Government

I know this is OrangePolitics.org, but your neighbor to the south wants to pollute your quality of life with more traffic, more pollution and big box goliaths sucking retail out of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Chatham County progressives need your help to oust the men who are selling off the county to any developer who dangles promises of tax revenue in front of their frothy mouths.

We barely survived the last four years under Bunkey Morgan, the car wash king and bag man for Briar Chapel. Now is our chance to show him and his ilk the curb.

The Chatham Coalition, a PAC that succeeded two years ago in electing candidates into office, is looking north for help in making a clean sweap of politicians who engage in back-room deals with wealthy landowners, believe Cary is the economic model of our future, and turn a blind eye to our streams and rivers turning brown with silt.

The DTH reported today that John Link is retiring after 18 years as the Manager of Orange County government. I have long felt that the "manager/council" form of government (which is employed by all of the towns here as well as the county) works best when the manager does not stay in place for longer than his or her bosses, the elected officials.

When the executive remains in place for along time, a lot of power accumulates in that office. Many of us have seen examples of elected officials stepping gently to appease the staff, when it should really be the other way around. I think our managers should have term limits. Ten years in office, for example, is plenty of time to accomplish strategic inititiatves, realize one's vision, and then leave on a good note.

County Manager John Link announced his retirement at a meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners Thursday.

Link, who has served as county manager for 18 years, will step down effective Aug. 31.

In a written letter to the commissioners, Link expressed his gratitude and attachment to the county.

In addition to being the newest member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, OP's own Dan Coleman is also the winner of today's Village Pride Award from WCHL! Click here to hear the MP3. (There is no archive so the link works today only.)

I encourage you all to nominate your own friends and colleagues for this award. It's a great way to recognize all kinds of leadership.

While I'm here, congrats to WCHL on the recent re-design of their web site, including two new ways to get local news: text archives* and audio podcasts. Thanks, WCHL! (* If the archives had a syndicated feed they'd be even better and I could add them to our local blogroll.)