning that is so critical to our future. Either way I'd like to see some new leaders on the Planning Board, preferably who appreciate both planning and process. But only the Chapel Hill Town Counil can make that happen.
Filing has now closed for Penny Rich’s vacated Town Council
seat. There will be a special public hearing January 14th where the
applicants will be allowed to speak. The Council will consider
making an appointment to fill the vacancy on January
23rd.
There are 11 applicants to the seat. I believe that this applicant
pool is more diverse than in past appointment processes. There are
4 women, one student, one Latino candidate, one African-American
applicant, one candidate who identifies (per her voter registration
record) as multiracial, and a Republican. Below is a brief
introduction (in alphabetical order) to each
candidate:
Sally Greene-
Sally is a former Council member, having served from 2003-2011. She
did not run for reelection because of job commitments, but has a
new job now that will allow her the time to serve again. She has
written about her candidacy
here
on OP. In that thread, there is also a copy of the resolution
Council passed honoring Sally when she stepped down, which details
her accomplishments as a Council member.
Loren Hintz-
The FBI labels animal rights and environmental activists the
“number one domestic terrorism threat,” and new laws turn activism into
“terrorism” if it hurts corporate profits. How did this happen? Why are
undercover investigators and those who use non-violent civil disobedience being
treated so disproportionately? And what are the real life consequences for the
activists who are investigated, and even sent to prison, as domestic
terrorists? Journalist Will Potter and activist Jake Conroy will explore these
questions from first hand perspectives.
Date:
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 7:00pm
Location:
104 Howell Hall, UNC Campus
As many OP readers know, the Historic Rogers Road Task Force has been meeting for the last year to discuss strategies to bring sewer service and a community center to the Rogers Road neighborhood. At the last Assembly of Governments meeting, there was a discussion about whether the task force should continue to meet next year. Michelle Johnson, Molly DeMarco, and I have drafted the following letter to deliver to the county commissioners prior to their January 24th meeting asking them to continue the task force. If you support this effort,
please sign onto our petition prior to January 17th. Dear
Chair Jacobs and Orange County Commissioners:
The Town of Chapel Hill and the Town of Carrboro should not authorize their managers to continue with the Gig.U (aka North Carolina Next Generation Network [NCNGN]) initiative at this time. Both elected bodies should direct staff to send the request for proposals (RFP) back to the drawing board for repairs.
The primary reason to reject the current RFP is that local governments could not enforce important parts of agreements that could come from a resulting contract. Municipalities all over North Carolina have been stripped of any legal authority to franchise or regulate either cable or broadband systems. This is important because, as the current RFP is structured, this is how the towns would make sure we all have access to a new fast network.
I just sent the following to the Chapel Hill Town Council:
I see that on your agenda tonight is a recommendation to expand the Central West committee by one member and to appoint a specific person to that committee. I haven't seen anyone make the case that the original formulation of the committee was faulty. The number and type of constituents as well as the specific individuals that you already appointed have been publicly discussed and agreed upon.
I believe the Town should either work hard to find someone from the public housing community, or leave the seat vacant until you do. I see no reason to make this change other than to oil a very squeaky wheel. I hope you have a higher standards for policy changes than this.
Thanks for your consideration.
The recommendation in question is this: http://chapelhillpublic.novusagenda.com/Bluesheet.aspx?itemid=2076&meetingid=195
Learn more about the Central West Focus Area at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=2020
At the start of the new year I'll be hosting another round of Open Office Hours in coffee shops across Chapel Hill. Please stop by if you have issues you would like to discuss, or just want to hear more about what local government is doing.
Date:
Monday, January 21, 2013 - 5:30pm to 6:30pm
Location:
Joe Van Gogh in Timberlyne
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