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proposals offer a greater opportunity, but he prefers proposal #3 because it goes the furthest in <br />increasing representation. He reiterated that it is important to him for this to be fair. He hopes <br />the voters have an opportunity to vote on this in 2006. <br />Brian Voyce lives in an urban area of Orange County and he commended the County <br />Commissioners for considering this. He said to imagine that it is 2006 and David Price has <br />been nominated again in the primary election as the Democratic candidate for the 4tn <br />Congressional District and he is not reelected because the rules have changed. Now every <br />voter in North Carolina can vote in the 4t" Congressional District. He said that this would not be <br />fair, and that district representation plans would do the same thing. He suggests having the <br />Chair of the County Commissioners voted at-large by everyone. He said that only people <br />residing in a district should vote in the primary election and the general election of that district. <br />Bob Strayhorn said that they did not intend to make the County Commissioners' life <br />miserable over this issue, but they have seen a lot of the rural citizens become discontent <br />because they feel as if the Board of County Commissioners does not represent them. They are <br />looking for someone living the midst of rural Orange County to represent them. He said that he <br />does not know if any of the proposals will meet this, but if everyone votes at-large, the goal will <br />not be achieved. He thinks the more at-large seats there are, the less likely they will be <br />represented. The proposal with 7 seats is the closest one that could meet the goal. <br />Dolly Hunter is from the rural part of the County and she has done an analysis. She said <br />that they have not been given enough time to understand the proposals. She does not <br />understand why this has to be decided by November 15t". Chair Carey said that they have <br />worked on this since the first of the year and the groups that came to them wanted them to <br />address this as soon as passible. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that he also feels that they have not had enough time to <br />study this. <br />Dolly Hunter said that any notification for a public hearing about this issue would have <br />two weeks' notice two weeks in a row, and this has not been done. She feels that the only way <br />any of these proposals can work is if the nomination and election is done by district in the <br />primaries or, as Chatham County has it, the candidates in each district receiving the highest <br />number of votes equal to the number of positions to be filled in that district is to be elected. <br />Bill Ray said that proposal #3 with seven County Commissioners comes nearer to what <br />they are looking for, but he would like for them to delete "either" and "OR by the County voters." <br />Representative Bill Faison said that he is glad for the efforts made in discussing this <br />issue. He reiterated that the proposal that they submitted earlier is the better proposal than any <br />one of the three proposals. He said that what troubles them the most is the ward "OR". He said <br />that they want the ability of the rural citizens to come and be a part of this, but putting "OR" in <br />there makes it an at-large election again and that is not what they want. He said that proposals <br />#5 and #2 are favorable. In proposal #2, 25°~ of the people that would be selecting the <br />members are part of urban Chapel Hill. He finds this somewhat concerning given that there are <br />other ways to do this. He hopes they will eliminate "OR" so that the rural part of the County can <br />have a meaningful voice. <br />Louise Tate is a lifelong resident of rural Orange County and she has served on the <br />Agricultural Preservation Board and Shaping Orange County's Future Task Force. She said <br />that one of her concerns was the short notice of the public hearing and she has concern about a <br />decision being made an November 15t". She asked if they had to decide on a model before <br />carrying it to the voters. If so, she supports proposal #3 but without the "OR". She hopes the <br />decision is one that rural Orange County can support. <br />Mark Peters said that he agrees that agenda materials should be available two weeks in <br />advance, but he is in favor of proposal #5 because it has balance. <br />Ted Triebel said that he is favoring proposal #3 with some changes. He said that he is <br />troubled by the Iraq resolution. He wants to know why the Board of County Commissioners <br />