Today at noon began the 14-day filing period for candidates running for any of the 21 seats that Damon told us about. We'll celebrate the end of filing with the next OP happy hour on July 15th in Hillsborough.
Think we'll see any surprises?
Issues:
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Comments
Given my record on local
Given my record on local prognosticating, perhaps I should speculate that we WON'T see any surprises just to ensure that we do, since that's always more fun!
Filed at noon today
Also present: Lee Storrow (Chapel Hill Council Candidate), Mark Chilton (Carrboro Mayor) and Alderman candidates Lydia Lavelle, Dan Coleman and Michelle Johnson.
Non-filers
I think the biggest surprise for some in Carrboro will be who doesn't file. In Chapel Hill, I won't be surprised to see one or more candidates from the area around Homestead Rd.
Update- Tom Stevens and Jamezetta Bedford.
Tom Stevens has filed for re-election for Hillsborough mayor. Jamezetta Bedford has filed for re-election to the school board, but not for her seat. Instead, she is running for the two-year seat the currently belongs to Jean Hamilton. I wonder if they're planning to swap seats?
Laney Dale for CH TC
Laney Dale, a local IT entrepreneur, has filed for Chapel Hill Town Council:http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2010/08/chapel_hill_company_develops_phone_apps#comment7783
Evelyn Lloyd, Mia Burroughs, and more on Laney Dale
Also, incumbents Evelyn Lloyd on the Hillsborough Town Board and Mia Burroughs (friend of OP) on Chapel Hill-Carrboro Scholl Board have filed. Laney Dale is a new name for me. I look forward to finding out more about his platform. Here's his LinkedIn profile, blog, and Twitter account (none of which mention Chapel Hill or politics).He's now on our list of candidates at http://twitter.com/#!/orangepolitics/candidates/.
Augustus Cho
As expected, Augustus Cho has filed to run for CH Town Council. He doesn't seem to have updated his website, but he's emerged on Twitter (a little).
Broun not running
1360wchl.com is reporting that Joal Hall Broun will not be seeking re-election. This was expected by many.
Tuesday update
3 filings today: Jason Baker and I made it official. Eric Hallman filed for re-election in Hillsborough.
Sally Greene retiring
Molly posted it already, but I also wanted to mention that SAlly announced she will not be seeking re-election to the Chapel Hill Town Council. She also endoresed Mark Kleinschmidt, Donna Bell, and Jason Baker in the process.
Sally has been a great worker and leader for the town, and this will be a real loss for the Council. I look forward to seeing what other good work Sally will continue to do. Maybe she'll even blog on OP? (One can hope.)
More filings
Today we added Hillsborough Board incumbent Brian Lowen running for re-election, and two more school board candidates: Raymond Conrad and Brian Bower. I don't know any of them.More than half of our school board candidates are male, now. That's unusual in my experience.
Apparently Brian Bower is
Apparently Brian Bower is running for school board to try to gain residency for in-state tuition at UNC. At least he's being honest about his intentions, I guess.
Grrr
I can't think of any thing to say that I would consider appropriate for this forum. I'm thinking something along the lines of "#%!@&%# you, dude." From chapelboro:
Maybe we should elect this joker just to show him how serious elections for public office actually are.
How bout if we don't.
How bout if we don't.
Disappointed
I agree with Mia Burroughs' tweet on this today, "Trying to find the humor in this but not succeeding." I guess the best we can hope for is that the media doesn't widely report it and he never comes to any public events... really dissapointing
you're right
More media about this is only going to get people thinking along the lines Ruby suggested. He'll get more protest votes or something. Ignoring him seems like a better strategy for our democracy.
Town-gown implications
Bower would be well-advised to withdraw his candidacy as a timely expression of mutual town-gown respect.
That's if, hypothetically,
That's if, hypothetically, he were well-advised.
If I understand this
If I understand this situation correctly I'm not sure why people are so upset about this. Is it the case that someone can be considered not enough of a citizen of NC to pay in-state tuition and yet enough of a citizen of NC to hold public office? If so then that seems to be a pretty ridiculous inconsistency. Granted, Bowers is only interested in using the inconsistency to his benefit, but he didn't create the inconsistency. And in case we think the run for public office around here is sacrosanct let's not forget that someone running and then quitting in mid-term isn't exactly rare around here, including one case where the quit-ee waited until just after the deadline for his seat to be put on the ballot in order to thwart the will of the voters. And now that TC-appointed member is using that nefariously-gained advantage of incumbency to run for another term. Is anyone upset by that? That's a lot worse IMO than Bowers running but saying up front he's only doing it to make a point.
I paid out of state tuition whle on the Town Council
I was elected to the Chapel Hill Town Council in November 1973 but paid out of state tuition spring of 1974 and fall of 1974, it was not until my final semester spring of 1975 that I was able to win my out of state tution appeal.
It seems sloppy but
there does seem to be an inconsistency about in-state requirements. He may be justified in doing this. My guess is that this will get the issue more attention than if he dedicate months of his life toward moving it through the proper channels.
consistently inconsistent residency rules
The instate tuition residency rules combine a one-year durational residency requirement with a requirement that no time spent as a student counts towards the year -- thus you have to take a year off or be here a year before you start to get in state tuition. Plus you have to be an actual resident. A source in South Building told me back in 1975 that the residency appeals committee actually felt that I was NOT a resident (despite having been on the town council for over a year, living in Chapel Hill for six years, and for an irrelevant extra my father lived in CH before WWII) but granted my appeal ONLY because they thought they would lose every other case in superior court during that six month term of court if I went on to court and humilated them. Now, on the other hand, one of my best friends in college got in state tuition because her father taught at Pembroke State (now UNC-P) as a visiting prof in 1966-67 and then went back to Frostburg State (in MD) after just 9 months in NC, my friend did her senior year in high school in Pembroke and got in state tuition her entire four years !
I thought Donna Bell had
I thought Donna Bell had announced she was running for re-election (or in her case, just plain election) but chapelboro says she hasn't announced yet. The point remains the same though.
A real candidate for School Board: Kris Castellano
We will now have to qualify who is real and who isn't! Kris Castellano, who filed this morning, has been an active volunteer in the schools and on district-wide committees for years. During my term, she has been involved with advocating for the Spanish Dual Language program at Carrboro Elem., McDougle Middle and I think she was elected in the spring to the School Improvement Team for Chapel Hill High.
Info on Kris Castellano from the Board of Elections
Just to provide some more info - the Board of Elections shows that Kris Castellano has been registered in Orange County as a Republican since 1999. She has voted in a number of General and Municipal elections in that time.
More filings: DeHart, Foushee (corrected)
As he had announced, Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt filed to run for re-election.Also challenger Jon DeHart filed to make a second run for Town Council. No incumbents have filed yet in that race, hmmm. I smell drama.Braxton Foushee filed to run for Carrboro Board of Aldermen. Many folks were expecting this after his angry response to not being re-appointed to the OWASA Board by the Aldermen.
UPDATE: Kleinschmidt had already filed, as he noted himself in a comment above. I had a mental glitch and couldn't remember seeing his name listed.
42 years since Braxs first run
I remember Braxton's first campaign for Carrboro Board of Aldermen in May of 1969 (town elections were in May then) -- I think he lost by two votes. Hard to believe it's been 42+ years
Why No Re-Appointment?
It's pretty unusual for someone not to get re-appointed to a community board if they're willing to serve. Can anyone explain why Mr. Foushee was not re-appointed?
Bell, Streater, Sookram?
Donna Bell hasn't filed yet, but she sent an announcement out to the media today indicating her intent to do so. School Board member Anetta Streater filed to run for re-election. And Mark Kleinschmidt has a mayoral opponent: Tim Sookram. Anyone know who he is? I'm pretty sure this is him, but it doesn't answer many questions: http://timsookram.com/
Sookram
according to bio went to college in Austin, into web design, seems to be into indie music, registered D 10/20/2010 during same day registration and this seems to be him: http://legalmatch.typepad.com/lm/2010/04/meet-legalmatch-timothy-sookram.html campaign website http://chapelhillmayor.com/follow on twitter @chapelhillmayor
WCHL Exclusive
Apparently WCHL gave Council Member Matt Czajkowski the opportunity to announce his totally-expected re-election bid live on the air this morning. http://twitter.com/#!/1360WCHL/status/91124945773527040 Slow news day?
New Council candidate
Carl Schuler has filed to run for Town Council in a field already crowded with challengers. A quick Google search indicates that he is on the HOA at Vinyard Square, works at UNC, and attended Mayor kleinschmidt's coffee to talk about transit (http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2011/04/transportation_talk) I suspect he'll probably be the anti-shelter-relocation candidate that some political watchers were anticipating.
Interesting
If we're placing bets, expect Augustus Cho to be a surprise winner this year. It's a total WAG (wild guess), but don't understimate the largest minority in Town Limits if they decide to support a candidate.
Jim Ward, Mike Kelley have filed
There was some speculation that Jim Ward was considering a run for Chapel Hill mayor, but this morning Jim filed in Hillsborough to run for another term on the Chapel HillTown Council.As expected, Mike Kelley has filed to run for another term on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education. Hope to see them and the rest of the candidates tonight at the Happy Hour and Candidate Coming Out Party.
Mike Kelley Files for City School Board
Mike Kelley today filed for re-election to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. He is a parent of four children who attend or have attended district schools. He was initially elected to the board in 2003 and re-elected in 2007.
"Our community is at a critical juncture. With
a new superintendent starting this month, there is an opportunity to
review our district through new eyes while at the same time financial
constraints will continue for at least the next several years. Thus,
we must focus on priorities and be efficient in how we deliver a high
quality education to all children in order to maximize the opportunity
for excellence for each child."
During his tenure on the board, Kelley served as chair of the board from 2009 to 2010 and as vice chair from 2008 to 2009. He
has participated in multiple board committees including Redistricting
Committees in 2006 and 2007, Curriculum Advisory Committee, Drug Abuse
Task Force, Health Advisory Committee, Technology Advisory Committee,
and board liaison to Head Start Policy Council, Special Needs Advisory
Committee, Sustainability Committee, Elementary #11 Design Committee,
and the School Improvement Teams at several schools. He
has also been a member of the North Carolina School Board Association’s
Legislative Committee, which helps set the legislative platform for the
state-wide organization.
Before
joining the board in 2003, Kelley has been a parent school volunteer
and active in other education-related organizations. As a result of
redistricting, a move, and program participation, Kelley's four children
have attended nearly half the schools in the district. In the fall, he will have two child in high school, one in college, and the fourth pursuing an advanced degree.
Kelley, 51, is a physician scientist at Duke University and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.
Kelley is married to Elise Hoffman. Prior to coming to Chapel Hill in 1998, he was in the US Public Health Service at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. Kelley
received his undergraduate education from Monroe County Community
College and the University of Michigan, and earned his medical degree in
1985 from the University of Michigan.
Contact information:
Mike Kelley
205 Ukiah Lane
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-442-8734
mkelley3@nc.rr.com
http://kelley4schoolboard.blogspot.com/
welcome Mike
Glad to have you in the race
Perennial political punchline
And it looks as if perennial Republican "candidate" Kevin Wolff has again filed to run for mayor of Chapel Hill. Because apparently there wasn't enough comic relief already on tap for this fall. Curious to see whether he, Brian Bower, and Tim Sookam will seriously show up for the campaign (forums, events, hustle), or just complain from the sidelines. I also wonder how much air the local media will give them.They are welcome, one and all at today's OP Happy Hour, by the way. http://orangepolitics.org/events/op-happy-hour-candidate-coming See you there!
The second "F" in Wolff
stands for "frivolessness".