Media

Tomorrow's the square dance we've all been waiting for, and since there will be people gathering in all corners of our fair village, I want to extend an invitation.

If you're so inclined, please consider coming out to WCHL's broadcast. I'll be moderating live talks at Town Hall Grill in Southern Village from 7:30 until the results are all in. Notable guests will include Neil Offen, Kirk Ross and Ryan Tuck, editors of the CHH, the Independent and the DTH, respectively.

If you've already got plans for somewhere else, hey, great - your civic interest is worth it in itself. But if you're shopping for a place to go, keep in mind that we have complimentary FOOD from the host, free WIRELESS to suit your blogging needs, and the poll RESULTS as they happen.

We'll also have interviews with as many candidates as will speak with us, so even if you can't come (and I hope you will) tune in to 1360 AM for live coverage.

FYI

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce has updated our elections website www.carolinachamber.org/elections by adding audio from the Chamber/WCHL 1360AM/EmPOWERment forums. Now you can click to hear individual candidate responses to some of the forum questions. Special thanks to WCHL 1360AM for providing forum audio for use on the website.

Thank you,

Jason Jolley
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce

Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday October 29, 2005

Judging by the news coverage, this year's municipal elections have been a pretty dull affair. The papers have provided an outlet for candidates to express their views through guest columns, web profiles, and articles on forums. But there is a lot more that could have been reported on their backgrounds and positions and on campaign events.

Let's start with Will Raymond. He claims to be a dotcom success story, promising to bring strong business and financial management skills to the Town Council. The news media could have looked into Raymond's background and informed voters of the reality behind these claims.

Robin Cutson has called into question the adequacy of our water supply to meet the needs of growth. OWASA chair Mark Marcoplos has rebutted some of her charges on orangepolitics.org. This too could have led to an informative news story.

Alderman candidate Katrina Ryan has spoken of her intention to help launch a private company that will take advantage of energy tax credits to promote solar energy in Carrboro. Is that a flaky idea or a good one? You'd have to know the details to decide.