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Jeff Davis photos
Washing away the dirt...
With the rain showers
bring the dirt and grime on the roadways. And with that
comes the cleanup detail of washing the car or truck,
getting the dirt and grime off, til it rains again. Which
seems lately like it's every week. Above, one of those car
owners is silhouetted as he washes down his vehicle in Siler
City after a recent rain shower.
Filing ends with flurry of activity
By Cara McDonough
After a busy two weeks the filing period for the May
primary, to be held May 2, is over. The primary will
determine candidates from each political party that will run
in the general election on Nov. 7.
There are three seats up on the Chatham County Board of
Commissioners.
George Lucier, of P.O. Box 1610, Pittsboro, the former head
of the county planning board, and Dem. Mary Delois Nettles,
of P.O Box 1629, Pittsboro, who has been very active in the
local Democratic Party have filed to run for the District
Three seat on the county board, currently held by Carl Outz
who is not running for reelection. Both filed as Democrats
Democrat Tom Vanderbeck, of 8180 Old Graham Rd., Pittsboro,
a retired construction worker and member of the Chatham
Alliance for Sustainable Energy, and Republican Karl Ernst,
of 711 Red Oak Dr, who has previously run unsuccessfully for
the Siler City Town Board, have filed for the District Four
seat currently held by board chair Bunkey Morgan, a Democrat
who has filed for reelection.
Democrat Tommy Emerson filed for reelection to the District
Five seat on the board of commissioners, and will run
against Democrat Carl Thompson, of 67 Robert Thompson Rd.,
Bear Creek, a former Chatham County Commissioner.
Three individuals have filed to run for the District Three
seat on the Board of Education, currently held by Allan
Zimmerman: Ken Harris, of 2219 NC 42, Moncure, Kathie
Russell, of 26 Abeyance Rd., Moncure and Andrea
Repasz-Batsche, of 15 Artis Cotton Rd., Bear Creek.
more- See Thursday, Mar 2
paper:
Vol 86, No. 14 |
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Three Democrats to face off for sheriff's
By Cara McDonough
This year’s May primary election will include a race between two
candidates for the county’s top law enforcement post.
Incumbent Sheriff Richard Webster is seeking a second term.
Seeking to unseat Webster is retired NC Highway Patrol trooper
Allan Zimmerman.
Both are running as Democrats.
Each candidate firmly stated their goals in separate interviews
this week.
Sheriff Webster said he is confident about the improvements the
department has made during his years in office and wants to expand
upon them if reelected.
“I just feel glad that we – on the whole – have improved in every
area,” he said.
He speaks highly of his staff, which he described as a
professional, yet close-knit, team.
“We are all friends, but when there’s business at hand it’s
business first,” he said.
According to election materials distributed by the committee to
reelect Webster, improvements to the department during Webster’s
term include increasing the property crime clearance rate from
seven to 13 percent in 2004, recovering more than 30 percent more
stolen property in 2004 than in years past, the county’s crime
rate dropping the lowest it’s been in 10 years and tripling the
amount of drug and alcohol arrests in the county.
Webster is also proud, he said, of the more than 700 community
events the department has participated in, including becoming an
official car seat checking station and participating in radio
station G-105’s “Operation Teddy Bear” program.
Growth, said Webster, will continue to be a challenge, one that he
hopes to balance with increased staff and technology.
“It’s the same with every other service in the county,” Webster
said about the Sheriff’s Office. “It’s going to have to increase.”
He
hopes to expand technical capabilities of his department in coming
years.
more- See Thursday, Mar 2
paper:
Vol 86, No. 14
County tacking dramatic growth
By Cara McDonough
While Pittsboro and Chatham County commissioners didn’t resolve
the growth issue over the course of a two-and-a-half-hour joint
meeting last week, they did decide that the governing bodies
should meet more often to discuss that and other issues.
The public will have to wait and see whether their pledge comes to
fruition, but all seemed to agree that the dinner meeting last
Wednesday evening at Central Carolina Community College was a good
start.
Commissioners also agreed wholeheartedly on another point: The
staggering growth Chatham County is about to experience will
necessitate working closely together to plan for it.
“Strategic planning is certainly going to get you what you want,
instead of just letting it happen to you,” said Pittsboro interim
town manager Samuel Misenheimer.
After remarks from Misenheimer and county manager Charlie Horne,
Pittsboro planning manager David Monroe and county planner Keith
Megginson each gave an overview of growth in the regions they
cover, using maps and graphs that are now available to the public
on the county website.
A total of 1,294 dwelling units have been approved for Pittsboro
and there could be thousands more on the horizon, Monroe said.
Furthermore, he said, the growth occurring is of a type new to the
historic town.
“What we’re seeing
right now is untraditional houses,” said Monroe, referring to
Powell Place and other mixed-use developments. “That’s not
traditional Pittsboro but it is the kind of growth we’re seeing.
It’s growth that allows people to have a community within a
community.”
more- See Thursday, Mar 2
paper:
Vol 86, No. 14 |
