Gtyr Saily (Jar Hwl
ERIN MENDELL
Local Leaders
Right to React
To Broad Issues
The Charlotte City Council sent a
powerful message when it over
rode the mayor’s veto on its res
olution calling for a moratorium on
the death penalty Sept 5.
Mayor Pat McCrory vetoed the res
olution because he said the City
Council did not have the jurisdiction
to pass the measure.
Remind you of anything?
When Carrboro’s Board of
Aldermen became the first municipali
ty in North Carolina to pass a similar
resolution in June of last year, the
move unleashed a flurry of criticism.
Opponents of the resolution said, just
'as McCrory did, that a municipality
should keep its collective nose out of
the state and federal business of capital
punishment.
But who lives in the state and coun
try? If you guessed the same people
who live in towns and cities, you’d be
correct
; ' Alderman Jacquelyn Gist justified
Carrboro’s (and Charlotte’s) passing
death penalty resolutions when she
■said, “Our oath obligates us to take
care of the people of Carrboro.”
A Carrboro resident could receive
the death penalty unfairly, and that
entides the aldermen to pass a resolu
tion about it.
For Gist it goes beyond simply hav
ing the jurisdiction to pass a resolution
about the death penalty. She said she’s
obligated to speak out on issues that go
beyond the Carrboro town limits in
the same way she advocates for resi
dents on issues the aldermen do have
official control over.
And she does. If something affects a
town or city’s residents -as federal
and state policies do - the town or city
certainly has the jurisdiction to act on
it
Of course, Charlotte’s and
Carrboro’s resolutions won’t have any
official effect on death penalty policy
because Charlotte and Carrboro offi
cials don’t have the power to adminis
ter capital punishment.
But the resolutions will have an
indirect effect. Once one municipality
encouraged a moratorium on the
death penalty, it became easier for oth
ers to do so, said Joyce Brown, a
Chapel Hill Town Council member.
The Town Council has passed a resolu
tion similar to Carrboro’s.
A year ago, it would have been
inconceivable that a city as conserva
tive as Charlotte would pass a resolu
tion supporting a moratorium on the
death penalty. Last week, the City
Council members felt strongly enough
about the resolution to override the
mayor’s veto by a vote of 8-3.
Gist wouldn’t call the aldermen
trailblazers, though. She just thinks
they took the stigma of being first
away from the state’s other municipali
ties.
“We’re willing to be the left-wing
oddity,” Gist said.
“We’re kind of viewed as the la-la
land of the state."
But la-la land is the only place big
changes can start. As Gist said, a group
that starts anything is usually consid
ered the lunatic fringe, even if its ideas
later become mainstream.
Charlotte’s City Council has proven
that Chapel Hill’s and Carrboro’s gov
ernments aren’t always out of touch
with the rest of the state. Durham,
Davidson, Hillsborough and Orange
counties have also validated the work
of the aldermen and town council by
passing death penalty resolutions.
Recent studies have shown that the
death penalty is administered unfairly,
and I would argue that that makes the
municipalities right to pass death
penalty resolutions.
But regardless of whether you agree
with me on that point, there’s no deny
ing that local governments have a right
and an obligation to consider all issues
that affect their residents even if they
have no official control over them.
And Gist is optimistic about the
effectiveness of municipalities’ resolu
tions.
“I think the moratorium is
inevitable in this country,” she said.
“The momentum is building.”
Chapel Hill and Carrboro might
always be la-la land, but at least one of
their ideas has become a popular
export.
Columnist Erin Mendell can be
reached at mendell9email.unc.edu.
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Brenda Brown Schoonover, U.S. Ambassador to Togo, explains the value
of communication between the U.S. State Department and the military.
Instructor of the Year: All Fired Up
Local Captain
Teaches Trade
By Harmony Johnson
Staff Writer
Chapel Hill Fire Capt Doug Cline is not a man
concerned with pomp and circumstance.
So when the International Society of Fire Service
Instructors presented him with the Instructor of the
Year award, he didn’t even want his chief to issue a
press release.
“I’m overwhelmed, to say the least,” Cline said.
He was chosen from a nationwide pool of fire
instructors for his excellence in instruction of fire
safety and rescue.
Cline, who has been with the Chapel Hill Fire
Department since 1993, is a certified firefighting
instructor, paramedic and fire inspector, in addition
to being a qualified firefighter.
Capt. Barry McLamb nominated Cline for the
award because of his dedication and
service to the department.
Although Cline admits to being
flattered by the award, he
remains humble about it.
> “There are other folks out
1 there that deserve it more
than I do,” he said.
With two other training offi-
cers, Cline works 56 hours each
week in rotating 24-hour intervals.
His shift begins at 7 a.m. with daily maintenance
of the trucks and other equipment. Throughout the
day, he performs fire inspections, works on his per
sonal fitness and provides emergency response.
Where Cline stands out is in his ability to instruct
other firefighters.
And Cline’s eyes light up behind his glasses
when he talks about his job.
“It’s pure fun to be here,” he said. “Everyone in
this business in a teacher in one way, shape or form.”
During his shift, he educates eager firefighters with
full-fledged drills in the classroom as well as on site.
Town OKs Budget; Expands Bus Service
The finalized state budget
allows Chapel Hill to offer
extended bus times, even
if the University is closed.
By Kate Hartig
Staff Writer
The Chapel Hill bus system has
become more user-friendly after elimi
nating all reduced weekday service hours.
The Town Council amended the
2000-01 budget Monday to include
funding for transit services that provide
El Chilango Hosts Mexican Fiesta
By Kellie Dixon
Assistant City Editor
El Chilango will host Fiesta de la
Independencia tonight, launching a night
of festivities for the Latino community.
This festival will include a speech at
midnight recounting the history of
Mexican independence and will offer
ethnic food and drinks.
Jacques Menache, who grew up in
Mexico City, owns Ell Chilango with his
wife, Lisa Domby. The eatery wifi cele
brate its one-year anniversary this week.
Menache said he created the restau
rant to establish a cultural center.
Located at 506 Jones Ferry Road, it
offers Spanish classes, Latin dancing,
old-time music and other ethnic oppor-
University & City
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Chapel Hill Fire Capt. Doug Cline was named National Fire Instructor
of the Year by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.
Cline passes on fire rescue and safety informa
tion, and his students prepare for real-life emer
gency response situations.
But his instruction is not limited to his depart
ment. He also teaches seminars at the state and
national levels.
Cline said he hopes he will have an impact on
his students as his mentors had on him.
The Mullens, W.Va., native said he can not recall
a time when he did not want to be a firefighter.
“Ever since I was 2 years old, I wanted to work
with the fire department,” he said. “I remember
being fascinated with fire trucks and ambulances and
running to the window when I heard the sirens.”
At 16, Cline got his start as a volunteer firefighter
in his hometown.
full weekday ser
vice year-round on
University and
town routes.
In the past, tran
sit services ran on
reduced-service
schedules when
UNC was not in
session, totaling 17
weeks out of the
year.
“With extended hours, those
who have a late class or work
on campus can use the bus
on a consistent basis. ”
Flicka Bateman
Chapel Hill Town Council Member
“ The transit system will now be more
accessible for people year-round,” said
council member Flicka Bateman. “With
extended hours, those who have a late
tunities for the community to come
together.
“I used to be an executive director of
the Carrboro Art Center,” he said. “I
founded it and ran it for 15 years. I came
to the conclusion that I should start a
restaurant and do as many cultural
events as possible.”
Menache said he initially decided to
have art exhibits to draw people in. The
exhibits change monthly - this month’s
display is artwork by nine different
artists from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Michele Rivest of 100 Oak Ave. said
the art and the atmosphere were what
caught her attention.“lt is absolutely
phenomenal,” she said. “To see these
paintings, you would have to travel all
the way to Oaxaca, Mexico.”
Diplomats Deliver Talks
On Service in West Africa
By Elizabeth Breyer
Assistant University Editor
Two U.S. diplomats with extensive
experience in Western Africa discussed
the importance of interaction between
the government and military in foreign
affairs Thursday.
Ambassador Brenda Brown
Schoonover, former U.S. Ambassador
to Togo, will be serving as the UNC
Ambassador-in-Residence for the next
year. She and U.S. Consul General
Samuel Brock spoke to a crowd of
ROTC members on “The Interface
Between Diplomacy and Military
Affairs from the Ground.”
Schoonover said she looks forward to
a year of giving such speeches to UNC
students and educating them about for
eign affairs in general.
“It was kind of like it was all play. Several folks
taught me (about firefighting) in nonchalant ways,”
he said. “Those folks made a lifelong impact on me.”
After graduating from Concord College in
Athens, W.Va., Cline worked for 10 years as a fire
fighter in Mercer County, W.Va.
He then moved to the fire department in
Gainesville, Fla., where he spent two years.
But Cline got an itch to work elsewhere and soon
found himself fighting fires in Chapel Hill.
Now he lives in Timberlake with his wife, Dedra,
and their 4-year-old daughter, Maggie.
While Cline is reluctant to tout his own achieve
ments, he is quick to praise his co-workers - whom
See CLINE, Page 7
class or work on
campus can use the
bus on a consistent
basis.”
The service
changes went into
effect Aug. 21
when the fall bus
schedule began.
But town officials
had yet to formally
arrange the budget
to allow funding for the new services.
At a June 5 town budget work ses
sion, the Town Council authorized Town
Manager Cal Horton to add the extend-
Menache said the ethnic food that the
restaurant offered is homemade and set
up in the form of self-service buffet. The
cost is $4.95 per pound.“( The food)
caters to the Latino community,” he
said.
“They like it a lot. If we had the same
food on our menu, an American would
not ask for it. That’s the reason for the
self-service buffet, you get to see it
before you order it.”
“The is the most traditional Mexican
food I’ve had. Last year, I was in Mexico
and I tried some traditional Mexican
food and (Ell Chilango) makes it almost
the same,” said Gabor Beke, a native of
Hungary and a resident of Chapel Hill.
See EL CHILANGO, Page 7
“I’m here not only in terms of
encouraging people to join the foreign
service, but also sharing knowledge and
experience in working as a diplomat
abroad,” she said.
The Ambassador-in-Residence pro
gram, administered by the U.S.
Department of State, places 20 ambas
sadors at colleges around the country for
one-year terms of service.
Schoonover was the first to speak at
the forum, examining the relationship
between the Department of State and
Department of Defense in their domes
tic and international actions.
“Foreign affairs today have many
dimensions besides national security -
they have expanded to affect every U.S.
citizen and involve everyone in govern
ment,” she said. “Our ability to protect
U.S. interests and security is enhanced by
ed service, contingent on the N.C.
General Assembly’s finalized budget
The state adopted its 2000-01 budget,
allowing the town to implement bud
getary plans for service changes.
“Since the state adopted their budget
the town could then formally modify the
budget ordinance to include the transit
service changes already planned,” said
Chapel Hill Transit Director Scott
McClellan.
Carolyn Elfland, UNC associate vice
chancellor for auxiliary services, said
she hopes bus use will increase with the
See TRANSIT, Page 7
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OTH/ MARGARET SOUTHERN
Joe Nelson and Sarah Bryan debut at El Chilango's Old Time Music
Night on Thursday. The two have only played together for a month.
Friday, September 15, 2000
diplomatic and military relationships.”
Schoonover focused on the role of the
domestic attache, who acts as the liaison
between embassies and the military.
She related several stories of interact
ing with the attache during her tenure in
Togo, a small West African nation near
Ghana. “As an ambassador, I found it
necessary to keep the defense attache
informed,” she said, citing a specific
example of how the attache helped her
diffuse an armed border conflict.
Brock also told several stories of diplo
matic relationships he cultivated while
working in West Africa where he served
as the deputy chief of mission in Benin.
Brock took a more specific approach
in his speech than Schoonover, telling
stories of his work with the African Crisis
See DIPLOMACY, Page 7
Film Fest
Shows Off
UNC Talent
Alumni and students donate
their creations to the free
festival, which is tonight
and Saturday night.
By Shindy Chen
Staff Writer
Contrary to popular belief, film fes
tivals are not strictly reserved for uppi
ty movie snobs - especially not the free
film fest taking place at the Carolina
Union Film Auditorium on Friday and
Saturday evening.
The festival - dubbed the Carolina
Student, Alumni and Faculty Film and
Video Screening - encourages the
entire student body to cast their anxi
eties aside, attend and recognize the
' work Of their peers.
The event is a brainchild of junior
communications major Rajeev Dassani,
and presents 15 mostly short films
extending anywhere from five minutes
to a half hour. Showcased over the
course of two evenings, Dassani said
organizing these films required nearly
three months of planning and the
Carolina Union’s support.
“The Carolina Union was very sup
portive and they were all about wanting
to show the students’ work,” he said.
“It’s wonderful these films are going to
be shown and made accessible to every
one.”
Also sponsoring the event is the
Carolina Production Guild, for which
Dassani is the publicity officer.
“It’s a night where (the filmmakers)
can share their ideas with the student
body and surrounding body,” said
Bharath Parthasarathy, film board
member for the Carolina Union
Activities Board.
Carolina alumni who will show their
work include film directors Peyton Reid
of “Bring it On” fame and John Schultz,
who directed “Drive Me Crazy.” Other
alumni works include those of lan
Williams, John Knight, and Norwood
Cheek, founder of the Flicker Film
Festival, and Mike Connor, who has
two films being screened.
The first, “Frank’s Monday," runs
merely one minute. “Much like Saturn’s
different kind of car, this is a different
kind of car commercial,” Connor said.
His other film, “Secondhand,” was
made nearly two years ago and was one
of two major films funded by the pro
duction guild.
Another selection is the work of
senior George Manis, a double major in
communications and history. He said
See FILMMAKERS, Page 7
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