0
71
(Wo
-Li J L J L J l-IJ l-5 ' 1 h
The Daily Tar HeelMonday, November 6, 19895
Community groups endorse town councol candidates
By CHRISTINE THOMAS
Staff Writer
Even as early as September, Chapel
Hill Town Council candidates were
receiving endorsements from commu
nity organizations, but there has been
little talk about issues and controversy
in the election.
" ' Voters will go to the polls to vote for
the mayor and four council candidates
eh Tuesday. The candidate for mayor is
funning unopposed, and there are seven
candidates vying for four seats on the
council, three of which are council
incumbents.
' The Home Builders Association of
Durham and Chapel Hill (HBA) re
leased its endorsements Thursday. HBA
endorsed candidates to become more
politically active in the community,
spokesman Bill Kalkhof said.
' "We endorsed each of the candi
dates we did for different reasons. All
of them do support the same issues of
concern to the home building industry,
tike their stand on the development
review and approval process, and the
expansion of the tax base."
The HBA endorsed unopposed
Mayor Jonathan Howes, incumbents
Julie Andresen and David Pasquini,
and newcomer Alan Rimer.
One of the first endorsements of the
election year came in September from
the Orange County Greens Organiza
tion with its backing of Joyce Brown.
In early October, Dan Coleman,
spokesman for the Greens, said his
organization chose to endorse Brown
because of her stand on environmental
issues. The Greens also supported her
stands on democratic processes in
goverment, growth issues and afford
able housing.
The Orange County Greens Organi
zation is politically independent , affili
ated with the national and international
Greens Organization, which promotes
ecological and social issues.
The Alliance of Neighborhoods
endorsed four candidates for office.
Margaret Taylor, president of the alli
ance, said her organization endorsed
the three incumbents: Julie Andresen,
David Pasquini and Art Werner. The
Alliance is also endorsing council race
newcomer Joyce Brown.
In choosing to endorse candidates,
Taylor said neighborhood leaders
throughout Chapel Hill voted in cau
cus. These neighborhood leaders voted
on who they wanted to endorse.
The Alliance chose these candidates
because it felt each of them had done a
good job of serving the community.
The Alliance endorsed Brown because
of her position on environmental issues
and her stand on residential participa
tion in government, Taylor said.
Another local environmental group,
the Sierra Club, endorsed two candi
dates seeking council positions. The
club chose to endorse Art Werner and
Joyce Brown. The selection process
conducted by the Sierra Club involved
sending a questionnaire to each candi
date. The questions dealt with such
issues as solid waste management,
watershed protection and air pollution.
The Cat's Cradle, a downtown bar,
endorsed Art Werner because of his
help last year in relocating when it was
forced to move. In addition to its en
dorsement of Werner, the management
of the Cradle also sponsored a benefit
concert to let students know about him.
The South Orange Black Caucus also
recently announced its endorsements
of Art Werner, Bill Thorpe and Joyce
Brown.
Although various organizations
chose to endorse candidates, town
council member Joe Herzenberg said
the lack of an opponent against Mayor
Jonathan Howes was one of the reasons
the election seemed so quiet.
till' r1 "
r
v.v.v,s,vlWv;
V
jX
-
.y.-w-fi..,,,.,,,, ,,, Illir fflmm i,
S . . . .-.-.-.o--------
;j ij
J rz. ,
DTHTracey Langhorna
Election propoganda at the intersection of Estes Drive and Airport Road
4
Town Council Candidates
Bill Thorpe
, Bill Thorpe has not taken a particu
lar stand on the noise ordinance issue,
but said he supported the idea of com
munication between student and non
student residents.
In a situation such as this, Thorpe
said an increase in communication
between the students and residents liv
ing near the campus was important.
' ' To stress the idea of communication,
Thorpe said he favored working with
student leaders such as the town
council's student liaison.
"But he (the liaison) doesn't have
access to information from the admin
istrative staff. As a councilman I would
ensure that he gets all the information
he needs concerning issues important
to" students."
Thorpe said he also favored building
k parking deck on the lot at Rosemary
arid Henderson streets to bring more
people downtown and to help alleviate
tfaffic problems downtown.
"It will attract people downtown.
People aren't going downtown because
there is no place to park."
y- In reference to the homeless, Thorpe
said he supported the homeless shelter
arid its location downtown, away from
neighborhoods. He said he preferred
extending the lease of the existing
shelter to finding a new site.
9 ,xcr-s-:r;-;-rirN -:
w
"I was previously involved in search
ing for a site for the shelter. Residents
at the time were concerned about pro
tecting their neighborhoods."
As are most candidates, Thorpe is
concerned with protecting the environ
ment. "I support the caring effort which the
town has started by separating its trash.
I will work with the committee pres
ently working on the landfill and sup
port their efforts to prevent it from
filling up too quickly."
Thorpe said he had always supported
student activities, and as a council
member, he said he would continue to
do so. "I will listen to them, work with
them and keep them informed."
He said he also would make sure
students were heard.
"I will support their needs. If this
means increasing bus services or
strengthening police protection, I will
work towards those programs."
Thorpe has served eight years on the
Chapel Hill Town Council, two as
mayor pro tern from 1985 to 1987.
Some projects in which he has been
involved have been in support of stu
dents. He was involved in the recom
mendation to put a stoplight at the cor
ner of McCauley and Pittsboro streets.
"It was a matter of safety not only for
those traveling to and from the credit
union across the street, but for the so
rority sisters who live there."
Thorpe was also involved in bring
ing the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
to the council.
Thorpe, who works for IBM in the
manufacturing division, said he had a
strong commitment to public service
and would like to serve the public
through his involvement in the council.
Helen Urquhart
Helen Urquhart, a newcomer to the
Chapel Hill Town Council race, said
the noise ordinance should implement
some restraint other than the measure
ment of sound in decibels.
"Since sound travels differently
through different mediums, it's going
to be louder depending on the location;
whether it's on a paved or dirt road is
going to make a difference. If you have
a law, I think you should be able to
enforce it equally, and with the vari
ances it's just not possible."
Urquhart said the neighborhoods
should not be exposed to excessive
noise. She added that the permit regu
lating certain hours for functions may
be fair for students, but that there re
main conflicts for residents.
"There are no records of students
complaining about noise. The com
plaints are always going the other way."
Urquhart suggested that lessors state
in the lease that once a resident disturbs
the neighborhood, the lessee be evicted.
To alleviate traffic problems, Ur
quhart said she supported UNC and
North Carolina Memorial Hospital
implementing a driving reduction plan
with incentives for employees to use
the town's park-and-ride lots.
"With the new trolley system intact,
the employees can, at lunchtime, use
K. I s! "
7 iSV
"4 " N
.41 :
J
the trolleys to get around without hav
ing to return to the fringe lots for their
cars."
Development in Chapel Hill will
continue, Urquhart said. Therefore, she
said landowners needed to be protected
against zoning that would allow for
businesses in a residential area.
"I think we need to examine the
development review process. The proc
ess is very long and complicated for
developers, but at the same time land-j
owners need to be assured of zoning
security. I feel there's not an overaH
plan." ;
Urquhart said she liked to see stu-;
dent participation in voting and wants;
to see more students involved in town;
government. She also said that the stu-;
dent voice, for a long time, has been;
ignored by the town. ;
"At the student forum, I enjoyed
talking with students. I think they have
some very good ideas concerning
Chapel Hill."
Urquhart holds a bachelor's degree
in political science and economics from
Purdue University. She also has agradiP
ate degree from the UNC School of
Public Health.
Urquhart is on the town's board of
adjustment, has served on the Orange
County Commission for the Status of
Women and on the Sierra Club Citizens
Tree Ordinance Committee. She is also
one of the founding members of the
Alliance of Neighborhoods.
Urquhart said she was running fdr
town council because she wanted tfj
increase participation in government
"I think there needs to be greateY
citizen participation. It's too much we--the-government
and not enough we
the-people." ;
Art Werner
- Town Council member Art Werner,
who is seeking a second term of office,
said his broad range of business expe
rience, experience as an environmen
talist and past service on the town
council would allow him to continue to
provide the necessary leadership to
Chapel Hill.
. As a town council member, Werner
has worked to encourage environmental
concerns and strong growth in Chapel
Hill. With professional experience as
an environmental engineer, Werner said
he felt he had been able to contribute
useful information to the council in
dealing with environmental issues.
'. Protecting the watershed is just one
o,f the issues Werner has worked on as
a council member. He has voiced con
cern for protecting the existing green
space in Chapel Hill and is working on
the parking committee to consider lo
cating a parking deck in the former site
of the Rosemary Square project.
A recent proposal by the town man
ager to lower the decibel level from 75
decibels(dB) to 70 dB is a reasonable
Compromise, Werner said. In the can
didates forum he said that unlike the
controversy two years ago, the respon
sibility now lies with neighbors re
specting each other.
"We already have one noise ordi
nance and the town manager's request
seems relatively reasonable. But be
fore we change the current ordinance
:::::-::-::. "v8v -Spy.:-:-:
V'
-A
we need to take a good long look at how
to modify it."
Last December, Werner helped the
Cat's Cradle, a downtown Chapel Hill
business, relocate after it was forced to
move because it could not renew its
lease. The Cradle is a business fre
quented by University students, and
Werner's help in relocating it showed
the students that he would listen to their
voice in town government, he said.
All the issues involving the town
involve students, and with the student
population living in Chapel Hill, the
town needs to hear the student voice, he
said.
One way the students can speak to
the community is voting in Tuesday's
election. Werner encourages students
to go out and vote Tuesday, and vote for
him.
When he ran for town council four
years ago, Werner said he felt the
community focus was on curbing
growth and development in Chapel Hill.
During his term on the council Werner
said he has contributed to getting town
growth under control.
The recent adoption of a revised
comprehensive plan for Chapel Hill
will help keep that growth under con
trol, Werner said. The plan involves
dealing with environmental concerns
of the community, transportation and
affordable housing. Werner said the
revised plan will be beneficial, and the
council will try to be faithful to it.
There is no one single important
issue in this year's election, but some
issues are more important than others,
he said. Other than the protecting of the
watershed, the budget is an issue that
needs to be focused on. The present
level of the town budget is a goal for the
council members to strive to maintain.
Werner recognized traffic in Chapel
Hill to be a definite cause for concern.
In some areas traffic congestion is
obviously a problem that needs solv
ing, he said.
Compiled by Jennifer Dickens, Sheila Long and Christine Thomas
Pollsites
In Chapel Hill:
Battle Park Chapel Hill Community Center Plant Road
Coker Hills Church of Reconciliation 110 Elliott Road
Colonial Heights YMCA 980 Airport Road
Country Club Fetzer Gym UNC Campus South Road
East Franklin The Lutheran Church 300 E. Rosemary St.
Estes Hills Guy B. Phillips School Estes Drive
Foxcroft Foxcroft Information Center Off Dobbins Drive
Glenwood Glenwood School Prestwick Road
Greenwood General Administration Building UNC Campus South Road
Kings Mill Aldersgate Methodist Church 632 Laurel Hill Road
Lincoln Lincoln Center Administration Building Merritt Mill Road
Mason Farm Community Church Building Purefoy Road
Northside Chapel Hill Municipal Building 306 N. Columbia St.
Ridgefield Binkley Baptist Church 1712 Willow Drive
Weaver Dairy Fire Station Weaver Dairy Road and Highway 86 North
Westwood Frank Porter Graham School N.C. Highway 54 Bypass
Dogwood Acres Grey Culbreth School Culbreth Drive
Orange Grove Orange Grove Fire Station Orange Grove Road
White Cross White Cross Recreation Center White Cross Road
InCarrboro:
Lions Club Lion's Club Building 131 Fidelity St.
OWASA OWASA Filter Plant Jones Ferry Road
Town Hall Carrboro Town Hall West Main Street
Board of Education only:
Coles Store Union Grove Methodist Church Union Grove Church Road
Patterson New Hope Community Center Whitfield Road
St. John St. John Church Off Hatch Road
Orange County:
Eastside Ephesus Road School Highway 70 West Efland
Efland Efland Cheeks Elementary School Highway 70 West Efland
Caldwell Caldwell Community Building Highway 57 North Rougemont
Carr Cedar Grove Fire Station 1 Intersection of Penecost Road and Carr Store Road Mebane
PERSONALIZED WOMEN'S
HEALTH CARE
Our private practice offers
confidential care including:
Birth Control Free Pregnancy Tests
Relief of menstrual cramps Abortion (up to 20 weeks)
Gynecology Breast Evaluation
PMS Evaluation & Treatment
J522i2i
TRIANGLE WOMEN'S
HEALTH CENTER
101 Conner Dr., Suite 402. Chapel Hill, NC
342-001 1 or 942-0824
Across from University Mail
lUEiday irisiieEi at GrooEi's
Cpan at 6:00 pin forCr.:?
Siinnav Rmnrh 11-nn . 9nn r-i -.
w M M w j mi yiiwii law afeaw
M 1 m I I! Ma
uiu .f. rranKimai.
-" f ,rr..,. i
V . I:
x 11 . .
Last Chance!
to go to Siena, Italy .
Learn Italian, earn UNC credit, and
have the experience of a lifetime !
r
No Previous Italian Needed
Come to the Study Abroad office, lower ;
level Caldwell Hall, for more information -as
soon as possible.
Chapel Hill, IIC