Government
Mayor Foy just announced during the Chapel Hill Town Council's business meeting that Roger Stancil has been offered and accepted the position of Town Manager.
I sent a slightly longer version of the following letter to the Chapel Hill Mayor and Council last week regarding the manager search, but I think that the points are pressing and critical no matter who is in charge.
. . .
In the past 15 years, technology has blossomed and sprouted many new forms of communication that we could never have imagined in the 1980's. And yet the current town practices regarding public engagement don't seem to have changed in decades.
The field of e-democracy (http://e-democracy.org/) was forged 12 years ago as a way to enable more participation and engagement in local government. This is but one of many ways the Town could enhance communication and information flow with and between residents. For a community that prides ourselves on being forward-thinking, we are way behind the times when it comes to open and accessible government.
A few important decisions are hapenning this week...
74 acres north of Jones Ferry Road near Old Greensboro Highway will be permanently preserved to protect University Lake's watershed. That'll make a nice viewshed, too.
-OWASA to buy 74 acres at lake, 6/20/06
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board will selecting it's newest member today at 6pm.
-School board to pick a new member, 6/21/06
And of course the Chapel Hill Town Council hopes to hire a new manager this weekend. Here's a little more information about the three white men in the running. (Thanks to the Town of Chapel Hill for photos.)
Frank Ragan
Deputy City Manager of Community Services in Aurora, CO
Roger Lane Stancil
former City Manager in Fayetteville, NC
Sean R. Stegall
Assistant City Manager in Elgin, IL
Maybe now you can in Chapel Hill.
By way of Kirk Ross of Exile on Jones Street and The Independent Weekly:
A few minutes ago the NC House passed H2324 which eliminates a term limit section on the office of Mayor of Chapel Hill from the town charter.
Anybody know anything about this?
Well I looked up H2324, and it says:
Short Title: Chapel Hill Charter Amendment.
Sponsors: Representatives Insko and Hackney (Primary Sponsors).
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL TO REPEAL TERM LIMITS FOR THE OFFICE OF MAYOR.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. Section 2.1 of the Charter of the Town of Chapel Hill, being Chapter 473 of the 1975 Session Laws, as rewritten by Section 6 of Chapter 911 of the 1981 Session laws, reads as rewritten:
One week from now, Chapel Hill may have already hired it's new top executive. The Town Council is literally speeding through the process of selecting a new town manager.
Today the candidates will be touring Chapel Hill, on Tuesday and Wednesday they will be interviewed by the search committee and individual Council members, on Wednesday they will make presentations and tale questions at a public forum at Town Hall. Then on Friday and Saturday the Council has scheduled 12 hours of meetings to decide and make an offer to one lucky white guy. (I just noticed that the Council search committee is all men as well, hmm...)
While there is certainly a big gap to fill in our current manager's shoes, we have two very capable assistant town managers who can easily keep things afloat. I don't see the point of rushing this process just to get someone fully in place before our current manager leaves in September. It seems more important to me do it right than to do it fast.
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