Orange County NC Website
back in a timely manner the history of how County Commissioners are elected in Orange <br />County, across North Carolina, and the options available. He said that Bill Faison has spent <br />the better part of his life outside of Orange County and does not represent all of Orange <br />County in the North Carolina House. He did not win the house 50-seat vote tally in Orange <br />County, but Commissioner Jacobs did. In Caswell County, Bill Faison did win, but he did not <br />win Orange County. He said that the Orange County Commissioners do represent all of <br />Orange County. Now Bill Faison wants to issue some kind of bullying statement that he is <br />forging ahead with his plans to change how County Commissioners are elected in Orange <br />County. He asked Chair Carey if Bill Faison was indeed preparing to introduce a bill and Chair <br />Carey said yes. Chair Carey said that he asked Bill Faison to forward a copy of the bill to the <br />County Commissioners if he introduced it. He assured Bill Faison that this matter was best <br />dealt with at the local level rather than in the legislature. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that he considers this a form of political bullying from Bill <br />Faison, it is uncalled for, and it is totally unacceptable. He feels strongly that there should be a <br />response in writing to him to explain how things are done in Orange County. He said that <br />since Bill Faison is a relative newcomer to Orange County, he needs some historical narrative. <br />He said that he has heard something, which is heresy, that the reason Bill Faison is <br />introducing this bill is because Commissioners Jacobs and Halkiotis do not represent central <br />and northern Orange County because they are not "southern." He said that the County <br />Commissioners have never had to respond this way to any elected official in the State <br />legislature, nor have they ever received information in this manner from any of the <br />representatives. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that he has worked with senior citizens closely lately and <br />he has discovered that there is a serious need to have portable defibrillators located at all <br />three senior centers -The Galleria, Northside, and Central. He said that the price is down to <br />$1,500 and the EMS Director can train employees at each site in how to use them. It would <br />give the seniors a sense of security. He wants to purchase these now and not wait until <br />budget time. <br />Commissioner Jacobs thanked the Human Rights and Relations Commission for the <br />Pauli Murray awards this past weekend. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Ms. Murray's <br />death. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he attended the annual TJCOG Board of Director's <br />retreat. They decided to create a federal legislative goal to lobby to change the cable <br />television law. So many of the jurisdictions are fed up with Time Warner and they felt it would <br />be useful to lobby federal officials for some changes so that the local governments would have <br />more say in what goes on in the communities. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he and Chair Carey attended the volunteer orientation <br />and there were 22 participants. The people were appreciative of the opportunity. <br />Commissioner Jacobs also attended the meeting of the TARPO -Triangle Area Rural <br />Planning Organization. They met in downtown Sanford in a newly refurbished train station, <br />around which has been built a central park. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he went to a meeting hosted by the Human Relations <br />Commission on the social justice goal and three commissioners attended. The group found <br />that it will be unusual to have a social justice goal at the county level, and were warned that it <br />was considered to be out of step with the tone of government in the United States at this time. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he received some information from Maria Tadd, a <br />former Planning Board member, that there is a grinder operation proposed just south of the <br />Orange County line in Chatham County on Jones Ferry Road that would involve grinding <br />demolition waste. There was some question as to whether the waste is going to be sorted and <br />what would be ground and released into the air. There will be a lot of truck traffic on Jones <br />