Fred Black's blog
During the election season we heard a lot about why Voter Owned Elections (VOE) were needed in Chapel Hill and how it would put power in the hands of the voters instead of some unnamed "big money forces." We now have had the election and the next test is the appointment to fill the Strom seat.
So for those who say the voters should have control, will they now re-frame their arguments to preclude the voters from engaging in a Voter Owned Appointment (VOA)? The facts are simple; there has not only been a debate over when to have the Council make their decision but also who should be appointed. Some wanted the newly elected Council to make the decision. Some want the candidate on the ballot who came in fifth to be appointed.
The deadline came and went and the 12 applicants are:
On the ballot - John DeHart, Gene Pease, Matt Pohlman, Will Raymond and Penny Rich
Former Council Members - Joe Capowski, Lee Pavao
Former Candidate - Jason Baker
Newcomers - Donna Bell, H. Brock Page, Joshua Ravitch, Aaron Shah
Did not apply - The three incumbents running for reelection
It looks like the "values" word is being thrown around again in this election. If you do a search here, you can find other discussions on this, but we never seem to agree just what our values are, who holds them, and how broadly.
So now what can we expect these 38 days until early voting begins and the 57 days until Election Day? There will be the assortment of candidate forums, media stories, letters of support from the faithful, a plethora of campaign events and fund raisers, and probably very little to inspire a significant number of us to bother to vote in these important decision opportunities.
If you are interested in the Downtown "Riddle," you must read the May/June edition of the Chapel Hill Magazine. On page 56, there is an interview with Fayetteville's own Joe Riddle, the well-known owner of some of our empty Franklin St. property.
In the "Letter from the publisher," Dan Shannon says the interview is "a lively mixture of raw honesty, combativeness, disingenuousness and skepticism." The wary Riddle doesn't treat reporter Lisa Rossi with much respect and obviously doesn't believe that any interview will do him justice.
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