Locals attract office seekers

Correction: Due to a reporting error this story incorrectly identified the democratic precincts holding the forum. It should have listed Booker Creek, Coker Hills, Colonial Heights and Estes Hills precincts.

It was the homey side of a distinctly affluent neighborhood that came out Saturday as a variety of local candidates met with members of three Democratic precincts at a lake shore on the east side of Chapel Hill.

There candidates for three local offices mixed into the crowd, surrounded by birds, children playing in the lake and a woman running her dog.

It was at Eastwood Lake Park, a private facility on Eastwood Lake that Democratic party residents from Coker Hills, Booker Creek and Colony Woods met with the 14 candidates running for Town Council, mayor of Chapel Hill and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education.

The candidates spent much of their time mingling with residents, discussing issues like Carolina North and the failed attempt to replace a movie theater at Village Plaza, off of Elliott Road, but they also gave brief speeches and answered resident questions.

For town candidates, the issue that came up almost invariably was development, though in many forms and guises.

Candidates Will Raymond and Jason Baker, a UNC sophomore, called for better amenities downtown, like restrooms and water fountains.

"I know that's not whiz-bang," said Raymond, who has also called for high-tech innovations like high-speed Internet as a public utility.

Resident Neal Bench asked the candidates what they would do to improve lighting in the downtown.

Mark Kleinschmidt, an incumbent council member, said that the town's streetscape project is extending lighting down Franklin Street.

"It takes a considerable amount of time," Kleinschmidt said.

Also during the question and answer session, controversy swirled around a question referencing the accusation by candidate Robin Cutson that the council drove out the potential theater at the Village Plaza through a difficult permit process.

The forum temporarily devolved into a version of he-said-she-said with incumbents like Mark Kleinschmidt and Mayor Kevin Foy blaming the debacle on bickering among business owners.

"What Robin said was incorrect," Foy said.

Cutson insisted that she was right, and Foy urged residents, if they doubted the truth of his claims, to check with Jim Groot, owner of Jim's Famous BBQ, which is on Elliott Road near the proposed theater site.

For board of education candidates, the definitive issue was clearly the minority achievement gap.

Incumbents Lisa Stuckey and Pam Hemminger emphasized that data is becoming available to help them to assess and improve the various tools the district is using.

"We must look at the data, figure out which of these strategies is working the best and then use those strategies," Stuckey said.

The challengers, Jeff Danner and Jean Hamilton, said while the data will be helpful, it should not just be arriving after five years of district efforts.

Residents said that they enjoyed having the candidates on hand to talk with and answer questions but that they also valued the event as a way to keep the local Democratic party active.

Mary Garren, chairwoman of the Booker Creek precinct said, "It was really an event for the precincts."

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.