Locals query council hopefuls

Most of the time, Chapel Hill Town Council means fluorescent lights, speeches into microphones and people in suits and ties.

Saturday, it meant drinking soft drinks in a shady yard on a quiet street on the south side of town.

Morgan Creek neighborhood held a forum Saturday for the eight candidates vying for four available seats on the council as well as the two participants in the mayoral election.

Council candidate Walker Rutherfurd and mayoral contender Kevin Wolff did not attend.

Candidates divided their time at the forum between talking with the 30 or so residents in attendance and giving three-minute speeches.

The speeches tended to hit the same major themes of Carolina North - the University's proposed satellite campus off of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the Horace Williams Tract - and overall town growth.

Mayor Kevin Foy said town government has approached the issue of area development with caution.

"Anyone that wants to develop here needs to add to the value, needs to make that place better," he said.

Jason Baker, a sophomore political science major running for the council, said that the key to a successful Carolina North will be amicable town-gown relations.

Robin Cutson, a council challenger, attacked the body's recent record on development.

"We're going to make this town of Chapel Hill into a city," she said.

"They look at this kind of neighborhood where you cohabitate with nature, with hawks and owls and raccoons, and they want to put three houses where there was formerly one," she added.

Challenger Laurin Easthom talked about her long record of service on behalf of neighborhoods and her concern about traffic, and how those two issues would be tied together by the impact of Carolina North.

Ed Harrison, an incumbent council member, emphasized the perspective he brings to various issues as an environmental planner.

Mark Kleinschmidt, an incumbent candidate, emphasized the unique nature of Chapel Hill's solutions to a variety of problems.

He also said that downtown is on the verge of a "renaissance."

Will Raymond, a challenger, advocated the establishment of a new, more professional relationship with University officials, whose plans for Carolina North he has criticized.

Bill Thorpe, a former council member running for office, did not take a stab at development or Carolina North, but told the residents that he was able to get things done on Town Council.

Residents said they enjoyed the forum so much they might have another, with or without politicos.

David Morgan, who opened his yard to the gathering, said that the event was a memorable occasion.

"I think it went great, it's a beautiful day, beautiful Carolina blue sky, nice candidates who were able to concisely give us (answers)," he said.

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.