Decades ago, a running coach told me, “The only way to run faster is to run faster.” Pre-empting Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan by nearly a generation, the coach’s advice has proved useful in all sorts of situations in my life. Now it appears I can apply it to Town Council work. The town has […]
What we do best
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 18, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/01/18/what-we-do-best/
Maleah
Sometimes tragedies occur that shock everyone and leave us thinking, How could this happen? Such a moment came a few weeks ago in Chapel Hill, when 14-month-old Maleah Williams was shot in her mother’s arms in front of her home on Christmas Day. It’s human nature to want to find a cause when catastrophes befall, […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 11, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/01/11/maleah/
New beginnings
New year, new mayor, new council. New ideas, new dynamics, new proposals. With all of these new beginnings, Town Council will evaluate new development applications. Chapel Hill has only a handful of large parcels of land that would be suitable for the high-revenue commercial space we need to shift the property tax burden homeowners bear. […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 4, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/01/04/new-beginnings/
Excluding Inclusionary Zoning?
Since when did affordable housing mean homes for people who earn 100% of the Area Median Income? Chapel Hill passed the Inclusioinary Zoning Ordinance in 2010 that 15% of all new for-sale housing units built must be affordable to people earning no more than 80% or 65% of the AMI (the affordable units split evenly […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 28, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/12/28/excluding-inclusionary-zoning/
Festive Council
I took a different tack this year in creating a Christmas lights tour. Rather than driving through town randomly searching for yards that glow, I visited the neighborhoods of Town Council members to gauge holiday spirit. First, where not to go: Morgan Creek. Though Sally Greene’s house had a dash of red, the streets are […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 21, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/12/21/festive-council/
We have to talk
Jim Ward set the bar high during the Dec. 2 organizational meeting when it came to thanking his family for their support during the 16 years he served on Town Council. It was pointed out to me, archly, that I did not single out any family members in my generic thanks. So, here’s what I […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 14, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/12/14/we-have-to-talk/
Crossing over
Come Wednesday, I will cross over, moving from the spectator side of the council dais to Participant Row. And that means Chapel Hill Watch must undergo a metamorphosis of its own. No longer will I be able to critique content after the fact. If I disagree with a colleague or hear a council member behaving […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 30, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/11/30/crossing-over/
Winding down or unraveling?
I’ve heard tales of people, upon receiving an eviction notice, vandalizing the very place they call home. At the Nov. 16 meeting, we saw a bit of that behavior by some council members wrapping up their terms and others anxious about the change that newly elected officials might bring. The meeting opened with a developer […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 23, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/11/23/winding-down-or-unraveling/
Council member’s U-turn
As we grow in population, we have to grow in infrastructure. Some of the current Town Council members don’t seem to understand that parallelism. That’s one reason voters elected four new representatives to council a couple weeks ago. But at last Monday night’s council meeting, one council member may have seen the light. At that […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 16, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/11/16/council-members-u-turn/
The Council Show
At the election night party I attended last week, the wife of a supporter mentioned that she’d gotten so caught up in the excitement of the campaign that she might even tune into what she called “The Council Show.” Certainly campaign and post-election coverage in the popular press loads expectation that episodes of The Council […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 9, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/11/09/the-council-show/