Chapel Hill Town Council
The Historic Rogers Road Neighborhood Task Force continues its work but has a
new barrier to contend with that may preclude the Orange County Board of
Commissioners from taking action. As reported in this story
by Chapelboro, an EPA complaint filed by the Rogers-Eubanks
Neighborhood Association in 2007 alleges the Orange County Planning and
Inspections Department (OCPID) "intentionally discriminated on the basis
of race by denying water and sewer service to the African American
residents of the Rogers Road Community." The full letter from the EPA to
the OCPID can be read here.
At
the recent task force meeting held on July 17, 2013, Board of Commissioners representatives Renee Price and Penny Rich abstained from several votes on recommendations of what
to include in the task force's final report, citing the EPA complaint.
The editors of OrangePolitics are excited to announce our live online candidate forums for the upcoming elections for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, the Chapel Hill Town Council, and the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners.
We are also excited to host an informal Conversation With the Mayors, which will include the candidates in all three of the county’s uncontested mayoral races.
In a little over a month, on July 5, candidate filing will open at the Orange County Board of Elections for municipal elections and the Chapel Hill/Carrboro School Board. There hasn't been much media attention yet to potential candidates for any of these offices, but with
Gary Kahn announcing today his intention to run for Chapel Hill Town Council, it's certainly about that time when election speculation begins.
With many discussions about the future of Chapel Hill -- particularly the future of economic development -- occurring simultaneously right now, who runs and who wins in November could have a significant impact on shaping the direction in which Chapel Hill grows. As such, let's take a look at who we might expect to see emerge as candidates for Town Council as the filing period nears.
The Chapel Hill Town Council held a second public hearing tonight on the rezoning and redevelopment of the University Square/123 West Franklin Street complex. UNC Chancellor Thorp made opening remarks about the redevelopment, calling it key for our downtown and detailing the need for more housing, parking, and green space downtown. Chancellor Thorp remained for the entirety of the two-hour discussion, which ended up being a very fortunate thing.
Filing has now closed for Penny Rich’s vacated Town Council
seat. There will be a special public hearing January 14th where the
applicants will be allowed to speak. The Council will consider
making an appointment to fill the vacancy on January
23rd.
There are 11 applicants to the seat. I believe that this applicant
pool is more diverse than in past appointment processes. There are
4 women, one student, one Latino candidate, one African-American
applicant, one candidate who identifies (per her voter registration
record) as multiracial, and a Republican. Below is a brief
introduction (in alphabetical order) to each
candidate:
Sally Greene-
Sally is a former Council member, having served from 2003-2011. She
did not run for reelection because of job commitments, but has a
new job now that will allow her the time to serve again. She has
written about her candidacy
here
on OP. In that thread, there is also a copy of the resolution
Council passed honoring Sally when she stepped down, which details
her accomplishments as a Council member.
Loren Hintz-
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