I’ve been wracking my brain all afternoon trying to find a way to make “Searing” and “no drama” rhyme. But that sort of whimsey wouldn’t impress Adam Searing, and that touches on what’s so quietly impressive about the man. Searing’s fact-based, pragmatic approach to solving problems is only one of many reasons I’m voting for […]
Endorsements 2023
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 25, 2023
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2023/10/25/endorsements-2023/
Are we really #allinthistogether?
The Chapel Hill town manager presented a very tight budget for the coming fiscal year. As part of covering core services in a time of noticeably lower revenue, he delays for 6 months the 65-cent-per-hour pay raise for the town’s lowest-paid workers that the town committed to in being certified a Living Wage employer. But […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 25, 2020
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2020/05/25/are-we-really-allinthistogether/
We’re still here
While leafing through a coupon circular in the newspaper in the days leading up to Mother’s Day (don’t judge: we all cope with the stay-at-home order in our own way), I came across a somewhat alarming advertisement come-on: “Make Mom Melt Away.” In this time of mandated togetherness, I’m sure the ad copywriter for that […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 11, 2020
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2020/05/11/were-still-here/
Council vacancy
At its Feb. 19 meeting, Town Council officially announced the vacant seat on council and agreed to accept applications through 5 p.m. on March 27. Any town resident who is registered to vote in Chapel Hill elections and will be 21 by the date he or she is to take office may apply. Here is […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on March 9, 2020
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2020/03/09/council-vacancy/
Greene Tract series continues
I took time out for a lengthy vacation, half of it spent abroad and half among the 85% of Chapel Hill residents who don’t realize Chapel Hill has a town council. Stepping back gave me a new perspective on town business and how lives are lived by people who feel fulfilled, even if they know […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 27, 2020
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2020/01/27/greene-tract-series-continues/
Rising above
I landed in London as the British were waking up to Boris Johnson’s landslide victory. Over the course of the ensuing few days, I chatted with people I met about what they thought of the election outcome. Their responses lead me to predict four more years of Donald Trump. Johnson’s wide margin of victory surprised […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 23, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/12/23/rising-above/
Winning or transforming?
“North Korea Threatens to Resume Calling Trump a ‘Dotard’ ” — headline in Time newsfeed We have hit a new low when name-calling and bullying pass as leadership. Seeing this headline on the heels of having listened to the impeachment hearings over the past couple of weeks underscores our need for a different form of […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 16, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/12/16/winning/
Hospitality
Staff at the Durham Performing Arts Center have that hospitality thing down pat. Even if your ticket is for a seat in the very last row of the upper balcony, DPAC staff welcome you as if they are delighted that you’ve accepted their invitation to their soiree. Yet, statistically, a certain percentage of them have […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 9, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/12/09/hospitality/
Speak for the trees
When development proposals came before Town Council, Jim Ward, council member from 1999 to 2015, could be relied upon to speak for the trees. When I joined council and he did not get re-elected, I took on that mantle. Now I’m leaving council, and no one has emerged to protect our environment in this fundamental […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 2, 2019
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/12/02/speak-for-the-trees/