Other than my campaign announcement for re-election, I have
avoided using my blog for political purposes. That isn’t what I created it for.
I started blogging over seven years ago to not only communicate with Cary
citizens about what it is I am working on as a member of the council, but to
also inform you of how I voted on a particular topic and why I voted that way.
Unfortunately however, my opposition has been spreading lies
and misinformation and I must set the record straight.
Communication and Transparency
Not only has he accused the entire Cary Town Council of
failing to communicate with Cary citizens, but he has gone so far as to state
that we are somehow “engaging in backroom deals”.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
This council has been the most transparent in Cary history.
All of our meetings are open to the public and advertised well in advance.
Council meeting agendas are posted on the town’s website the week prior to our
meeting and we also have an email notification system that alerts subscribers
to upcoming meetings with links to our meeting agendas. We then follow that up by
sending out another email after our meeting to inform citizens of council
actions. If you aren’t already subscribed to the town’s email notification
system, you can do so by clicking here.
To further promote citizen input, we moved the “public
speaks out” portion of our council meeting to the beginning of our agenda so
that citizens are given the opportunity to speak on any topic before any
council action is taken.
We also initiated a new process that requires developers to meet
with nearby property owners to explain their proposals and receive citizen
input BEFORE the first council meeting and public hearing is ever held.
Citizens now often learn about a potential project before we do.
We created the Cary Matters television program where we
discuss topics of interest, and the town now even has a Facebook and Twitter
page to further disseminate information. We are also currently working to
update the town’s website to make it even more user friendly and easier for
folks to find the information they are looking for.
This council works very hard to communicate with and listen
to our citizens.
The Mayton Inn
My opponent has also been critical of the Mayton Inn – the
hotel currently under construction on Academy Street in Downtown Cary. He accuses
the council of spending “millions in taxpayer dollars” on the project. That is false.
The town sold the property to the hotel and assisted with a $1.4
million HUD loan from the federal government.
The town is self-financing the sale of the property. That
will be repaid to the town over a 10 year period with interest.
The $1.4 million HUD loan is a loan between the federal
government and the hotel and is to be repaid by the hotel – not the town. The
town does however guarantee the loan repayment to HUD via Cary’s Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that we receive from the federal
government. Should the hotel be unable to repay the loan, the town essentially
loses that amount in CDBG funds we would otherwise receive from HUD. The town
currently receives about $500,000 annually in CDBG funds.
I know what you are thinking, “how can you use HUD funds on
a hotel?” I asked the very same question. Well HUD’s section 108 loan program
allows the use of HUD monies on economic development projects that create a
certain amount of jobs for low income folks.
I kind of like the program honestly. It helps to give low
income folks a hand up – not a hand out.
In a nutshell we basically had two choices with the HUD
monies. We could use those funds to provide for more subsidized low income
housing options in Cary, or we could instead leverage those funds on an economic
development project that creates jobs for low income folks, provides an amenity
in our downtown and adds to our property tax base. Which would you have
selected?
My opponent has also stated that “should the project fail, I
fear the bank will turn it into luxury condos”. While I respect his opinion, it
is speculation that it will fail and what the bank would do with it if it did.
Heck, it hasn’t even opened for business yet and he is already trying to board the
place up. But for the sake of argument let’s say that happens. My question then
becomes would luxury condos in downtown Cary really be a bad thing? Really?
Heck, I’d buy one.
The council does recognize the risk should the hotel be
unable to honor their commitment with HUD, but we believe that risk to be low
and a risk we were willing to take.
While I agree with little my opponent has stated during this
campaign, there is however one comment he has made that I do agree with, “the
residential real estate market inside the Maynard Loop is stronger than ever.”
Why do you think that is? Our revitalization efforts inside
the Maynard Loop and in downtown maybe?
Fracking
My opponent also claims that I want to Frack in Cary and
that I “support adding fracking waste water to Cary’s drinking water.”
This is absolutely crazy and a perfect example of how far
political opportunists will go in an attempt to scare folks into voting for
them. Given who is advising his campaign I am not surprised.
For the record, I do not support fracking in Cary
or anywhere near our water supply.
I do however support a safe and responsible way in which to
extract natural gas from the ground. Let’s face it, we need natural gas to heat
our homes, produce electricity, cook our food and even run air conditioning
systems.
The quote from me that my opponent takes out of context and
uses on a doom and gloom campaign mailing reads, “I think it [fracking] can be
done in a safe and responsible manner.”
The key word there is “think”. I think it can. But is it
currently? I honestly don’t know. Does anybody know for sure? The Obama administration seems ok with it.
But what I do know is that oil companies and government
agencies should continue to work to improve upon the methods used to extract
natural gas from the ground to ensure that it is being done in a safe and
responsible manner. We can either take advantage of our own natural resources,
or we can continue to send billions of dollars overseas to foreign countries
who hate our guts.
I also supported a council resolution to the North Carolina General
Assembly that stated that “IF” the state were to allow fracking in North
Carolina, that we retain local authority over any potential shale gas
development. That resolution passed unanimously.
And is this even a Cary issue or a state and federal issue
anyways? Fracking in Cary? Really? Not happening.
If you want a self-proclaimed environmental activist as your
next councilman, then by all means vote for my opponent. If you prefer someone
who instead focuses on local issues that directly impact our daily lives and community
and who has a proven record of delivering results, then I am your candidate.
In Closing
I do not expect anyone to agree with every decision I make
or position I take. Heck, I can’t think of any elected official I agree with
100% of the time – including my council colleagues. But when I find one I agree
with more often than not and who does what they believe is in the best interest
of our community and is honest with me about it, I am going to continue to
support them.
I am running for reelection to continue to work to make Cary
a better place to live, work and raise a family and I hope that through my efforts I have earned your trust and
support for reelection. I ask for your vote again on October 6th.
