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One week from now, Chapel Hill may have already hired it's new top executive. The Town Council is literally speeding through the process of selecting a new town manager.
Today the candidates will be touring Chapel Hill, on Tuesday and Wednesday they will be interviewed by the search committee and individual Council members, on Wednesday they will make presentations and tale questions at a public forum at Town Hall. Then on Friday and Saturday the Council has scheduled 12 hours of meetings to decide and make an offer to one lucky white guy. (I just noticed that the Council search committee is all men as well, hmm...)
While there is certainly a big gap to fill in our current manager's shoes, we have two very capable assistant town managers who can easily keep things afloat. I don't see the point of rushing this process just to get someone fully in place before our current manager leaves in September. It seems more important to me do it right than to do it fast.
For those of you following media politics, it has not been a good couple of weeks here in NC or in DC. The NC House moved a bill to the floor that would allow phone and cable companies to roll over communities and consumers and soon the NC Senate will do the same. Meanwhile, Congress passed a similar bill, The COPE Act, which would destroy community access television and turn the internet into a "whoever pays most, is seen most" commercial model. The death of community television and the internet? Could it get any worse?
Well, yes.
The FCC, under the leadership of Kevin Marin, from our good state, are about to change the rules about media ownership limits. Remember a couple of years ago when everyone from the NRA to Move On pulled together and stopped them? Seems they didn't hear us loud enough last time.
I just received the following e-mail from UNC local relations director Linda Convissor. Development plan modifications can range from massive to minor, and the Town is required (by the OI-4 zoning regulation) to review and approve it in 120 days - less time than a typical special use permit.
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
Many of you have expressed interest in our campus planning and the Town of Chapel Hill's review of our construction plans. I wanted to let you know that on June 12 we submitted an application for modification of the campus Development Plan to the Town. This followed the April 19 concept plan review by the Town Council.
Development Plan Modification 3 consists of several new projects while others are revisions to projects the Town has previously approved. The projects include pedestrian improvements, academic, research and office buildings, infrastructure and athletic facilities. There are three parking deck proposals that shift spaces but do not add any additional parking spaces beyond what the Town has previously approved.
This seems like a good opportunity for the Commissioners to toss out the current plans which seem to be designed to to widen the north-south divide without increasing the amount of democratic representation for diverse ideas from across the county.
State law says no more than half of a board of commissioners can be elected at-large. But in a proposal the current board of commissioners endorsed in April, Chapel Hill Township would nominate two members; the rest of the county, in its district, would nominate one member; and four other commissioners would be elected at-large.
- heraldsun.com: Commission district plan violates N.C. law, 6/14/06
I must admit I'm confused since the current board is elected 100% at-large. Doesn't that violate the law they are citing?
The News and Observer reports that the United Way of Chatham County has abruptly cut their funding to El Vinculo Hispano (The Hispanic Liaison). The United Way says that their move is because the organization has an overly high percentage of their budget dedicated to administrative costs. However, there seems to be ample evidence that the move is also motivated by a backlash to EVH's successful organization of immigrants rights rallies and advocacy in Siler City and Chatham County.
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