The Carrboro Town Council meeting this week featured several highlights out of the ordinary from most: the addition of a new council member, the passage of a new comprehensive plan and an unexpected recess.
Eliazar Posada took his oath of office on Tuesday night, becoming the latest member of the town council after winning a special election in May.
Alamance County’s state Rep. Ricky Hurtado, one of the only Latino representatives in the state legislature, helped swear in Posada as he assumed the seat left vacant by Mayor Damon Seils last fall. The former El Centro Hispano president then took his seat at the dais and shared comments in both Spanish and English.
“Before we get into this heavy agenda, I want to take a moment to honor my ancestors and everyone who I’m standing on the shoulders of.” Posada said. “I look forward to this new stage. Thank you all for the trust you have put in me and I’ll work every day to live up to your expectations, but above all, the expectations of my community.
Each sitting town council member expressed their excitement to call Posada a colleague on the elected body, including Seils himself — who pointed out their families at one point lived in the same part of Texas.
“I really appreciate that [family] link,” said the mayor, “and my dad is thrilled for you as well.”
“It is a happy coincidence for me you are filling a vacancy I left,” Seils added, “and by doing so, put Carrboro back into the lead as the town or city in North Carolina with the most ever elected LGBTQ officials.”
A few minutes later, however, the mood of the meeting shifted from celebratory to tense. During the public comment period, a Carrboro community member used their time to criticize comments made by Council Member Sammy Slade during the May 24 council meeting. At the time, Slade shared thoughts about wishing to limit big spending in politics and holding elected officials accountable. He eventually compared spending by gun advocacy groups to the spending in the Congressional District 04 primary race in Orange County — a race which state Sen. Valerie Foushee won with a double-digit percentage points while also having the most outside campaign contributions.
Council Member Barbara Foushee, who is extended family with the Democratic nominee for Congress, criticized Slade’s comments on May 24. Tuesday night, Slade began to respond to the public speaker, but a spat broke out again.
“I’m sorry if some people don’t see the effect of that degree, that record-breaking amounts of spending,” said Slade.
“Don’t talk about what people understand and what they don’t understand, Sammy,” Foushee responded.
It took an eleven-minute recess for the council to come back to order and to tackle its full agenda. Council members approved a special use permit for The ArtsCenter to renovate 400 Robertson Street for its new location and approved a funding request from the Inter-Faith Council for their work at 110 West Main Street and throughout the community.
Additionally, the local government saw a years-long project be approved unanimously: the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan. The measure, which lays out a framework for town decision-making across the next 20 years, formally confirmed several priorities and strategies will be put into place starting later this year. While the approved plan featured some slight tweaks to the Race and Equity, Land Use and Transportation and Mobility chapters, there are also chapters on affordable housing, stormwater and climate action.
Creators said not only is the plan unique in that components will be shared in both English and Spanish for community members, but it features a framework for early implementation of the goals across the next five years.
Council member Danny Nowell said he wanted to credit the town staff and community partners for their intensive work on the comprehensive plan. While Nowell said he hopes Carrboro can progress even further beyond the priorities set out, it provides a clear direction.
“I really feel strongly this plan establishes a really high floor for our possible development as a town,” he said, “but also — as we have carved out versions of it — [raises] the ceiling significantly of where we might go.”
Council member Susan Romaine echoed Nowell’s sentiments toward those who have worked on constructing the plan, and credited Town Manager Richard White for his efforts to quickly put some of those goals in place.
“It is nice that this is timed with our budget,” said Romaine. “Mr. Manager, I applaud you for the ways the priorities in that plan are reflected in our budget, Including a hiring of a Race and Equity manager, an officer, so that as we go to implement this plan, we’ll be looking at it with some extra pairs of eyes in the race and equity lens.”
More about the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan can be found on the town’s web page. Video of Tuesday’s town council meeting can be found here.
Photo via the Town of Carrboro.
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