Will Raymond for Town Council 2007

Delay is Not Our Friend

November 5th, 2007

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I’m a proactive kind of guy. In the last few years I’ve tried to get our Town’s leadership to look beyond the immediate to address the foreseeable needs of our community and preparing for the consequences of our local and national policies.

In some cases, like moving forward on improving our Town’s communications infrastructure, hiring an economic development officer, doing a professional technology assessment, bridging the digital divide, I’ve had some success.

In others, like bolstering our commercial tax base, growing jobs, making practical improvements Downtown, adopting measurable energy efficiency standards, budget process refinements, fleshing out the Horace-Williams Citizens Committee’s principles on the environment, not as much.

Here’s an example of my attempt to make our Town operations more sustainable from September, 2005:

3a(10). Will Raymond, regarding Agenda Item #5b, Fuel Supply, Cost and Budget Issues for the Town’s General Municipal Fleet and Transit Bus Fleet.

Mr. Raymond petitioned the Council regarding Agenda Item #5b, Fuel Supply, Cost and Budget Issues for the Town’s General Municipal Fleet and Transit Bus Fleet. He noted he had sent the Council an email regarding the purchase of bio-diesel fuel, and was pleased that shortly after that the Town had purchased 1,000 gallons. Mr. Raymond said that was a “fantastic” first step and hoped the Town would follow up on that, noting that at the present time bio-diesel fuel was 20 to 30 cents a gallon cheaper than diesel or kerosene.

Mr. Raymond said there appeared to be some confusion in the agenda item, noting there had been some discussion that they could burn bio-diesel fuel in their buses, and now they were saying that maybe they could not. So, he said, he had called Detroit Engine that made the engines for the buses, and they were recommending to their customers that a 20 percent blend was “perfectly suitable” for those engines. Mr. Raymond said that Detroit Engine had indicated they would be happy to work with the Town and could possibly get that blend higher. He encouraged the Town to contact them and take that action.

Mr. Raymond also suggested that since they were running at a deficit within the fuel budget that they today start with targeted reductions in the amount of fuel they were using. He said they still have vehicles that idle wastefully, and that yesterday he had observed a Town vehicle left idling for two hours. Mr. Raymond said with the price of gasoline that was unacceptable behavior. He asked that the Council take immediate action to conserve fuel.

THE COUNCIL AGREED BY CONSENSUS TO REFER MR. RAYMOND’S COMMENTS TO AGENDA ITEM #5b.

Two years and several calls for adopting energy goals later, we still haven’t moved forward on targeted reductions in traditional fuel usage.

Our Town’s budget is built on assumptions that are “priced for perfection”. Slow housing growth, a flattening or decreasing trend in property valuations, a macro-economic downturn – like recession or any of another, foreseeable, bumps in our economic road will lead to higher taxes and lessened services.

$4 to $5 a gallon gasoline is a predictable trend – and an expected outcome if the Iraq war lingers or we open a new front in Iran – yet, what has our current leadership done to prepare our Town for the consequences of this one increase?

Nothing. Further delay is not our friend.

Author: admin Categories: Environment Tags:

Walking the Talk

November 3rd, 2007

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Councilmember Raymond will bring a fresh perspective and balance back to our Council.

The one reason you should vote for me in 2007: I “walk the talk”.

Over the last 4 years, my incumbent challengers have talked a good game have ignored their own advice – often to the detriment of our community, always to the detriment of their credibility. Walking in “lock step”, the four folks I’m running against represent a Council out-of-balance, out of fresh ideas.

We need balance, a fresh perspective and at least one new Council member that will, whether on environmental protections, fiscal responsibility or public accountability, drive to “practice what we preach”.

Over the last 5 years, I’ve been a member of the Town’s Technology Advisory Board, the Horace-Williams Citizens Committee (which drafted the principles under which UNC’s Carolina North project will be developed) and the Downtown Parking Task Force.

As a member of each of these advisory boards, I brought a reality-based, pragmatic and proactive approach to solving real problems. Bringing innovation to the table, I believe that there’s always room to improve.

Over the years, I’ve listened to our talented residents make thoughtful and impassioned pleas for practical, cost effective improvements – improvements that this “block of four” have been slow to move on – improvements I would embrace.

I understand, unlike my challengers, you have to sometimes get out of the Gulfstream jet flying 50,000 feet above Chapel Hill and stand firmly on the ground to get the best results.

I believe in setting goals, establishing metrics for measuring success or failure and following up as policies are implemented to make sure our goals are being met. My challengers are afraid to measure results, as demonstrated by their continued resistance to give an accurate accounting of the Downtown Development Lot #5 project. Six times I have been before Council asking for an accurate accounting of this project which has grown 17 times its original cost – $500,000 to $8.5 million tax dollars.

This is just one example of many.

What would I do differently?

Fiscal Policy

Recognize we can’t triple our debt load, take on 4 bond funds, have an open-ended Lot #5 liability and borrow imprudently from our reserves in an economy with a housing downturn, escalating credit risk and other negative macro-economic effects without adding to our community’s tax burden.
Restore “rainy day” fund balances by reducing Mayor’s discretionary budget, increasing service efficiencies and eliminating known waste.
Hold public hearings now on how the Town plans to borrow $7.5M of the $8.5M commitment for Lot #5.
Reconstitute the Citizens Budget Advisory Board. During the last budget crisis, citizens led the way on budget improvements, let’s tap into their creativity and talent once again.
Quarterly reports on expenditures, revenues and whether we’re meeting our projected goals.

Economic Development

Economic development strategy that incorporates increasing our commercial tax base and our local jobs portfolio. The current Council has just hired the economic development officer I lobbied for over three years ago. With the coming fiscal crisis, we need to make up for that lost time and make developing our economic base a top priority.
Identify key areas – Conner Drive, University Mall, Eastgate, Village Plaza and Ram’s Plaza – that could accommodate increased, though environmentally appropriate, commercial development. Solicit business growth in those key areas.

Carolina North

Deal honestly and openly with UNC on the Carolina North project – no last minute suggestions, for instance, to move the project to Finley Golf Course.
Build on UNC’s Leadership Advisory process and create a sustained framework between the Town, the University and other stakeholders on Carolina North’s development.
Insist on a Master Plan for Carolina North’s development to make sure both the Town’s and the University’s goals and expectations are met.
Finish the preparatory studies on environment, fiscal equity and transit before approval.
Develop an open and transparent negotiating process that incorporates new zoning, development agreement and fixed goals that preserves open space, protects neighborhoods and our environment and makes Carolina North an asset for both our Town and our State.

Growth

There are limits to growth based on social, fiscal, economic, tax revenue, environmental and other factors. Our current comprehensive plan controlling growth is too one-dimensional and over-estimates our community’s ability to grow.
Our community is not obligated to grow as dense or as tall as the current incumbents have mandated. If we are to preserve Chapel Hill values, we must set policy that recognizes taxing moderate income families that have contributed decades of service to our community beyond their capability to pay or importing water from outside the county or dumping our waste in another community is no road to a sustainable future.
Dense commercial growth should be concentrated in areas with existing infrastructure that can adequately support the usage envisioned by our comprehensive plan instead of areas requiring significant and costly upgrades.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. (Airport Rd.) corridor needs to be treated as a contiguous whole from I-40 to Downtown. The omission of the Estes to Franklin St. strip in the Northern Area Task Force effort will encourage inappropriate – neighborhood damaging – density and height from Downtown to UNC’s Carolina North project. For instance, lining that stretch of MLK, Jr. with Wendy’s and Taco Bell’s will not serve our community well.

Environment

“Walk the talk” on environmental protections.
- Measurable energy efficiency standards for the Lot #5 project (underwritten with $8.5M taxpayer dollars, we should “do as we say”).
- Carbon reduction. Commit to replacing %30 of the trees removed by the Southern Park, Lot #5 and new Town Operations Center projects.
- Survey the remaining open spaces in Chapel Hill. Identify high priority candidates for acquisition. Focus on stream and natural corridor preservation.
Targeted fuel reductions. I’ve called for %5 reduction in fuel use growth the last 4 years, it is time to implement this program before gas climbs to $4 per gallon.
Work with Orange County on bio-fuel production. Become the first customer for bio-fuel and landfill natural gas products.

Revitalizing Downtown

Policy should emphasize fixing a number of “smaller” issues – parking, sidewalk condition, lighting, cleanliness – over big concept projects like Lot #5. Almost all our Downtown revitalization “eggs” are in the troubled Lot #5 “basket”. For too long simple, practical remediations have been ignored.
Family-friendly “pocket” park, decent bathroom, drinking fountains, commercial directories, repaired sidewalks and lighting first.
Downtown parking policy should be fact-driven and not revenue-driven. The Downtown Partnership is doing the study I called for. We will know what resources are available, how they are utilized and what opportunities we have for improvement on its conclusion.
Downtown parking needs to be easier to find, easier to use and as low or no cost as practicable.
Troublemakers and aggressive louts Downtown will be aggressively policed.
Development should be “human-scale” instead of the 10 story tall model our current incumbents have adopted.

Community

Arts
- Work to create a permanent home for hands-on arts at the Community Park – starting with Lincoln Center Arts program.
- Reform the Arts Commission and change their charge from buying arts to supporting the arts – whether continuing with acquisition of art, mentor-ships or hands-on production.
- Spread our arts resources around throughout our community instead of focusing on one or two ego driven big-ticket arts purchases.

Open Governance

All significant agenda items complete and published 7 days prior to Council meetings. Key policy has been changed with last minute agenda additions that the public had no time to review.
Council minutes published in a timely manner. Minutes are key tool for communicating, lagging months is disrespectful of our citizenry.
Publishing Council emails, departmental status reports and other key documents on-line in a timely and transparent fashion.
Video records of Planning Board and other key advisory boards. Audio records of all advisory boards. Require timely, accurate minutes from all committees and boards – published on the website prior to the board’s next meeting.
Increase Clerk offices resources.

Other reasons to vote Raymond?

I do my homework. For the last two years, I’ve written extensively on these issues both on CitizenWill and in our local papers on environmental protections, the budget, Downtown Development, Carolina North, open governance and many others – providing detailed analysis and primary research materials to back my opinions.

I have a consistent track record advocating on behalf of all our citizens – young, elderly, rich or poor. Whether working to save the Lincoln Arts Center – our Town’s only hands-on arts program, a program that serves a wide cross-section of the community or calling on our Council to treat our neighbors on Rogers Road with respect – acknowledging the landfill burden they’ve borne on behalf of our community – I have done what I believe was right over what was politically beneficial.

I have advocated and worked many years on bringing sanity back to our fiscal policy.

The current policy, which is based on poor assumptions – %7 increase in housing valuations, low inflation, low credit risk, an addition $100 million in new property values each year – and which discounts the tripling of our Town’s debt service, the real possibility of recession, the open-ended liability of the Lot #5 project and many other foreseeable negative economic factors, has positioned our Town for steep and steady tax hikes.

Worse, our Council, ignoring advice from some of the most talented financial experts in the country, experts that live in Chapel Hill, borrowed extensively from our “rainy day” funds instead of implementing cost efficient improvements in the way our Town does business.

Pushing off until tomorrow what should’ve been done yesterday, filling the gap with funds needed to address our Town’s growing debt obligations, my incumbent challengers have adopted a policy that will drive long time residents out of Chapel Hill and slam the door on new residents making a moderate or low income.

For these reasons, a vote for Raymond this Nov. 6th is a vote for change.

Questionnaires:

Author: admin Categories: Uncategorized Tags:

Richly Deserved: Czajkowski and Rich Get The Daily Tar Heel Endorsement

November 1st, 2007

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As I wrote recently, it’s been quite interesting to see how folks respond to the challenge of campaigning.

I know it’s not conventional to salute your campaign opponents – which explains why the incumbents don’t mention my role in hiring an economic development officer, green fleets, re-balancing the size of affordable housing on Lot #5, etc. – but, as I imagine most folks have figured out, I’m not big on following the status quo, especially when it means passing up an opportunity to improve our community.

Which brings me back to Penny’s and Matt’s well-deserved recognition and endorsement by the Daily Tar Heel.

I’ve gotten to know these folks and they’re both the real deal. They’re not running to be the next Mayor or position themselves to run for State office – ego building is just not part of their portfolio.
Read more…

Author: admin Categories: Chapel Hill, Endorsement Tags:

Halloween Trick: North Street Complaint

November 1st, 2007

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I believe there’s usually a better way to do almost anything and, as a business person, well understand the value of customer complaints as a tool for driving improvement.

Complaints are like canaries in the coal mine alerting you to developing negative conditions – many organizations, though, would rather kill the canary than respond to their plaint.

In 2005, then Town Manager Cal Horton, made sure that the candidates for office were tied into Council’s information stream. This included citizen mail, status reports, early agenda items and advisory board work product.

After the 2005 election, I asked Council to make this information available to the wider public. In spite of professing an interest in transparent governance, the majority of Council decided not to expose our residents to citizen complaints or alert folks early to developing policy problems.

The Chapel Hill Police Department reports that last night’s Halloween bash, attended by 82,000 folks, went fairly well – at least based on the numbers:

Simple Affray(4),Assault on a Female (1),Simple Assault(2),Drunk and Disruptive(3),Assault on an EMS(1),Disorderly Conduct(1),Assault on an LEO(2),Resist and Delay(3),Failure to Disperse(1).

Orange County Emergency Medical Services responded to thirty-one calls and eight people were transported to UNC Hospitals. Twenty-one of the calls were related to intoxication.

Sounds good but not everyone was happy about our Town’s effectiveness:

The control on our street, NORTH STREET off Hillsborough tonight was ridiculous! By 10PM, the street was filled with cars that didn’t belong here. I spoke with the “traffic control” people and they said “…nobody told us anything…”. They let anyone down the street to park who asked them to, they had no cones until they found some up near Rosemary Street, and had no clue what they were supposed to do. This is the most ridiculous traffic control during Halloween I have ever seen. Someone at the Town needs to take control of this Halloween disaster and protect the neighborhoods from the thousands who invade the Town each year.

There is no reason to spend this much tax money on an event and NOT
protect the people who live here!

Now, we could look at this an isolated complaint, be comfortable with the overall numbers and not investigate any further OR we could look at this as an opportunity to do better next year.

If elected, whether it is Halloween traffic on North Street or a citizen being verbally abused by staff or an unwillingness to drag a dead deer off a residents front lawn for disposal, I will not ignore complaints.

Instead, I will look at each as an opportunity to do better.

Author: WillR Categories: Chapel Hill, Elections, Government Tags:

Halloween Treat: Chapel Hill News Endorsement

October 31st, 2007

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I knew my best chance for an endorsement this year was from the Chapel Hill News.

These folks have watched my passionate activism on behalf of the environment, social justice, fiscal responsibility, public accountability, transparent and open governance, community engagement, planning policy and on and on for these last 6+ years.

Will Raymond brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to the table. Few people in or out of government do as much homework as he does. His contributions to the public debate have provided valuable depth and context. He’s served on the town’s Technology Board, Horace Williams Citizen’s Committee and Downtown Parking Task Force. He’s been faulted on occasion for being overly fervent, but his ideas and strength of conviction, employed judiciously and tempered with a willingness to listen and compromise, can be a valuable asset.

This was the year where it would take some courage to break the incumbent blockade on endorsements. The safe bet would be to go with the flow, follow the lead of the entrenched powers and simply accept the status quo – a slate of incumbents who flailed around blankly at the WCHL forum trying to identify one mistake they had made in the last 4 or 8 years.

The right bet was to back candidates who would bring a fresh perspective, restore some balance and break the group-think within our current Council.

I knew the Chapel Hill News had the integrity and the concern for our community to choose candidates that were best prepared and steadfastly determined to improve our community’s lot.

I hope the Daily Tar Heel, the only other endorsing organization in Chapel Hill this year that is free of entanglements, will show the same kind of courage and choose at least one challenger. I know Penny and Matt are as determined as I am to see our Town through our coming troubled times – they deserve a full and fair evaluation.

I appreciate that the Chapel Hill News honored my service and recognized my passion for change. I will do my best to repay that confidence by “walking the talk”, working productively with my new colleagues and building on the strengths of our diverse community.

Thank you.

Author: WillR Categories: Chapel Hill, Endorsement Tags:

Indy Endorsement: Letter to Editor Strom

October 28th, 2007

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I called Jennifer Strom last week to see if the Indy would provide me the courtesy of a response to their endorsement comments. She said they would. Here’s my response:

I’m baffled by the Indy’s comments on my and Mike Kelley’s candidacies.

I’m mystified by your endorsement of Indy editor Jennifer Strom’s husband Bill Strom, incumbents Sally Greene and Cam Hill, all who voted to build extensively into the Booker Creek resource conservation district.

I’m perplexed. I haven’t called for environmentally insensitive development on Booker Creek let alone authorized it.

And I’m disappointed. How do you chastise Chapel Hill School Board candidate Mike Kelley’s attendance record given his personal circumstances? Beyond insensitive, it was ill-informed.

Where was the balanced investigative journalism we have come to expect from the Indy?

I used to give the Indy’s endorsements automatic credence. Any readers who do so this year will be misled.

I’ve written here and here why I think the Indy missed the boat on my candidacy.

As far as Mike, here’s what happened February, 2006 (N&O)

Police charged an elderly driver they say injured a mother and daughter selling Girl Scout cookies when she backed into a troop’s cookie booth outside a grocery store over the weekend.

Chapel Hill police charged Thelma McBride Holloway, 77, of 105 Elizabeth St., Chapel Hill, with failure to reduce speed to avoid collision.

Holloway was backing her 1991 Lincoln out of a parking spot Saturday afternoon in front of the Harris Teeter at University Mall when her foot slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator, according to a police report.

The car ran up the sidewalk and hit Elise Michelle Hoffman, 44, and her daughter Anne Katherine Kelley, 11. Both were taken to UNC Hospitals. The hospital would not release their conditions Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, Lt. Leo Vereen said the accident broke both of Hoffman’s legs, and Anne’s collar bone and one of her legs.

Hoffman and Anne are the wife and daughter of Mike Kelley, a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education.

Since reading the Indy’s strange comments on Mike I’ve had some time to talk to folks I know and trust about his candidacy. Overwhelmingly they say he’s meticulous, has responded to folks concerns and, even with a family tragedy, discharged his responsibilities in full.

Here’s what one of his opponents, and Indy endorsee, Jamezetta Bedford, said on the Indy’s website:

…I feel compelled to disagree with the statement that Mike Kelley’s job “has prevented him from attending many forums and activities beyond his basic duties.” Each board member volunteers to serve as liaison to two or three school improvement teams (SITs) and various district committees. Some are scheduled during the work day, some in the early morning and some in the evening. We divide them up at our first December meeting each year based upon the interests and schedules of our board members.

Mike has faithfully attended the SIT meetings most months (board members are only expected to attend once a semester) and has served on our technology advisory group, one of the health advisory committees, as well as liaison to the Special Needs Advisory Council this past year. I would not want a board composed of only retired or unemployed members. By the way, our board will receive an award next week from the NC School Boards Association to recognize that all of our members completed at least 12 hours of board development training this past year, again showing the investment of time each makes to this service.

I like her point about a balance board with more than “retired or unemployed members”.

There are many more statements of support here.

Here’s what UNC Law professor Eric Muller said Are the Indy’s Endorsements Heartless or Worthless? It’s One or the Other over on his ‘blog Is That Legal?.

Bill Strom, at the recent Democrat Candidate Forum, used a quote attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan to try to make some point “…you are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”

Maybe he could share that quote with the Indy’s editor (and his wife) Jennifer Strom.

The Indy is free to express an opinion but it shouldn’t ignore the facts – which, in my case, I did the opposite of what their endorsed candidates did and in Mike’s, that he had an obvious and completely understandable reason for his actions.

Author: WillR Categories: Chapel Hill, Elections, Endorsement Tags:

IndyWeek Endorsement: Booker Creek and the Incumbents

October 25th, 2007

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The Indy found fault with my style of dissent. I’m a big guy, have a deep voice and am passionate about my well-researched issues. I believe I’m respectful in my appearances before Council (example). Folks have told me that I’m tough but fair. The Indy’s criticism, no matter how emotionally worded, is, in the end, subjective – their job, to shape opinion.

The Indy’s suggestion that I wanted to despoil Booker Creek further is not supported by either the facts or any reasonable inference (as I discuss here).

What inference could the Indy draw about the incumbents – Sally Greene’s, Cam Hill’s, Bill Strom’s – willingness to put development above the health of Booker Creek?

Well, no inference is required as the record clearly shows that all three were willing to contribute to Booker Creek’s ills for the sake of economic development.

I’ve attended many Council meetings over the last 6 1/2 years. Once there, I usually stay to learn about the issues before our Town. That’s why I know that Bill, Cam and Sally voted June 30th, 2004 to approve Eastern Federal’s 10 screen, 38,000 square foot, nearly 200 parking space theater directly adjacent to Booker Creek.
Read more…

Author: WillR Categories: Chapel Hill, Elections, Endorsement Tags:

IndyWeek Endorsement: The Booker Creek Business

October 25th, 2007

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In 2005, the IndyWeek endorsed my candidacy, this year they didn’t.

Even though I had more experience serving on the Town’s Technology Board, Horace-William’s Citizen Committee and Downtown Parking Task Force, I didn’t expect a nod.

Why not?
Read more…

Author: WillR Categories: Chapel Hill, Development, Elections, Endorsement Tags:

Money on the Street

October 22nd, 2007

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“Eyes on the street” in one of the key mantras the incumbents substitute for a solid financial analysis of the economic benefits of their publicly underwritten million dollar Downtown condos.

Supposedly the $8.5 million tax dollars (so far) and land worth $5-8 million ($13.5-16.5 million) will help increase Downtown’s minuscule population to the point crime will plummet as folks living in those million dollar condos observe the street scene from high above. Those couple hundred of new folks will energize Franklin Street and help convert it into a 24/7 hub of profitable commercial activity.

Eyes on the street, the justification for this out-of-control project.

What about “jobs on the street”?

In 2005, I called on the Town and its Downtown Partnership to focus on a strategy to build an employment ladder and increase the number of well-paying jobs Downtown.

Why? Because I know that folks that work Downtown, spend Downtown. I do. My colleagues do. The owners and employees of many Downtown businesses do, funneling their dollars back into the micro-economy they subsist on.

And they do it without millions of dollars of public outlay. Their commercial activities represent a net gain for both Downtown and the larger taxpaying community.

Why didn’t Council pursue jobs growth Downtown? The high-priced condo scheme has been a distraction but, beyond that, I believe they didn’t understand the basic value proposition – that those who work Downtown, spend Downtown.

My objective, increasing Downtown’s employment profile, languished two years until recently when the new economic development officer (a position, by the way, I lobbied for) resurrected it as part of his greater economic development strategy.

How much does the Downtown workforce contribute to Downtown’s commerce?

I took a look at my spending habits, reviewed my credit receipts and came up with the following incomplete list of Franklin Street businesses within the Town’s Downtown economic zone (as defined by the Downtown Partnership) that I (or my family) have recently frequented.

While broad, you might notice a bias towards restaurants. My wife is a fabulous cook – but that doesn’t stop me from eating out at our wonderful Downtown smorgasboard.

Finally, Downtown already has “eyes on the street”. 5,000 based on the Town’s analysis. 15,000 based on State and Federal criteria. Eyes on Rosemary St. hasn’t stopped the drug dealing. Eyes on the street didn’t stop the recent Visions nightclub shooting. Eyes on the street, alone, is no panacea.

Where I spent my hard-earned dollars:

3 CUPS
431 West Franklin Street, Suite 15 (Courtyard)
Phone: (919) 968-8993
Fax: (919) 968-8994
Hours: Monday – Saturday 7:30am-6:30pm
www.3cups.net

35 Chinese Restaurant
143 West Franklin Street (Univeristy Square)
Phone: (919) 968-3488
Fax: (919) 968-0268
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11:00am-9:30pm
www.35citysearch.com

411 West
411 West Franklin Street
Phone: (919) 967-2782
Fax: (919) 969-7450
Hours: Sunday – Monday 5:00pm-9:30pm / Tuesday – Thursday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm / Friday – Saturday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:00pm-10:30pm
www.411west.com
Read more…

Author: WillR Categories: Chapel Hill, Development, Economic Development Tags:

Money and Politics

October 16th, 2007

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Buying an election. Can it happen here? I know I lost to a candidate in 2005 that had spent 2 1/2 times – more than $8+ thousand – on his campaign. I pledged then, as I pledged this year, to run the lowest cost campaign possible – to walk the talk of election reform – to set an example to encourage folks to run even if they can’t tap $250 per throw contributors.

If there’s been one surprise to me this year is that the incumbents, with the notable and appreciated exception of Jim Ward, have rejected their pre-election claim to run low cost campaigns. Worse, these are the same folks that have pontificated on voter-owned elections and the need for candidates from all economic strata.

Robert P., over on BlueNC posted this home-made video supporting John Edwards on his attempt to run on the issues instead of trying to buy an election result:

Author: WillR Categories: Elections, Government Tags:

Will Raymond for Town Council 2007

Delay is Not Our Friend

Walking the Talk

Richly Deserved: Czajkowski and Rich Get The Daily Tar Heel Endorsement

Halloween Trick: North Street Complaint

Halloween Treat: Chapel Hill News Endorsement

Indy Endorsement: Letter to Editor Strom

IndyWeek Endorsement: Booker Creek and the Incumbents

IndyWeek Endorsement: The Booker Creek Business

Money on the Street

Money and Politics

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