Ruby Sinreich's blog
Hillsborough has a new mayor! It's nice to see the incumbent wasn't bitter about being ousted. Ooops:
Stevens, in his first run for public office, defeated Joe Phelps, the two-term incumbent, in the November election.
Phelps, in remarks to the board, said he thought the issue of adding more sidewalks to town was a "deciding factor" in this year's election.
"Mr. Stevens promoted this idea of having sidewalks all over town time and again," Phelps said. "Everyone wants sidewalks, but how to pay for them has always been the real issue."
Phelps said he'd be paying attention at budget time to see how the issue of sidewalks is addressed, "to make sure that campaign promises don't turn into campaign rhetoric."
- heraldsun.com: Mayor sworn in, leads 1st meeting, 12/13/05
Kudos to the Daily Tarheel for running an article today in both English and Spanish. Unfortunately the Spanish version is online-only which is probably not the best way to reach all those Latino workers on campus, who might actually be interested in the subject matter: one woman's story how she became an immigrant and eventually a citizen.
Attending Carrboro's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday reminded me how important John Herrerra's (re)election is to the Latino community. The event was attended by visible state-wide leaders like Matty Lazo-Chadderton (Director of Hispanic/Latino Affairs in the N.C. Senate's Office of the President Pro Tempore) and I spent at least a third of my evening practicing my rusty Spanish. It was a great feeling to know what a good example a small town like Carrboro can be to the rest of the state. And also a reminder that yo necesito practicar hablando español!
You may be among the many Chapel Hillians who have been wondering why some of the best business locations on Franklin Street stand vacant with no inhabitants. Apparently it's because their owner, Fayetteville developer Joe Riddle, is waiting for the "right" tenants. Riddle owns the Top of the Hill building (former home of the Gap, the Sunglass Hut, and the Carolina Theatre) and some lots on West Franklin on either side of Lantern and the art supply store, including University Chrysler. He doesn't seem to be in a rush to find those uniquely suitable tenants either.
Could it be Riddle is too distracted with other matters? Or does he have so much money that he can afford to hold on to prime real estate until the right mood catches him? Either way I see it as bad for Chapel Hill.
An astute reader wrote to ask that we announce this film, and I'm glad he did. I hadn't even heard of it!
You wouldn't think the wall separating McCorkle Place and Franklin Street could serve as a political forum for University students.
But one UNC professor shows how pivotal that location was for political thought in his documentary set in the '60s.
Gorham Kindem's “Beyond the Wall†will be shown at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Varsity Theatre. A question and answer session with the filmmaker will follow.
- The Daily Tar Heel - Film scales UNC's political culture
Thank goodness the Daily Tarheel is even covering the Community Leadership Council. This is a group of mostly self-appointed community "leaders" who are getting more information about critical issues like UNC's development plans than the Town of Chapel Hill gets. I didn't see this meeting reported on in other outlets, but I don't get paid for this so maybe it slipped under my radar.
Unfortunately, either this recent CLC meeting was incoherent, or the DTH is just filtering their reportage in terms they think students will understand: beer. I read the article a few times and I couldn't figure out what hapenned at the meeting, but I didn't fail to note at least five beer analogies in the story.
Forget being like Mike. Chapel Hill leaders want to be like beer.
Pages
About Us
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
Community Guidelines
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
