Orange County NC Website
to Board to re-consider this option. As to the Board of County Commissioners' concern <br />about diluting the African-American vote and making it more difficult for African- <br />Americans to be elected to the Orange County Board she said their concern is heard. <br />However, as all of them know the northern Orange Black Voter's Alliance openly <br />supported Representative Faisan's plan. Also, she expressed her concern about being <br />asked to talk about proposals that do not include district lines. She requested another <br />series of public hearings be held after lines are drawn. <br />David Lewis is from Chapel Hill Township and has lived there for 30 <br />years and now he and his wife are building on Arthur Minnis Road, which is still in the <br />same voting precinct. Both he and his wife would like to see some change in voting <br />methods with more representation from individuals who have similar backgrounds to <br />theirs. <br />Dolly Hunter lives in Bingham Township and she has worked on The <br />Rural Character Study Committee, The Agricultural Preservation Board, and has <br />followed closely all the different zoning changes and subdivision regulations. She has <br />stayed pretty familiar with the changes during the last 24 years. The rural residents are <br />asking for district eating not to take any power away from Chapel Hill or the southern <br />part of the County but to have someone sitting at the table representing the northern <br />residents' concerns. It is the rural people who made this County what it is and they <br />deserve a voice in what happens to it. All of the decisions that the Board of County <br />Commissioners makes affect all equally except land use. The current elections system <br />allows the County Commissioners to make decisions about land use without needing to <br />be responsive to the rural residents that own the land. She asked that in designing the <br />options that the decisions be made by a committee with rural representation. <br />Pearson Stewart lives in Chapel Hill Township and he supports the <br />principle of district representation. He acknowledges and concurs with the desirability of <br />one person, one vote and also agrees with the desirability of as much local <br />Commissioner contact with the community as is possible. Both of these are desirable, <br />but putting them together in Orange County is very difficult. The best way of putting <br />these two principles together is to enlarge the Board of Commissioners by about 15 to <br />25 people. That would do the job and would also cause all sorts of other problems. He <br />supports the enlargement of the board to 7 members and the idea that both rural and <br />urban people are capable people and are capable of considering the needs of Orange <br />County as a whole. Concerning the question about whether at-large representation is <br />necessary he submits that good district representation is sufficient and without at-large <br />representation will give you that much more flexibility in coming up with a good solution. <br />Artie Franklin lives in Chapel Hill Township and seven days ago he <br />discussed proportional representation as a comprehensive and long term solution in <br />contrast to the three options offered. At that public hearing County Attorney Geof <br />Gledhill advised that implementing proportional representation would require legislative <br />approval. The requirement of legislative approval transforms proportional representation <br />into a solution of tomorrow. Under-representation in Orange County is a problem of <br />today and solutions offered today are three options that share district resident primaries <br />combined with at-large general elections. Of the three, he prefers Option #2 which <br />provides 5 district resident commissioners and 2 county resident commissioners. While <br />all three options provide relief to the under-represented who live in the rural districts, the <br />problem of under-representation is not limited to those who live in the rural county. <br />Option #2 provides representation to members of the communities who live close <br />together as in districts as well as to the members of communities who live apart. <br />Options 1 and 3 potentially deny both like-minded individuals who live in different <br />districts and those with a countywide perspective to elect commissioners responsible for <br />