Elections
News and opinions related to local elections.
Today UNC student Jason Baker filed to run for Chapel Hill Town Council. I am very excited to see a serious student candidate, something we haven't had here for a few cycles.
It's actually not much of a jungle - yet. Chapel Hill's field of candidates seems pretty tame, at the moment there are only 4 candidates for 4 seats! I'm sure that will change, but so far all of the competitive action is in Carrboro. Anyway, it's a good year for challengers in Chapel Hill...
Carrboro now has a competitive alderman election. Four candidates (at least) for three seats. The following accompanied Randee Haven-O'Donnell's announcement:
Today I filed for a seat on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. As you know,
the November election will bring change to the longstanding leadership in
Carrboro. My experiences as a long time Carrboro resident, a teacher, and
community advocate have prepared me to be an effective voice for the
community.
Both the Chapel Hill News and the Chapel Hill Herald (happy, Ray?) report that a challenger has filed to run for the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.
The new guy's name is David Marshall. He is 41, latino, a veteran, a single (?) parent, a self-described "technocrat," and is pursuing joint law/masters degrees from UNC and Duke (impressively bi-partisan, but depressingly driving a lot, I guess). I've never heard his name before. He doesn't appear to have served on any town boards or commitees. Does anyone here know him or have any additional information to share?
With only two incumbents running for three open seats, it looks good for Marshall so far. But filing doesn't close for about 3 more weeks, so who knows...
Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday July 09, 2005
To hear Carrboro mayoral candid ates and incumbent Aldermen Mark Chilton and Alex Zaffron tell it, the election of one or the other will greatly influence the path Carrboro takes with certain key issues in the coming years.
For example, last week Chilton announced his campaign with the assertion that Carrboro's Northwest Small Area Plan needs to be rewritten. He said the plan does "not adequately protect Bolin Creek and it has attracted the most expensive sort of development." Chilton refers to a planning document that is closely identified with Zaffron, one of his signature achievements on the Board of Aldermen.
Zaffron, not showing any strong attachment to his work, agreed that it should be "updated, simplified, and strengthened."
Or, to take another case, Chilton wants "to rewrite a number of rules related to affordable housing," some of which are his opponent's handiwork.
Zaffron identifies no such rewriting but does want to "add new strategies to our toolbox" for affordable housing.
Neither of these are exactly headline grabbing disagreements.
The race for the Town Board in Hillsborough has one candidate so far, incumbent Michael Gering.
Gering is a software engineer at IBM. He first ran for office in 2001 as a critic of "big-box" retail stores like Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
He said the board's focus in the coming four years should be on continuing the town's economic development, improving the town government's financial position, and on continuing to improve the town's infrastructure and cultural resources.
He singled out sidewalks as a key concern.
- Chapel Hill Herald, 7/6/05
What do you think the issues in Hillsborough are? I'd especially like to hear from people who live north of I-40.
Pages
About Us
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
Community Guidelines
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
