Development de_¶ nes race

The two candidates in the only contested Orange County Board of Commissioners race this election differ on development.

And as high density developments spring up across the county this split could prove to be a deciding feature of their respective platforms.

Kevin Wolff a Republican patent attorney who's taken two shots at Chapel Hill Mayor focuses on diversifying the tax base by promoting research and development and manufacturing.

Bernadette Pelissier a Democrat and a former chairwoman of both the Orange-Chatham Group Sierra Club and Orange Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors sees a future in an agricultural economy.

Although Wolff declined an interview his online platform and a survey he filed for The (Raleigh) News & Observer's Under the Dome blog emphasize creating a diverse industry" business and residential tax base.

Pelissier said she isn't sure a development like Buckhorn Village — the 1.14-million-square-foot retail center is slated to be built in Efland — will necessarily mean an improved county tax base.

She said her primary concern is preserving the county's ""rural character"" through growth in areas such as the local food economy.

""We should be trying to do as much as we can locally"" she said. Let's try to have more farm land.""

Bonnie Hauser" head of a resident group opposing an airport in rural Orange County is the Pelissier campaign's treasurer.

The candidates also bring different experience sets to the race.

Pelissier is a long-time community activist. Her term as OWASA chairwoman came during the 2001-02 drought.

She said her experience managing much of Chapel Hill and Carrboro's water has informed her opinions on how the county needs to grow.

She's also a current member of the Orange County Planning Board and the Orange County Commission for the Environment.

Wolff spent 13 years with General Motors and another 13 as a patent attorney. Wolff wrote that the current commissioners lack the expertise he developed in the professional world.

Odds stack up against the Republican in a county in which John Kerry beat George W. Bush in 2004 by 34 percentage points.

When Wolff ran for mayor he lost by more than a 40 percent margin each time.

Pelissier has also raised more than $13000 for her campaign compared to Wolff's less than $3000.



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