President Obama occasionally sends me emails: “Nancy, let’s have dinner,” or “Nancy, I 
need your help.” But he has never once said, “Nancy, I have an extra ticket to a Carolina game. Would you like to join me?”
But this being Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt’s lucky week — he won re-election in a landslide — he was the one who was invited by the president to the Carolina-Michigan game last Friday night on the USS Carl Vinson docked in San Diego. If President Obama is re-elected next year, this may be the last term as mayor for Kleinschmidt. He may be headed to a cubicle in the White House.
But until then, he’s destined to spend another two years in the center seat on the dais at Town Hall. On Wednesday he presided over an hour-long meeting in which council received and referred a number of petitions and approved the continuance of the Charterwood zoning atlas amendment application because the property owner was unable to be present due to serious illness.
Expect tonight’s public hearing fest to be quite a bit longer. The PowerPoint presentations alone will likely exceed the length of last week’s meeting. Here’s what Kleinschmidt and the rest of Town Council have to look forward to tonight:
Police Chief Chris Blue will present a proposed change in the towing ordinance. Towing companies will be required to accept all major credit cards and must notify police before towing a vehicle. In exchange, towing companies can charge $125 per tow, up from the current $100, and $25 a day storage fee, compared to $20 per day at present.
Chapel of the Cross is asking for a zoning amendment from office/institutional to Town Center-1 Conditional. The change would allow the church to develop an extra 100,000 square feet. O/I allows only 42,022 square feet of floor space on the property; TC-1 permits 146,260 square feet. The church wants to build an addition, bringing the church’s total floor space to 80,000 square feet. The “conditional” tag means that the land can’t be used for anything other than what is specified in the special use permit. Council may be receptive to the plans, as long as Carol Ann Zinn is not the developer of record.
Finally, back-to-back public forums on transportation, starting with the Triangle Regional Transit Program Local Preferred Alternative, and followed by the Durham-Chapel Hill MPO 2014-2020 Transportation Improvement Program Regional Priority List.
As President Obama and Mayor Kleinschmidt probably said at some point last Friday night: “Go Heels.”
– Nancy Oates
Jon DeHart
/ November 14, 2011I think they might discuss the Yates Motor Company breaking and entering….
Terri Buckner
/ November 14, 2011Imagine you lived back in 1773. Would you have jailed those who perpetrated the Boston Tea Party? It’s all well and good to support private property, but we should also remember that rebellion against the powerful has a longstanding and honorable tradition in this country.
runner
/ November 14, 2011The Mayor of Chapel Hill has allowed the OWS situation to spiral out of control. You sow what you reap Mayor K. Now show some leadership for once in your elected life.
runner
/ November 14, 2011The Mayor’s press conference is an embarassment to this community. I am really pissed off that this meeting is allowed to be twisted by his lack of leadership and ability to stand up to these petty criminals.
runner
/ November 14, 2011correction: inability.
runner
/ November 14, 2011Pure farce.
Jon DeHart
/ November 14, 2011I can’t wait to hear what Penny has to say .
runner
/ November 14, 2011I sure jumbled my words in my posts on this site during today’s press conference. But man, was I pissed off listening on the radio to the heckling and childish behavior by the protesters and the Mayor’s lack of control of the situation.
The Mayor better realize that he’s not dealing with honest brokers here and that he needs to re-establish some order around here.
Hear’s my opinion. Since there is no real end game for the OWS movement, things will only get worse as more militant people leverage the opportunity to be heard. I think it’s time to shut this whole thing down before things get bad.
Terri Buckner
/ November 14, 2011The Nation: Meet Your Police State: Chapel Hill Edition
http://www.thenation.com/blog/164593/meet-your-police-state-chapel-hill-edition
“Even if the demonstrators were damaging property, “violence” is usually only considered dire when it’s directed at human beings, not at an abandoned car dealership. If society was to get really serious about “violence” applying to inanimate objects and the environment, then every multinational conglomerate on the face of the earth could be charged as being criminally liable.”
Road Warrior
/ November 14, 2011Actually, that whole Tea Party thing got a much more dramatic response from the Ruling British in the 1770s, but your point is well-taken. We were founded on the philosophy that a little revolution every now and then is a good thing. I just wish it were at the ballot box.
John Kramer
/ November 14, 2011Runner: Better to be pissed off than pissed on.
This whole thing shows just how dysfunctional Chapel Hill and Orange County is. The liberals have no concept of law and order. Those poor, pitiful trespassers! HaHaHaHaHa!
Anyone notice what happened to the OWS “righteous protesters” in Durham? Yeah. Thaaaaat’s right.
LOL Chapel Hill liberals. Reap what you sow, as Runner says.
John Kramer
/ November 14, 2011“Imagine you lived back in 1773. ”
Now, that is truly a hilarious statement.
Don Evans
/ November 14, 2011Jon
Isn’t Penny catering the OWS in Chapel Hill?
Let’s not forget that Thomas Jefferson was in fact an ardent revolutionary, and that in fact he was a member of a revolutionary movement that had as its goal the overthrowal of an established government by force and violence.
BTW, I’ve read plenty of reports of violence, nastiness and ickiness associated with the protests, but no reports of the protesters themselves being charged with the violence, nastiness and ickiness. Let’s look at what OWS protests are trying to highlight about our economic system, rather than being distracted by events in the perifery that are in all likelihood not even perpetrated by the OWS protesters.
John Kramer
/ November 15, 2011Yeah, that Jefferson was a real outlaw. President of the US and all you know.
What did he protest? Students???
Anyone??.???
That’s right Billy Bob, he railed against high taxes!
Don Evans
/ November 15, 2011Uhm, I believe Jefferson was upset about taxation without representation.
Jon DeHart
/ November 15, 2011Don,
I think it was a fund raiser, not a catering job ….
John Kramer
/ November 15, 2011Aw C’mon, Don- do you think we have representation now?? LOL
Don Evans
/ November 15, 2011Jon
Yeah, I often get fundraising and catering confused, just like Penny does!
John
Well, at least the banks and corporations have representation in Congress!
John Kramer
/ November 15, 2011Shucks, no wonder THEY are not upset. Good one.