The Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce has created candidate profiles based on an interview, a recent forum and responses to their unusual “yes, no, unsure” survey.
Will Raymond, a software engineer and entrepreneur making his third run for council, is stressing more fiscal conservatism this time around, even being so bold as to say that Chapel Hill cannot now afford a public library expansion. His depth of consideration of issues and determination to point out unintended consequences of council actions is a valuable asset to the town. Raymond, a tireless volunteer on town bodies, has previously tried to guide voters through the minutiae of various processes when making his points, but so far this campaign has shown more accessibility into his philosophy of town government and appears to grasp how different being an elected official would be from serving on committees. “A council member’s voice carries beyond the citizen podium.”
In 2007, the Chamber said I was too detailed-oriented, a criticism I found strange as it is rare that Council makes one decision that changes the course of our community. The state of today’s Chapel Hill came from hundreds of decisions, some grounded in detail, made over a course of years.
The Chamber is correct, though, about delving into minutiae. I’ve worked hard at being brief and to the point during the forums this year.
As the Chamber noted, this is the third time I’ve run on a fiscal responsibility platform.
In 2005, the financial difficulties caused by habitually draining the Town’s reserves and the issuance of extraordinary bond debt were on the horizon. In 2007, an election year, the Town’s struggle to maintain its fiscal footing was not being clearly reported by the Council. In 2009, the community understands the problems we face. The clouds obscuring our Town’s fiscal condition are lifting. The need to live within our community’s means quite apparent.
So, as the Chamber points out, with the cupboard bare, a continued economic downturn, our citizens groaning under their tax burden and demands on our Town’s core services increasing, my campaign has once again focused on rebuilding our Town’s financial foundations.
Fiscal responsibility and prudent budgeting is about finding the discipline to make cuts where necessary and provide additional funds where needed (for instance, adequately managing the increasing demand on human services).
I’m confident that if we engage our community clearly and openly, Chapel Hill can weather this storm and come out stronger for it.
