Early voting is underway now for the 2016 primary election, with a number of key races on the ballot. There’s the presidential race, the Senate race, and the “Connect NC” bond proposal – and at the local level, there are also four open seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners, with nine candidates in the running. (All nine candidates are Democrats, so the BOCC races will be decided in the primary: whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be running unopposed in November.)
Find your Orange County early voting sites here.
Three of those nine candidates – Mark Marcoplos, Matt Hughes, and Andy Cagle – are competing for the at-large seat being vacated by outgoing Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier. Which candidate should get your vote? What do the candidates have to say about the future of Orange County?
On Monday, WCHL’s Aaron Keck welcomed Marcoplos, Hughes and Cagle to the studio for an informal, hour-long conversation about Orange County’s biggest issues.
Listen to the forum.
Last week, WCHL also hosted informal forums for the four candidates running for two seats representing District 1 and the two candidates running for a seat representing District 2.
Listen to the District 1 forum here.
Listen to the District 2 forum here.
Early voting runs through Saturday, March 12; primary day is Tuesday, March 15.
http://chapelboro.com/featured/2016-election-bocc-at-large-candidates-talk-issuesEarly voting begins Thursday for the 2016 primary election, with a number of key races on the ballot. There’s the presidential race, the Senate race, and the “Connect NC” bond proposal – and at the local level, there are also four open seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners, with nine candidates in the running. (All nine candidates are Democrats, so the BOCC races will be decided in the primary: whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be running unopposed in November.)
Four of those nine candidates are competing for two seats representing Orange County’s District 1, covering Chapel Hill and Carrboro: incumbents Penny Rich and Mark Dorosin and challengers Jamezetta Bedford and Gary Kahn.
Which BOCC candidates should get your vote? What do the candidates have to say about the future of Orange County?
On Wednesday, WCHL’s Aaron Keck welcomed Rich, Dorosin, Kahn and Bedford to the studio for an informal, hour-long conversation about Orange County’s biggest issues. Part 1 of their forum focused on education and economic development; Part 2 focused on housing, social justice, and social services.
Listen to Part 1.
Listen to Part 2.
Tune into WCHL on Friday at 6 pm as Aaron hosts incumbent Renee Price and challenger Bonnie Hauser, the two candidates running to represent District 2 (northern Orange County). Next Monday at 3 pm, Aaron will host the three candidates vying for an at-large seat on the Board: Mark Marcoplos, Matt Hughes, and Andy Cagle.
Early voting runs through Saturday, March 12; primary day is Tuesday, March 15.
Visit this page for early voting locations in Orange County.
http://chapelboro.com/news/election/election-2016-bocc-district-1-candidates-square-offLast week – following the most recent craziness in the General Assembly – I posted a long piece on Chapelboro calling for redistricting reform at the state level.
(Upshot: rather than letting state legislators draw our legislative district lines every 10 years, we should take the power out of their hands and give it to an independent, nonpartisan commission. State legislators have a personal and partisan interest in drawing the lines to favor themselves and their party – so let’s put the power in the hands of people who don’t have a personal interest, so they can focus on what’s best for North Carolinians as a whole.)
The state legislature hasn’t acted, naturally – doing so would require them to give up some of their own power, and that’s a hard thing for anyone to do – but there is definitely widespread support for redistricting reform across party lines. Democrats, Republicans, and independents all favor it by wide margins.
It’s something we ought to do.
But while we’re on the subject…
How about redistricting reform at the local level too?
We’ve got an election this year for four open seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners…and if you don’t know, we’ve got a pretty complicated system for electing them.
Time was, all of the seats on the Board were at-large seats, meaning everyone in the county voted for every seat. (This is still how we do it for our town boards.)
But that was unfair to residents of northern Orange County: because most of Orange County’s population was concentrated in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, the entire board invariably wound up being comprised of Chapel Hill/Carrboro folks who represented Chapel Hill/Carrboro interests and weren’t as concerned with rural issues. Agriculture? Solid waste? Rural bus routes? Residents in northern Orange didn’t have much of a voice.
So last decade, the county changed its election system. Orange County divided itself into two districts, split along roughly the same line as the county’s two school districts: Chapel Hill and Carrboro in District 1, the rest of the county in District 2. Now we have seven county commissioners: two of them are still at-large, elected by everybody, but there are three commissioners who specifically represent District 1 and two who specifically represent District 2.
Sort of.
Thing is, the county didn’t go all the way when it split into districts. Residents of District 1 and 2 get to choose their own party nominees in the primary election – but in the November general election, it’s still all at-large. Everybody votes in all seven races, regardless of where in the county they live.
Why is this?
It’s better today than it was before: once upon a time the entire board was Chapel Hill/Carrboro, and today folks in northern Orange do have two spots on the board reserved for them. It’s a step in the right direction. (And this year it doesn’t really matter: since all the candidates are Democrats, all of this year’s races are going to be decided in the primary anyway.)
But should Orange County go all the way? Let District 1 and District 2 elect their own representatives in the primary and the general election? There’s something to be said for the at-large system – our elected officials really ought to be considering the needs and interests of everyone in the county, no matter what – but it’s undeniably true that certain issues affect northern and southern Orange County differently, and that will be the case no matter how we elect our representatives. Should both districts have their own independent say?
I spoke with Orange County conservative Ashley DeSena this week, and both of us agreed on the need for state and local reform. Listen to our conversation.
http://chapelboro.com/featured/redistricting-reform-state-and-localIn a 4-2 vote on Tuesday, Orange County Commissioners indicated that next year’s bond referendum will focus solely on school repairs.
“What is the overriding and overarching need in Orange County? In my opinion, that overarching need is schools,” said Board Chair Earl McKee.
He and the majority of commissioners favored a $125 million dollar bond package that would go to fund school repairs and renovations, instead of a proposal to split the funds between schools, parks, affordable housing and other projects.
The Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school systems have estimated they need as much as $300 million to fully fix aging schools and expand capacity throughout the two districts.
While all commissioners agreed they are committed to funding school needs, Barry Jacobs and Penny Rich opposed a single-item bond package, saying other county needs should be addressed as well.
Jacobs suggested the county should poll residents about their funding priorities, a notion that the majority of the board ignored.
“My comment, since it’s obvious what the majority of the board thinks, is addressed to the residents of Orange County. I think this decision shortchanges you,” said Jacobs. “There’s no reason to be afraid to hear what your opinions are. I think you’re discriminating enough to be able to differentiate what your opinions are and be able to tell elected officials. I think a mono-chromatic bond is a bad idea.”
Commissioner Mia Burroughs argued the discussion of funding an affordable housing initiative was premature.
“I had entertained for some period of time that maybe we’d like to do something about housing, but I don’t think we have a gelled idea, that idea hasn’t cooked enough to be able to do that in this format,” said Burroughs.
Though some on the board suggested future bonds might be used for affordable housing, Rich countered that Orange County residents would not look kindly on multiple bond referendums down the road.
“I think at some point our citizens will get bond fatigue,” said Rich. “I think we’ll have bond fatigue after the Chapel Hill [bond] and then moving into this bond. So, the idea that we could always have another bond, I think that’s not something that would go well with our citizens.”
Chapel Hill voters will see a $40 million bond package on the 2015 municipal ballot. Orange County’s will appear on the ballot in 2016. If voters approve the countywide referendum next year, it will add slightly less than five cents to the property tax rate.
Commissioners will meet with school officials next week.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/county-commissioners-plan-125-million-bond-for-school-repairsOrange County Commissioners say a possible $125 million dollar bond package may be the best way to fund repairs for aging schools.
“I don’t see an option on the needs of the schools,” said Board Chair Earl McKee, speaking at a planning retreat on Friday. “I don’t think we’ve got an option. We’ve got schools that are 50 or 60 years old.”
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school systems have compiled a list of capital projects totaling more than $330 million dollars to repair or replace outdated facilities and expand some schools to add capacity.
Commissioners on Friday moved closer to putting a bond referendum on the ballot that would partially fund those repairs, though the board did not formally vote at the retreat.
The proposed $125 million dollar bond package would be the largest in Orange County history, and the first since voters approved a $75 million dollar package back in 2001.
Commissioners and staffers discussed the pros and cons of using pay-as-you go funding for the repairs instead, but Commissioner Barry Jacobs said a successful bond package would represent voter support and a firm commitment from the board.
“If we’ve already told the voters, ‘this is what we want you to do’ and they say ‘yes’, then you’ve made a different level of commitment,” said Jacobs. “In a way you box yourself in, but in a way you hopefully have some more buy-in than would normally be the case.”
Deputy Finance Director Paul Laughton told the board both funding methods would likely result in a tax rate hike, as there’s not enough projected growth in revenues to cover the debt service on either type of borrowing.
Laughton estimated the bond package would ultimately translate to a 4.6 cent increase on the property tax rate, to be spread out over the course of several years.
While Commissioners indicated they’re almost ready to move forward with planning for the referendum, some expressed concern that Chapel Hill voters in particular might not warm to the idea, as the town is considering its own bond referendum in 2015.
Commissioner Renee Price said she’s worried about voter fatigue.
“There could be so much confusion. We either win or we all lose,” said Price. “I just wanted to throw that out there, that I really think we should get all players at the table on this.”
Commissioners said if they do go ahead, they want more collaboration and support from both school districts.
“The relationship should be more than just, ‘we need this money,’ ‘we’ll give you that money,’ and here’s how we’re going to figure it out,” said Commissioner Mark Dorosin. “Obviously there are two separate elected bodies and they have separate responsibilities, but there should be more engagement on that.”
The scheduling of any future bond package would be constrained by a recent decision from the legislature to limit county referendums to even-numbered years. Commissioners are leaning toward a November referendum, because, as Board of Elections Director Tracy Reams pointed out, the 2016 primary season could get complicated.
“The North Carolina presidential primary is all dependent on the South Carolina primary,” said Reams. “If they hold theirs prior to March 15, we have to follow and hold ours a week after theirs. So we could feasibly have a February 16 possible presidential preference primary, then we will hold all the other primaries on May 3.”
Though Commissioners say schools would be the primary funding focus, the bond package would likely also include money for affordable housing projects and possibly parks.
Following a formal vote to move forward with referendum planning in February, Commissioners will likely convene a task force of residents and elected officials to work out exactly what goes on the ballot in November 2016.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/orange-commissioners-eye-2016-bond-referendum-schoolsThe Orange County Board of Commissioners last week approved the purchase of 7,600 recycling roll carts at a cost of $444,144. Chapel Hill and Carrboro received 90 gallon carts to replace the smaller bins earlier this year.
“I’m very supportive of this and I think that the people in the county, the 7,000 people that want their roll-out carts are going to be thrilled,” said Commissioner Penny Rich.
The county’s rural recycling program serves only a fraction of the residents of unincorporated Orange, about 13,700 households. Others take their trash and recycling to one of the five solid waste convenience centers around the county.
When commissioners first debated purchasing the roll carts for county residents, some residents objected, saying their long driveways and lack of curbs made the carts hard to use.
Gayle Wilson, director of Orange County Solid Waste, told the board slightly more than half of the current customers requested roll carts. He asked the board to authorize the purchase of additional carts in case others changed their minds.
“It is expected that once we start distributing the carts, people will decide that they do want a cart rather than continue to use their bins, or they may have not responded previously and saw a nice, shiny new bin at their neighbors and they call up and they want one,” said Wilson.
Commissioners approved it by a 6-1 vote with Chair Earl McKee opposing. While the purchase had broad support on the board, some, including Commissioner Barry Jacobs, worried it might be short-sighted, coming at time when the towns and county are working on a long-term plan for solid waste.
“Considering that the Solid Waste Advisory Group is looking at the methods for funding curbside or roadside pickup, is this not putting the carts before the horse?”
Jacobs serves on the Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG), an intergovernmental work group tasked with identifying a county-wide solution to handle trash and recycling as well as a means to fund it. He and fellow SWAG member Rich told board members the work group will present a slate of proposals for funding recycling pick-up in the spring of 2015.
In the meantime, the new blue carts will roll out in January to 7,000 Orange county residents.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/blue-recycling-roll-carts-set-roll-orange-countyOrange County Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to welcome unaccompanied minors fleeing violence in Central America, and to ensure child refugees have access to legal protection and public education.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates that as many as 69,000 unaccompanied minors have sought to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the past year and a half.
1,490 children have been relocated to North Carolina to stay with family or caregivers while awaiting deportation hearings.
“These wonderful families who have taken in these children pay taxes everyday, so don’t let the people who are saying they’re not taxpayers sway your support of this issue,” said Doris Brunson, Chair of Orange County’s Human Rights Commission.
The board’s resolution affirms the right of immigrant children to seek public education and calls on the federal government to provide legal representation at hearings.
ACLU spokesperson Sarah Preston told commissioners the lack of legal support for children is of great concern.
“We think its is patently unfair that the government pays for a trained prosecutor to advocate for the deportation of a child who came here fleeing violence while the child is forced to defend him or herself in court,” said Preston.
The board also voted to forward the resolution to other commissioners across the state.
“I think it is not only important for us in Orange County to reaffirm our commitment to justice and equal treatment, to the constitutional principles outlined in this resolution, but to stake out a strong position for our other colleagues across the state, as well as our colleagues in Orange County, that they should do the same,” said Commissioner Mark Dorosin.
This resolution is similar to one passed by Carrboro Aldermen last month. The Chapel Hill Town Council is likely to follow suit in the coming weeks.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/bocc-votes-help-migrant-childrenOn Monday night in Hillsborough, the Orange County Board of Commissioners formalized big changes in leadership.
The board commended three former elected officials for their service: County Commissioner Alice Gordon, Register of Deeds Deborah Brooks and Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass.
“Whereas Commissioner Gordon has proven to be a dedicated and effective public servant who, as she said on the campaign trail, ‘does her homework’ including combing through every agenda item with keen focus on detail,” said Commissioner Barry Jacobs, reading an official resolution.
After 24 years in office, Alice Gordon chose not to run for reelection. While on the board, Gordon prioritized education and environmental stewardship. In a speech at Monday’s meeting, Gordon gave special emphasis to global climate change.
“I hope the county will do everything possible to address this challenge,” Gordon said. “As a matter of fact, it’s not only the greatest environmental issue, it’s the greatest issue that we probably face in Orange County, the United States and across the world.”
After 39 years of working in the Register of Deeds office, Deborah Brooks was elected as the official Register of Deeds in 2010.
“Whereas Register Brooks truly represents starting at the bottom and working to the top,” read Commissioner Earl McKee.
Former Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton defeated Brooks for this position in November. Brooks was the first Orange County Register of Deeds to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
And Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass chose not to run for reelection after serving as sheriff of Orange County for 32 years. He also served as a Chapel Hill police officer.
“Whereas Sheriff Pendergrass joined the Chapel Hill Police Department in 1957, and Sheriff Pendergrass has served the people of Orange County in a law enforcement capacity for 57 years,” read Commissioner Renee Price.
Charles Blackwood is Orange County’s new sheriff. Blackwood served as Major of Operations under Pendergrass.
Barry Jacobs and Earl McKee were officially sworn in to office. Jacobs, the former chair, had to move over from the center seat. Members selected McKee as the new chair of the board. Members voted in Bernadette Pelissier to replace McKee as the vice chair.
McKee talked about the sluggish pace of progress to compensate residents in the historically black, low-to-moderate-income Rogers Road neighborhood in Chapel Hill. This is the site of the county’s landfill for 40 years before the landfill closed in 2013.
“I would like to say that even though it seems like we’re moving like a heard of turtles, we are moving,” said McKee.
Mia Burroughs, who took Gordon’s seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners after being sworn in, made her first vote on the board concerning a request that paves the way for sewer services in the Rogers Road neighborhood.
“It feels as though I’ve cheated really because there are those of you who have been working on this for decades,” said Burrroughs. “I just want to let you know that I’m delighted to be able to support this when the time comes to vote on it.”
The board voted unanimously to approve Chapel Hill’s request to extend its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to include 1,000 additional acres. This area contains part of the Rogers Road neighborhood. The approval allows Chapel Hill to contribute funds to sewer services in the neighborhood.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/bocc-commends-elected-officials-welcomes-new-members-votes-extend-chapel-hills-etjCounty Commissioners will consider adopting the 2013 Master Parks Plan when the board meets on Tuesday.
This will be the first major update of the County’s parks and recreation plan since 1988.
The plan lists the $2.3 million dollar Blackwood Farm Park outside of Hillsborough as a top priority, along with River Park and a new $6 million dollar athletic facility on Millhouse Road north of Chapel Hill.
The board will also likely authorize the transfer of ownership of the new Buckhorn-Mebane water and sewer utility infrastructure to the City of Mebane.
The project was completed this fall using $5.1 million in revenue from the county’s quarter-cent sales tax to support economic development. It will bring water and sewer service to the Buckhorn-Mebane economic development district, where Japanese candy-maker Morinaga is building its first American factory.
The City of Mebane will provide sewer and water service to the area.
County Commissioners meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center on Homestead Road. You can get the full agenda here.
http://chapelboro.com/news/local-government/commissioners-update-orange-countys-park-planDemocrat Mia Burroughs becomes the newest member of the Orange County Board of Commissioners after beating Republican Gary Kahn with 76 percent of the vote.
Burroughs won with 37,184 votes, while Kahn took in 11,694.
Burroughs has served on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board since 2007, but she says now she’s ready to dig into countywide issues.
Burroughs will represent District 1, covering Chapel Hill and Carrboro. She’ll join Earl McKee and Barry Jacobs who won re-election to the District 2 and At Large seats on the board. They were each running unopposed.
There were no surprises in the majority of the local races on the ballot Tuesday, as most were decided in the May Democratic Primary.
Mark Chilton was elected Register of Deeds with 40,000 votes. After beating incumbent Deborah Brooks in the primary, he was running unopposed in the General Election.
Similarly, Charles Blackwood faced no opposition in the race for Orange County Sherriff. He won a second primary in July against challenger David Caldwell.
Blackwood received 43,900 votes in Tuesday’s election. He will replace Lindy Pendergrass, who has served as sheriff since 1982.
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