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This year, WCHL tried something different and involved a panel of community members (including myself) in developing the ideas for what topics to cover and what guests to invite for the annual Community Forum. I haven't seen a full list of what is proposed, but I think it was a useful process and I applaud WCHL for taking a step toward a more participatory Forum.
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and well worth listening to. I'm hoping that next year, some of the profound, fundamental issues of sustainability that are so important will get serious attention. Our water future and the current radical change proposed that would bring Jordan Lake water to OWASA and the county, the ongoing saga of solid waste that continues to sit there like festering unfinished business, traffic and other pollution that creats unhealthy high ozone days, and energy policy in an age of global climate change and general uncertainty.
I just got an e-mail from Barry Leffler with much more detail about each session and who the guests will be on each forum:
8am- Town and Gown: Building Partnerships
Moderator Jim HeavnerOur communities and our university all have different missions, but we all share the same future. How can we utilize the relationships between the towns and UNC to build toward a better future together? How should we grade the current overall level of cooperation between us? Of course, Carolina North will be key to the discussion. A WCHL Community Forum staple; the Town and Gown panel seeks to evaluate the bond shared by our county’s largest employer and life-force with the rest of the community.
Panelists
Mark Chilton Mayor of Carrboro
Mark Kleinschmidt Mayor of Chapel Hill
Bernadette Pelissier Chair of Orange County Commissioners
Tom Stevens Mayor of Hillsborough
Holden Thorp Chancellor of UNC-CH
9am- Franklin and Main: Many Visions, One Reality
Moderator Walter StorholtFrom Franklin Street to Weaver Street; our towns boast eclectic shops, delicious restaurants and active entertainment spots. But the vision of downtown is sometimes marred by safety fears and the ever-pestering parking problem. How can downtown be improved to foster a more “Main Street” feel? Is that what we all still want? How critical should we be of ourselves? This panel strives to match our vision of the future to current realities to see where we can go from here.
Panelists
Jason Baker Chapel Hill Planning Board
Scott Cox Owner, Carolina Coffee Shop
Mark Chilton Mayor of Carrboro
Mark Kleinschmidt Mayor of Chapel Hill
Dana McMahan The Laughing Turtle
Leo Vereen Assistant Chief of Operations Chapel Hill Police Department
10am- Living and Working: The Road To Prosperity
Moderator Hampton DellingerDespite boasting one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state we all know the need to better our workforce and the importance of attracting the best minds to come work in our community. So what is our community’s grade in developing an attractive work landscape? Will our future projects (ie: Carolina North) be the job booms we’re hoping for? Do we all agree on what kinds of jobs and businesses we want to bring to the community? What can we do better to attract them? As the economy slowly recovers it serves as the perfect time for Orange County to rebound strong and surge ahead of our neighbors. How can we make it happen?
Panelists
Loryn Clark Neighborhood & Community Services Manager, Town of Chapel Hill
Augustus Cho Chapel Hill Transportation Board
Scott Maitland Owner, Top of the Hill Restaurant
Carlo Robustelli Director of Orange County Operations, Durham Tech
Brian Russell Carrboro Co-Working
11am- Building (And Waiting): Cutting Through the Red Tape
Moderator Fred Black
- In order to attract the best businesses and developments to Chapel Hill we need thorough, but efficient processes. Where does Chapel Hill rank along those gradients? Are there too many hoops to jump through or is a longer, arduous process better for all the intensive thought and discussion it invokes? Could more standardization apply to some of our ordinances and rules and would that be better for the community? In this panel we’ll seek to consider whether we’re on the right track when it comes to putting the processes in place for attracting new businesses and we’ll use recent issues, like the IFC Men’s Shelter and Costco, as examples.
Panelists
Bruce Ballentine Developer
Dwight Bassett Economic Development Officer, Town of Chapel Hill
JB Culpepper Director of Planning Department, Town of Chapel Hill
Aaron Nelson CEO, Chapel Hill Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
Scott Radway Radway Designs
Matt Czajkowski Chapel Hill Town Council
12pm- Teaching And Learning: Doing More With Less
Moderator Kristin Hiemstra
- With a new superintendent in the pipeline for one school system and difficult budget decisions facing both, keeping our schools operating at the highest level will be a tough task, but also an essential one. How tough will the leadership transition be for CHCCS and how bleak is the budget plight? What’s the best way to close the achievement gap while not hampering accelerated students? And are we testing to gauge learning or just learning how to test? This panel seeks to discover how we can build momentum for our school systems in the challenging times to come.
Panelists
Jamezetta Bedford Chair, CHCCS School Board
Susan Denman El Centro Hispano
Graig Meyer Coordinator, Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate
Michelle Laws President, NAACP of Chapel Hill
Christine Lee Parent
Patrick Rhodes Superintendent, Orange County Schools
1pm- Local Media Eco-Systems: Objectivity, Bias, Access
Moderator Barry Leffler
- As the ways we get our news and information constantly transforms we must find a way to separate truth from rumor. From analyzing which forms of media have the biggest impact on our daily lives to drawing the line between blogger and journalist, this panel seeks to consider the way we absorb information and how to best use information technology in a community setting.
Panelists
Chad Johnston Executive Director, The Peoples Channel
Catherine Lazorko Public Information Officer, Town of Chapel Hill
Fiona Morgan New America Foundation Master of Public Policy candidate
Nancy Oates Chapel Hill Watch
Carlo Robustelli Director, Orange County Operations Durham Tech
Kirk Ross The Carrboro Citizen
Ruby Sinreich Founder, orangepolitics.com
2pm- A Lot On Our Palette: Keeping the Arts Alive In Hard Times
Moderator Molly Buckley
- The importance of the arts to our quality of life can’t be understated. But helping our local talent thrive during challenging times is sometimes a big hurdle. How can we help our local artists and musicians thrive in tough economic times? What are the biggest challenges facing the arts community in our area? Do we provide enough outlets/resources for them to succeed? What can be done to take the arts in Orange County to the next level? In this panel we’ll strive to elevate our knowledge of the opportunities available to artists and musicians and brainstorm how to create an artistic environment that can be celebrated in our community.
Panelists
Emily Kass Director, Ackland Art Museum
Elin O’Hara Slavick UNC CH Art Department
Jeri Lynne Schulke Artistic Director, ArtsCenter Stage, The ArtsCenter
CJ Suitt Sacrificial Poets
Jeffrey York Public Arts Administrator, Town of Chapel Hill
3pm- Community Pride: Under A Carolina Blue Sky
Moderator Ron Stutts
- There is a lot to be proud of in our community. But what are some of the things in which we’re falling short? Do our citizens feel full of pride to say they’re from Chapel Hill? What influences pride and morale in our community? What aspects of life in Orange County are most important for us to improve? Or are we being too critical of ourselves?
Panelists
Mary Cooper UNC CH Student Body President
Winston Crisp Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, UNC CH
Julie McClintock Concerned Citizen
Chris Moran Executive Director, Interfaith Council
Laurie Paolicelli Executive Director, Chapel Hill OC Visitors Bureau
4pm- Downtown’s Future: Old Traditions, New Looks
Moderator DG Martin
- 140 West is in the works, University Square is next and down the line there are more major changes in store for downtown. The comprehensive plan will establish new roads and bring a whole new set of complications along with it. How will the long term plan change the way we use downtown? What are the real concerns of citizens and what fears can we dismiss? Not everyone has the same vision for the expansion of the downtown areas, so how can we streamline development efforts while preserving individuality?
Panelists
Anita Badrock Operations Manager, Community Home Trust
George Draper Chair, Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership
Jacquie Gist Carrboro Board of Aldermen
Gordon Merklein Executive Director, Real Estate Development UNC CH
Penny Rich Chapel Hill Town Council
Damon Seils Carrboro Planning Board
5pm- The Art of Collaboration: Bringing our communities together
Moderator Aaron Keck
- Three heads are better than one, but what about when each one wants something different? How can we better work together to advance our communities while preserving our individual characteristics and personalities? Is there a point when collaboration becomes too much and slows us down, or can it only accelerate our growth? In this panel we seek to define what collaboration means to our community and explore its possibilities.
Panelists
Dan Coleman Carrboro Board of Aldermen
Laurin Easthom Chapel Hill Town Council
Joal Hall Broun Carrboro Board of Aldermen
Earl McKee Orange County Commissioner
Gary Shope Orange County Economic Development
Roger Stancil Chapel Hill Town Manager
While previous forums benefited from the multiple views and ideas presented by larger panels, there was less opportunity to go deeper into topics.
Why do you call him the former owner?
Because he sold it to Barry Leffler in 2009. http://www.orangepolitics.org/2009/10/nbc17-manager-taking-over-wchl
WCHL has posted summaries and audio of each of the panels. (Fast!)Here's the one about local media: http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=18269
I found this info on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=219153271432857