I served on the Chapel Hill Town Council from 1973 to 1979, and under the leadership of then Chapel Hill Mayor Howard Lee and Terry Lathrop, assisted to help pass the 1974 referendum when Chapel Hill voters, by a 2 to 1 margin, approved a tax levy for the establishment of Chapel Hill Transit. Carrboro followed suit a few years later. 

Can you imagine Southern Orange without transit? I’ve lived in Raleigh since 1984, and am still involved in regional transit efforts, including development of the regional transit plan under consideration.

Orange County voters have a chance during early voting starting October 18, or on election day November 6, to vote on a 1/2-cent sales tax increase to fund a large expansion in bus service throughout the county and an expansion of regional bus service to Durham, an AMTRAK station in Hillsborough, and, if federal and state funds are available, a light rail system which will connect Orange and Durham’s largest employers — UNC and UNC Hospitals, and Duke University and Duke Medical Center. 

Durham voters approved this plan by a 60-40 margin last year, and a commuter rail connection between Durham and Raleigh is pending a Wake County referendum.  I hope listeners will join in voting on the Orange County issue.

Remember to turn your ballot over, as the referendum is the last thing on the ballot. In a region where a large % of employees commute between counties, let’s improve both local transit service and regional efforts.

 
Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill Closes its Year of Bicentennial Celebration, Looks Ahead in 2020
Town of Chapel Hill. In addition to elections, new partnerships and development, it also celebrated its bicentennial anniversary. After wrapping up the celebration of Chapel Hill’s 200th anniversary of being a town, Mayor Pam Hemminger says 2019 was a very busy but positive year spent highlighting pivotal historical […]
Hometown Hero: Howard Lee
This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is former Chapel Hill Mayor Howard Lee. On the 50th anniversary of his election, Council proclaimed May 1 as Howard Lee Day in #ChapelHill. In this 3-minute video, Lee describes what prompted him to run for mayor and discusses some of his major accomplishments. See the video […]
Contractors Sought by OWASA for Rogers Road Sewer Expansion
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority issued a request for contractor qualifications on December 20 that relates to a sewer extension project in one of Chapel Hill’s oldest neighborhoods. The project has remained in a conceptual state for the past decade as a result of events surrounding a defunct landfill that opened over 40 years […]
Smith By The Numbers
Smith will be 82 on Thursday, which is February 28 and a neat juxtaposition of numbers wouldn’t you say?    Wait, there is more irony here. Smith won his first NCAA championship as a coach in ’82, which was 31 years ago. And The Dean was born in 1931.   Next season will be […]
Ron Stutts Retrospective
Last week WCHL celebrated the 35th Anniversary of Ron Stutts’ start at the station. Surely you noticed, with all the on-the-air promos and all the guests and surprises in the studio last Friday morning.   Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt declared it Ron Stutts week in Chapel Hill. Former mayor of Chapel Hill Howard Lee and his […]
Can a charter school do a better job?
Can a charter school do a better job of closing the achievement gap than the Chapel Hill0-Carrboro public schools? We’re about to find out. A new charter school is coming to Chapel Hill and its raising some hackles. Letters opposing the Howard and Lillian Lee Scholastic Charter school named in honor of Chapel Hill’s first […]
Affordable Homes, Indian Food, and All That Jazz…
This Friday, September 9th, the Community Home Trust will rock the new Greenbridge building with cool jazz by mahaloJazz, Indian food by Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe, wine by Milltown, and interesting conversation by current and former mayors and council members, community volunteers, and, hopefully, you! The Community Home Trust’s mission is to sell and preserve affordable […]
Let's Go Beyond Civil War Markers at Town-Gown Border
On either side of downtown Franklin Street’s stonewall are not one but two Confederate markers. If we are what we remember, it is long past time for UNC and Chapel Hill to recognize similarly the town’s first African-American mayor: Howard Lee. The monument known as “Silent Sam” sits on the “gown” side. It was erected […]
›