CARRBORO – Carrboro Board of Aldermen candidate, Kurt Stolka says, if elected, he will work to activate the Town’s public spaces better in an effort to have an outlet to get your voice out.
“We don’t have a lot of social equity in our town,” Stolka says. “You go to Weaver Street and you can see that. There’s only a certain kind of people that show up there. And it’s a great resource for people to meet at, but we’re not making it inviting to the entire community in all income levels.”
WCHL’s Ran Northam spoke with Stolka about his seeking election to the Board of Aldermen and how he believes he’ll best serve you.
***Listen to the Interview***
Five candidates are contending for three seats on the Board of Aldermen.
Stolka says he wants to be a new voice for the Board.
“There’s not a lot of representation for someone with a young family,” Stolka says. “There’s people who have been here a long time and young people, but I think there needs to be a better voice for people with families that don’t have a lot of time to care about what might affect their kids.”
Between now and Election Day, we’ll be previewing each of the candidates one-on-one.
For more on Stolka, click here.
http://chapelboro.com/news/election/2013-boa-candidate-profile-kurt-stolkaCARRBORO – Carrboro Board of Aldermen candidate, Al Vickers says the affordability of living is the top issue he will focus on if elected to the Board.
“I know that part of the affordability of housing is the fact that now some of the tax burden is higher than people’s mortgages for a house,” Vickers says. “That is a problem, and that’s going to continue to be a problem. It affects the affordability of housing on all levels.”
WCHL’s Ran Northam spoke with Vickers about his seeking election to the Board of Aldermen and how he believes he’ll best serve you.
***Listen to the Interview***
Five candidates are contending for three seats on the Board of Aldermen.
There’s a common trend among all the candidates in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough to combat the affordability issue, and Vickers says he’s on board with that.
“Ways to relieve that pressure is to have more commercial development and have a higher commercial tax base,” Vickers says. “That’s not going to solve the problem totally, but it would help.”
Between now and Election Day, we’ll be previewing each of the candidates one-on-one.
http://chapelboro.com/news/election/2013-boa-candidate-profile-al-vickersCARRBORO – Carrboro Board of Aldermen member and candidate, Sammy Slade says, if re-elected, he wants to help make Carrboro a front runner in controlling climate change and continuing the town’s effort to focus on local businesses.
“The sub-issues under both of those—and (the) most immediate one for Carrboro—is reconciling our goal for more mixed-use, high density development in our downtown while maintaining the town character and balancing, kind of, the pressures that come along with higher density in our downtown,” Slade says.
WCHL’s Rachel Nash spoke with Slade about his seeking re-election to the Board of Aldermen and how he believes he’ll best serve you.
***Listen to the Interview***
Five candidates are contending for three seats on the Board of Aldermen.
Slade says you’ll be seeing him around town making sure he knows what issues are most important to you.
“For one, I’m going to be knocking on a lot of people’s doors—making sure they understand what my platform is and encouraging them to tell me what their concerns are,” Slade says. “That’s the great thing about election season; you get to check in with folk. But, we’re always at the town hall, so folks can always come and express their concerns there.”
Between now and Election Day, we’ll be previewing each of the candidates one-on-one.
http://chapelboro.com/news/election/2013-boa-candidate-profile-sammy-sladeCARRBORO – Carrboro Board of Aldermen member and candidate, Jacquelyn Gist says, if re-elected, she’ll continue to work for the best options for Carrboro’s inevitable growth.
“How do we do that and maintain our sense of self and place,” Gist asks. “The sense of self and place and our historic sense of community (are) important on a lot of different levels: simply as a place to live—that’s probably the most important thing—and also economically.”
WCHL’s Aaron Keck spoke with Gist about her seeking re-election to the Board of Aldermen and how she believes she’ll best serve you.
***Listen to the Interview***
Five candidates are contending for three seats on the Board of Aldermen.
Gist says she’s been a good fit on the board because she’s connected with the community and has an idea of what the community wants.
“I’m not a policy wonk, although I greatly appreciate policy wonks,” Gist says. “I live in Carrboro; it’s where I spend my life. I walk to work; I take the bus to work. I hang out in Carrboro. So I hear from people a whole lot.
Between now and Election Day, we’ll be previewing each of the candidates one-on-one.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/2013-boa-candidate-profile-jacquelyn-gistCARRBORO – Carrboro Board of Aldermen member and candidate, Randee Haven-O’Donnell says, if re-elected, she will continue to promote a strong local economy and the drive to increase the tax base.
“I was a strong supporter of and initiator of the Local Living Economy Task Force and work with the economic sustainability commission to implement recommendations,” Haven-O’Donnell. “So I see local sustainability as critical to under girding that tax base.”
WCHL’s Elizabeth Friend spoke with Haven-O’Donnell about her seeking re-election to the Board of Aldermen and how she believes she’ll best serve you.
***Listen to the Interview***
Five candidates are contending for three seats on the Board of Aldermen.
Haven-O’Donnell says in order to most effectively grow the local economy, Carrboro has to focus on its unique aspects that makes it the town it is.
“Which includes locally-owned business and professional services and expanding what we see as our opportunity for a creative class in art and design thinking,” Haven-O’Donnell says..
Between now and Election Day, we’ll be previewing each of the candidates one-on-one.
For more on Haven-O’Donnell, click here.
http://chapelboro.com/news/election/2013-boa-candidate-profile-randee-haven-odonnellCARRBORO- Holding a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation ofAlderman Dan Coleman could cost the Town of Carrboro up to $18,000.
“It’s worth it, but just barely,” said Mayor Mark Chilton.
The board does not have the option of appointing a new member, due to changes in the town charter put in place after the board’s last appointment, which happened to be that of Dan Coleman, in 2006.
That process proved so controversial that leaders were prompted to change the town charter to remove the option of board appointments. Alderwoman Jacquie Gist recalled serving on the board at the time.
“Our last appointment was really so contentious that it took a while for the community to heal afterward, and out of that came the commitment from this board that voters should decide who’s representing them,” said Gist.
Now vacancies must be filled by election, either during the general election in November, or during a special election held in the spring.
But Chilton said, seven years later, the decision to remove the appointment option seems shortsighted.
“I’m beginning to think it may be one of the silliest decisions I ever made, but it is the decision I made,” said Chilton. “I think we need to move forward with it.”
This will be Carrboro’s first special election under the new rules, but it might also be its last. Even as they agreed to set a date, board members called to reevaluate the appointment process.
“Now that a vacancy has actually arisen, I think a lot of us are wondering whether it is really worth spending thousands of taxpayer dollars on filling a seat through democracy, or whether it’s better to make a short term appointment and then let the regular election process fill it for the future,” said Chilton.
The board could ask the General Assembly to amend the town charter again to reinstate the appointment option, but board members agreed they would carry through with the special election before launching that process.
Whoever is elected to the seat will serve the remainder of Coleman’s term, which ends in 2015. So far, only Carrboro Planning Board Chair Damon Seils has announced he plans to run.
http://chapelboro.com/news/carrboro-special-election-set-for-march-19
WCHL Morning News with Ron Stutts 65.8°F |
| Today: 79°F / 67°F |  |
| Tomorrow | Saturday | Sunday |
|  | |
| 81° / 63° | 82° / 63° | 83° / 62° |
