The 2015 WCHL Community Forum, held on April 23, was a huge success. Though the event is over, the issues continue to be important. For that reason, recordings of each hour are available below. You can listen here or download and listen on your own device.
Thank you to our sponsors for making the day possible.
The 2015 Community Forum was presented by
Town & Gown – 8am
Local officials from the towns and the university open our 2015 Community Forum with a discussion of the connection between the entities and how they work together while working on their own.
Listen to the discussion below:
Carol Folt
Chancellor of UNC
Earl McKee
Orange County Commissioner
Lydia Lavelle
Mayor of Carrboro
Mark Kleinschmidt
Mayor of Chapel Hill
Tom Stevens
Mayor of Hillsborough
UNC Under Fire – 9am
How is the university working to answer tough questions being asked by residents of the Tar Heel state?
Listen to the discussion below:
Joel Curran
UNC Vice Chancellor For Communications and Public Affairs
Jim Dean
UNC Vice Chancellor and Provost
Mitch Kokai
Communications Director, John Locke Foundation
Jenny Surane
Daily Tar Heel Editor-In-Chief
Safety and Tolerance – 10am
What groups of people feel safe and included in our community?
Listen to the discussion below:
Chris Blue
Chapel Hill Police Chief
Stephanie Perry
Orange County Justice United
Charles Blackwood
Orange County Sheriff
Winston Crisp
UNC Vice Chancellor For Student Affairs
Affordable Housing – 11am
Who can afford to live here?
Listen to the discussion below:
Mark Marcoplos
Marcoplos Construction
Delores Bailey
Executive Director at EmPOWERment, Inc
Tish Galu
Orange County Justice United
Daniel Eller
Eller Capital Partners
Donna Bell
Chapel Hill Town Council Member
Poverty: Hunger and Wages – 12pm
We live in a highly-educated and affluent area, but we also have high poverty numbers. What are we doing to help those in need?
Listen to the discussion below:
Gene Nichol
UNC Law Professor
John Dorward
Inter-Faith Council Executive Director
Nancy Coston
Orange County Social Services Director
Vimala Rajendran
Chef-Owner, Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe
Bernadette Pelissier
Orange County Commissioner
Budget – 1pm
What decisions are being made to continue paying for the life that we have developed in our community?
Listen to the discussion below:
George Cianciolo
Chapel Hill Town Council Member
Mia Burroughs
Orange County Commissioner
Damon Seils
Carrboro Board of Aldermen
Bonnie Hauser
Orange County Activist
Sports – 2pm
UNC has been under an intense microscope recently. What steps are being taken to remedy issues? Are athletics too influential?
Listen to the discussion below:
Deborah Stroman
UNC Professor
Bradley Bethel
Writer and Filmmaker
Amy Perko
Executive Director, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Barry Jacobs
Orange County Commissioner
Chapel Hill Development – 3pm
Why is it so hard to develop areas of Chapel Hill? What steps are being taken to encourage businesses to locate here? Where do we stand with Ephesus Fordham and Obey Creek?
Listen to the discussion below:
David Schwartz
Co-founder, Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town
Jeanne Brown
Obey Creek Compass Committee
Ben Perry
Obey Creek Developer
Maria Palmer
Chapel Hill Town Council Member
Aaron Nelson
President & CEO, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
Dwight Bassett
Chapel Hill Economic Development Officer
Carrboro Development – 4pm
What is going to happen at 300 East Main Street – with the Arts and Innovation Center, and with Cat’s Cradle?
Listen to the discussion below:
Philip Szostak
CAIC Architect
Bethany Chaney
Carrboro Board of Aldermen
Jackie Helvey
Carrboro Activist
Laura Van Sant
Main Street Properties
Steve Balcom
Splinter Group
Aaron Nelson
President & CEO, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
K-12 Education – 5pm
How do our schools measure up? What should we be doing differently to maintain a high-quality public education? What are we doing about wages for teachers and staff?
Listen to the discussion below:
Graig Meyer
NC House of Representatives
Kristin Hiemstra
East Chapel Hill High School Counselor
James Barrett
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education
Darrell Allison
President, Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina
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