Orange County Commissioners

This is the first year of district voting for the Orange County Board of Commissioners. A referendum passed in 2006 expanded the number of seats from five to seven and established district representation. Under the new system, there are two at-large seats for which all county residents may cast ballots. The remaining seats are divided by district; candidates run in the district in which they live, and voters may select only from candidates in their district.

The goal of these changes was to give voters in the rural, northern part of the county a stronger voice. Many northern Orange residents are leery, saying the current board makeup serves them better than in years past and that districts might end up balkanizing county politics. We hope that will not be the case.

The Democratic primary will decide most of the board's composition, since no Republicans are running in Districts 1 or 2.

District 1

District 1 encompasses Chapel Hill and Carrboro and will eventually have three seats. Two of those seats are up this year. Incumbent Commissioner Valerie Foushee and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board chair Pam Hemminger—both excellent candidates—are running uncontested.

District 2

District 2 encompasses the rest of the county. One of its two seats is up this year.

Most candidates agree that economic development and job creation are northern Orange County's greatest needs—but exactly what type of jobs and businesses will bring the best quality of life is a topic of debate. There is concern that the Buckhorn Village shopping center planned between Efland and Mebane will exacerbate sprawl and diminish air quality while providing only low-paying service jobs. In general, commissioners must be sensitive to the need for balance in luring desirable businesses with protecting the environment and preserving the county's crucial land use policies.

We endorse Leo Allison, a retired IBM employee from Efland. Of the four candidates seeking this seat, Allison has the most public service experience in Orange County. He served for six years each on the county's planning board, social services board, human rights and relations board, and the ABC board. He was also the first non-attorney to chair the board of Legal Aid of North Carolina. Allison is best known for his work on behalf of the county's senior center and on issues affecting senior citizens. Allison says his top three priorities are to grow the commercial tax base, relieve pressure on residential property taxpayers and establish a long-term water conservation plan. He also says he wants to develop jobs, protect family farms and improve the graduation rate in all county schools through equitable funding.

An Orange County resident for more than 50 years, Luther K. Brooks is pastor at St. James Baptist Church in Durham and is best known for his impressive 20-year effort to revitalize the historically black Walltown neighborhood there. As president of Walltown Neighborhood Ministries, Brooks partnered with Self-Help Credit Union and Duke University to renovate 75 rental units and turn them into affordable single-family homes. The Hillsborough resident says his priorities are to advance the Buckhorn Village project, establish a waste transfer site and provide the public with information on county decisions.

Tommy McNeill is a retired Air Force reservist who owns a pharmaceutical business. He lives in eastern Orange County and is president of his homeowners' association. McNeill cites economic development and farmland preservation as priorities, and says he would take a principled stand in favor of merging the county's two school systems.

Steve Yuhasz is a land surveyor from Hillsborough who has served on the county planning board for six years and the economic development commission for three. He says he would advocate for a comprehensive land use plan that manages "the reality of coming growth" in a way that respects the property rights of rural landowners.

At large

The first of two at-large seats will also be elected this year. We enthusiastically endorse Bernadette Pelissier, a retired social science researcher and former chair of the Orange-Chatham Sierra Club and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority board. Lately, she has been active on the county planning board and the Trianglewide Special Transit Advisory Committee, which seeks to build a long-range regional transit system. Her impressively thorough Indy questionnaire demonstrates fluency with and deep understanding of the complex, interrelated issues of economic growth, planning, environmental preservation, health, education and social justice. We are confident that Pelissier will be an excellent commissioner for Orange County.

Neloa Barbee Jones is an educational consultant who's been a passionate and dedicated advocate for the Rogers and Eubanks Road community where she lives. Decades ago, the county sited a landfill in that historically African-American neighborhood; now the landfill is full, and the commissioners are considering whether to put a waste transfer station in the same area. Jones has shown determination in her fight for environmental justice. She has also shown genuine interest in broader county issues of affordable housing, economic development and environmental protection. We hope she will continue to stay involved in county issues.

Mary Wolff is a self-employed graphic designer who says maintaining the quality of the county's schools is her top priority. She has demonstrated little understanding of the complex financial and environmental issues facing the county. Wolff is married to Kevin Wolff, the Republican candidate who will face the winner of this race in November.

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A256728