10
Thursday, June 1, 2000
Brian Frederick
EDITOR
Jonathan Chaney
MANAGING EDITOR
Board Editorials
No Free Ride
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen made the wrong move in deciding
against looking towards fare-free busing this year.
Get out your bus tokens.
Last week, the Carrboro Board of
Aldermen essentially nixed any plan to enact
a fare-free bus system this year.
In an area where traffic and parking are
major problems, and where there is a large,
receptive market for mass transit due to
numerous University students, the move
away from making busing fare-free is unwise.
Instead of looking into ways of defraying
the costs of fare-free busing, the Board pro
poses to spend $58,523 to tack on an addi
tional 9,957 hours of bus service through
Chapel Hill Transit. The proposal would
cover gaps in service occurring during
University breaks and add later hours to sev
eral key routes.
While this plan will benefit nonstudent bus
riders who are hurt by reduced service dur
ing the summer, it does nothing to solve the
long-term traffic woes of the area.
When students flock back to the
University in August, the same old problems
will persist. Roads will be clogged, parking
spaces will be at a premium and bus passes
will still cost too much money for some peo
ple to buy into.
Instead of trying to put a Band-Aid on the
problem, Carrboro officials should be active
ly investigating ways to make fare-free bus
service a reality instead of simply giving up
on it this year.
Fare-free busing would encourage more
students, as well as staff and faculty, to take
advantage of mass transit as an alternative to
dealing with the hassle of driving into town.
The fewer cars on the road, the easier the
Costly Tradition
Few ballots were cast in Tuesday's primary runoff. But a great deal
of taxpayers' dollars went into the process.
No one ever said that democracy was
cheap.
Voters went to the polls Tuesday in prima
ry runoffs to choose the Republican candi
dates for the commissioners of agriculture
and labor.
But considering how low-profile the race
was, few voters actually showed up to cast
their ballot.
The turnout was estimated to be a paltry 3
percent of registered voters. That’s a mere
75,000 people throughout the entire state of
North Carolina.
The price tag of the race, however, is
much more impressive. The cost is estimated
to be around $3.5 million in taxpayer dollars.
Considering the cost and low turnouts, the
General Assembly should abolish the prac
tice of primary runoffs entirely.
North Carolina is only one of 12 states
who have primary runoffs. And all but two of
the 12 are in the South.
It’s a remnant of the days of southern one
party domination when winning the
Democratic nomination essentially meant
winning election to the office itself.
It’s a tradition that has become too expen
sive to keep around.
These races cost taxpayers money, but tra
ditionally don’t hold taxpayer interest.
In 1996, the runoff for the Republican
agriculture commissioner spot only attracted
2.9 percent of registered voters, that same
year, a Democratic runoff for secretary of
state only drew 2 percent.
This year, neither Steve Troxler, who ran
for agriculture commissioner, nor Cherie
Berry, labor commissioner candidate, was
able to achieve the “substantial plurality” of
40 percent plus one vote required by North
Carolina law to capture the party nomina
tThe Daily (Ear Heel
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area’s traffic problems will become.
The University came up with the fare-free
proposal and agreed to pay a major chunk of
the estimated $1.58 million cost earlier this
year. But that was not enough to convince
hesitant officials in Chapel Hill and
Carrboro, who were reluctant to raise taxes
in order to cover the plan’s implementation.
The fare-free proposal would have cost
Carrboro an estimated $62,109 for a one
year trial and would have raised residents tax
rates more than 77 cents. But that’s just about
$3,500 more than the proposal passed last
week.
And though the bus service is extended,
there is no projected increase in ridership.
And the frequency of bus visits will remain
the same.
Considering how much money is being
spent, that’s no bargain.
Luckily, the plan isn’t set into stone yet.
Before the extended hours can go into
effect, Chapel Hill must chip in $166,841 and
the University must agree to pay $149,306 of
the bill since all three entities cover the oper
ating costs of Chapel Hill Transit.
The University must take this opportuni
ty to make a stand against this proposal and
hold back funding until a more acceptable
proposition comes to the table.
Considering the fare-free proposal would
be much more beneficial, University officials
should press Carrboro and Chapel Hill offi
cials harder for it instead of shelling out
money for a program that would not give
added benefits for students.
The time to act is now.
tion.
Therefore, their 2nd-place challengers,
Tom Davidson for agriculture commissioner
and John Miller for labor commissioner, had
the legal right to call for a rematch under the
rules currently in place.
And both did, at the expense of N.C. tax
payers.
The General Assembly has considered
abolishing the practice of primary runoffs for
years, but has never taken the final step and
tossed it out.
Supporters steadfastly hold that the cur
rent system prevents fringe candidates from
being nominated, since they are required to
win 40 percent of the vote.
But with only 3 percent of the electorate
coming out to vote in many primary runoffs
like Tuesday’s, it is not difficult for a well
organized interest group to sway the election
any way they choose if they invest the time
and effort.
When there’s no high profile political can
didate involved in a race, and when very lit
tle is at stake (those elected in Tuesday’s
runoff only will represent their party in the
November election for the post), voters don’t
turn out en masse to vote.
Yet their money certainly flows freely into
the process.
Voting machines have to be put into place
and every precinct must be staffed. Those
costs add up. In Mecklenburg county alone,
taxpayers will have to foot a $350,000 bill for
the runoff.
Now it’s time for the General Assembly to
do a little trimming of the electoral process
fat.
Remembering our heritage is good, but
some southern traditions are best left in the
past.
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[ STOP WoRRYiM©! j
Carolina Blue: A Heavenly Color
My oldest brother Mark used to tell me
that the sky was blue because the
Army painted it that color.
To be honest, I never believed him.
I mean, he had to say that as he is a special
forces airborne ranger in the United States
Army. Those types think everything is up to
the Army.
Noah’s Ark? They built it. The Grand
Canyon? They dug it. Missionary position?
They invented it.
But I always figured that if the Army had
painted the sky, they surely would have paint
ed it fatigue green, right?
Sorry, Lt. Col. Mark. You’d be wrong in
this case. And he’d hit me for saying so, of
course - he’s Army tough.
So, meanwhile, why is the sky blue?
Carolina blue to be exact?
Well, I think it’s because the supreme pow
ers-that-be wanted to pay homage, under
standably, to the grand ol’ University most of
you either attend or are attached to in some
way or another.
That’s right, the Lord above pulls for Dean
Smith’s boys. What else explains the Final
Four run this spring?
It’s amazing how Carolina blue the sky
really is! On most days as I walk to campus, I
look up and get an instant rush of school
pride.
It’s electric, calming, beautiful blue and it’s
everywhere, as far and wide as the eye can
see.
And it’s my new favorite color. No more
white or gray t-shirts for me. It’s been nothing
but school blue tops since I set foot on cam
pus. I bought two new ones as the sum total of
my back-to-summer wardrobe.
Everyone I see during my far-and-wide
summer adventures will surely know I’ve
traded schools and colors!
Now don’t go telling any of my friends
Readers' Forum
Construction More
Appropriate During
Summer Sessions
TO THE EDITOR:
Somewhere in the frenzy to
improve the intellectual climate -
build more coffee shops, create fresh
men seminars, restructure the advis
ing system - we have forgotten that
students come to the University to
learn in their classes.
The enhancement of Dey Hall
classrooms spring semester made
holding classes in the building a frus
trating experience. The sound of the
power drill drowned out my profes
sor, and'although it affords a conve
nient excuse for why I don’t under
stand the imperfect subjunctive, it
prevented me from learning the
material for which 1 came to college.
The Dey Hall renovations bring
great improvements and technology
to the building. But these academic
enhancements provide few benefits
without a commitment to uphold aca
demic study. Surely, there is a way to
schedule classes foi the semester in
different wings of the building with
planned constructions or to renovate
during the summer session, when
there are less students, and move to
another building altogether.
Kristen Campbell
Junior
English
Mike Ogle
SPORTS EDITOR
Caroline Hupfer
DESIGN EDITOR
I ■ "
■
DANA ROSENGARD
TV GUY
back in Vermont, where I moved from to
come here to school. Let’s just say my favorite
color during my five Vermont years was
green.
Everywhere you looked, things were green.
The grass and trees were green, of course. But
what you have to understand about Vermont,
in case you’ve never been there, is that there’s
not too much more than green grass and
green trees, at least not in the Northeast king
dom where I came from.
It was gorgeous. You could look for miles
and miles and see only green, save for the
black and white cows lazily munching the
green grass and the faded red barns they
called home dotting green pastures.
I lived in such a rural part of Vermont that
Franklin Street seems like a hustle and bustle
thruway to me!
I was nine miles from the nearest bar
where I used to live.
Heck, now I can take nine giant steps and
be behind a brew at a bunch of different bars.
Gotta love Carolina!
So in Vermont I stopped describing my
eyes as hazel and started telling people they
were green.
I traded in my maroon Volkswagen and
bought a green car which still has (wildly
expired) green Vermont license plates.
The new VW is metallic sequoia green, to
RSVVP Chairwoman
Thanks Volunteers
For a Job Well Done
TO THE EDITOR:
The 10th Annual Triangle-wide
RSWP event (Restaurants Sharing
V/5 & V/5 Percent) held in
November 1999 has, thus far, raised
more than $30,000.
In Chapel Hill-Carrboro, with 91
of the 99 pledges received, more than
$17,000 has been raised to benefit the
Inter-Faith Council’s hunger-relief
programs.
Hopefully, the remaining restau
rants will increase our final total to
over SIB,OOO.
The Durham project, which bene
fits St. Philips’s Community Kitchen,
reports that pledges from 41 of 43
restaurants total $6,000 and The
Food Bank of North Carolina in
Raleigh collected $7,200 from 35 of
43 participating restaurants.
I attribute the obvious Chapel
Hill-Carrboro advantage to the loyal
support of our University communi
ty and would like to thank everyone
who helps to make this project so suc
cessful.
Paul Barnhardt of Alpha Phi
Omega fraternity distributed posters
and table tents to all of the downtown
participating restaurants.
Ron Binder, Director of Greek
Affairs, helped to get the complete list
Emily Schnure
PHOTO EDITOR
Josh Williams
ONLINE EDITOR
be exact. It should be noted, however, that
the maroon car did have 156,000 miles on it.
I didn’t just trade it in for the sake of color.
But I’m giving in. Green is out; blue is my
new favorite color, for sure.
No, I’m not going to get blue contact lens
es, but I am going to get blue N.C. license
plates, as soon as I can afford them.
1 know they’ll clash with my green car
(don’t even talk to me about when I’ll be able
to afford anew one of those!) and that will
bug me.
I am the TV Guy after all - visuals matter.
But I’m making the transition from the
Green Mountain State green to Carolina blue
heaven.
I have that growing Carolina blue
wardrobe. And that’s not all.
Picking the color of my new ißook
Macintosh laptop computer was easy.
None of those fruit colors for me.
Grape? No thanks. Strawberry? I don’t
think so. Tangerine? Hardly.
Blueberry? *
It’s Carolina blue, buddy. I’ll take it, and
the color printer to match, thank you very
much.
I guess it’s about pride and satisfaction. I
guess it’s about transferring allegiance, going
with the flow and being happy wherever you
find yourself.
I guess it’s about knowing the makers of
the Universe saw fit to choose our school color
as the hue for the heavens.
Go Tar Heels!
Dana Rosengard is a Ph.D. student in the
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
originally from Haverhill, Massachusetts, with
many stops along the way between there and
here. He can be reached at danar@unc.edu for
questions, comments, concerns or column sug
gestions.
to all of the fraternities and sororities;
and Wayne Thompson, the former
Assistant Director of Special
Programs, distributed the lists to all of
the student housing within his juris
diction.
Antoine Peuch of West Franklin
Street Partnership sponsored the trol
ley which made continuous runs
between UNC and downtown during
the lunch hour. The pick-up bus stops
were identified with balloons con
tributed by Balloons and Tunes. Each
one contributed in their own way to
the success of the event.
With due respect to the many
community-spirited restauranteurs
who choose to participate, to the
large numbers of diners who fill these
restaurants each year, and to the
great promotion by the sponsors, I do
believe that the loyal support of the
University community offers a spe
cial “edge” to our local effort and for
this, I am most grateful.
Those who benefit from the
hunger-relief programs of the Inter-
Faith Council - the Community
Kitchen and the Family Services
Emergency Food Pantry - join with
me in thanking you. I share the joy of
this success with all of you.
Irene T. Briggaman
RSWP Chairwoman,
Chapel Hill-Carrboro
The length rule was waived.
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