Blogs

Central West, Density, and the Vocal Minority

The Central West draft plan was presented to the Planning Board last night. Given the issues the Central West steering committee had coming to an agreement on a plan, and how the committee ended up costing much more than was expected, I had low expectations for the output of the steering committee. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the draft plan. The plan is mostly multifamily residential, and not particularly tall (3-4 stories, with one 5-8 story area that is completely separate from all the other areas on the map by open space). It makes ample use of trail connectors and other infrastructure to increase bike and pedestrian safety, which will be a welcome improvement to the area. I personally think the buildings at the corner of Estes and MLK could be a bit taller, but credit should be given to steering committee co-chairs Amy Ryan and Michael Parker for putting together a plan that tried to acknowledge and address the wide range of issues and viewpoints of those that participated in the process.

Moving to the Senate

Last Wednesday I was sworn in to the North Carolina Senate, filling the vacancy created by Senator Ellie Kinnaird’s retirement. I was humbled and honored by the committee’s decision Sunday as well as the outpouring of support I’ve received in the last few weeks.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Sen. Kinnaird for her continued service to North Carolina, to the members of the State Senate District Executive Committee for trusting me with their vote, and to the entire Democratic Party for running a fair and honest process.

I want you to know that I see this new position as a responsibility. Senate District 23 is the progressive core of North Carolina and we need a legislator who is both a passionate advocate for liberal causes, following the example set by Ellie Kinnaird, and also effective in a hostile environment.

Hintz endorsed by NC AFL-CIO

I'm happy to report that after completing the interview process I was endorsed by the Triangle Central Labor Council and the NC State AFL-CIO. Historically one of the best ways to raise average income is to have more of the labor force unionized. As a Council Member I want to make sure that town employees receive a fair wage and that disputes are settled fairly. North Carolina prohibits public employees from engaging in collective bargaining however it is important for the town to listen to employees and learn from their experiences in doing their job. It is significant that one of the many groups at the Moral Monday protests against the new negative state legislation was organized labor including FLOC. FLOC is the Farm Labor Organizing Committee which is improving conditions for farm workers in North Carolina. Years ago my mother worked with FLOC in Ohio.When I was in the Peace Corps in Honduras I saw the movie Norma Rae about textile unions in Roanoke Rapids where I ended up living for 8 years. Now the many mills in NC (and Honduras) have closed and moved to Asia.

Forum Open Thread: Hillsborough Board of Commissioners

Welcome to the open thread for tonight's Hillsborough Town Board candidate forum.

There are three candidates for two seats:

You can observe the forum at http://orangepolitics.org/elections-2013/forums/hillsborough-board-of-commissioners.

NC Pride 2013 photoblog

The annual NC Pride festival and parade happened today with a lot of folks from Chapel Hill, the triangle, and throughout the state in attendance. Here's a little of what I saw.