I hope we see a fuller slate of alternatives – maybe even some surprise entries. The next 4 years are going to be really crucial in our Town’s development and if Lot $$$5 is our guidepost – “Whoa Nellie!”

Time will tell and by week’s end we’ll know if the current alternative thinking minority on Council has a chance to expand.

BTW, like the new logo, getting used to the bright green.

April 13, 2007

Thinking about running for local elected office? Like the sound of “Mayor” in front of your name? Interested in working on a campaign? Then come to the Campaign and Elections Workshop sponsored by the Community Action Network (CAN).
The workshop will be held Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. until noon in the Chapel Hill Town Council chambers, at 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It is free, open to the public, and no pre-registration is required. Offices covered include Carrboro Board of Aldermen, Chapel Hill Town Council, Orange County Board of Commissioners, School Boards, Hillsborough Town Board.
“We are offering this workshop as a public service,” said Gary Barnes, CAN chairman. “This is the second workshop on campaigns and elections that CAN has sponsored. In addition to providing useful information, we hope it will stimulate interest in running for local offices and working on campaigns.”
The workshop will consist of questions to a panel of former elected officials and volunteer campaign workers. Members of the audience may participate by asking questions of the panel members. Panel discussion and questions will be moderated by CAN Chairman Gary Barnes. The panel members scheduled to participate are Nick Didow, a former Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board member; Steve Halkiotis, a former Orange County Commissioner; Susan Halkiotis, a former Orange County School Board member; Tom Jensen, recent UNC-CH graduate who has been active in a number of local campaign; Thomas Mills, a political consultant; Ruby Sinreich, a former candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council; Allen Spalt, a former Carrboro Board of Aldermen member; and Rosemary Waldorf, a former Chapel Hill Mayor.
After panel discussion and questions from the audience, participants will break into small informal groups. “These breakout groups will be highly unstructured, and a major goal will be to have fun,” Barnes said. “Participants will get at least some sense of how local elected officials have to understand and work cooperatively with a variety of public and non-profit agencies.”
Community Action Network has prepared a resource packet for all participants. It will include basic information about how to file for elections, samples of reports required by the Orange County Board of Elections, and a campaign activity timeline.
CAN is a nonprofit membership organization that advocates for the general public interest. It was founded in 1999 as a grassroots organization dedicated to being “a positive force for positive action” in the Orange County community. Perhaps CAN’s most visible role has been as a host for campaign forums. It has held regular candidate forums for local elections since 1999.
“We view this workshop as another positive, constructive effort by CAN to serve the community. We plan to make it plenty of fun and we hope lots of people come, participate and learn,” Barnes said.

For more information, contact Gary Barnes at 942-8098.