Agenda - 05-05-2005-1b - Laserfiche WebLink

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MOSES CARET JR., CHAIR ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BARRY J VICE CHAIR POST OFFICE BOX 818 1 VALERIE P. P. Fou FOUSHEE AJCEM GORDON 200 SOUTH CAMERON STREET STEPHEN H HAL IOTIS HILLSBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLINA 27278 March 25, 2005 Representative Bill Faison House District #50 P O. Box 168 Cedar Grove, North Carolina 27231 Re: District Election of Orange County Commissioners Dear Representative Faison: In my March 3, 2005 letter to you on behalf of our Board I shared the process the Orange County Board of Commissioners follows in deliberating, seeking public input and making decisions on important public matters. I especially informed you that our Board would hear a report on the issue of District Election of Commissioners in early April in response to the petition that we received from many of our residents. This would be the next step in our board's consideration of the issues raised by our residents. I informed you and the residents present at the Schley Listening Session that the matter would be addressed as soon as possible and should be addressed by local officials and local residents rather than the State Legislature. I also encouraged you in my March letter not to introduce any legislation since introducing such local matters in the State Legislature would be unnecessarily divisive, disruptive and could adversely affect the process and timing long established in Orange County for addressing important public issues. Not only have you completely disregarded the wishes of our board of Commissioners in introducing a bill in the House to impose your specific version of District Elections on the residents of this county, you have also misrepresented in your letter to me, which was distributed widely, statements that I made at the Schley Community Listening Session in March. You state that I "oppose district representation of County Commissioners ". The truth is that I have publicly stated for many years, and did so again at the Schley meeting, that I support district election of county commissioners. However, the form that I support is different than the form you wish to impose, which translates in your mind that I oppose district elections. Your behavior in this matter represents poor service to the residents of Orange County and should raise concerns for local elected officials across the state who work hard to serve all of the residents in their districts. It also represents an arrogance that implies that State Legislators know more about local issues than local officials and can best resolve issues by imposing their views through state legislation regardless of local opinion, I do not think this behavior' or the underlying assumptions are shared or supported by most of our State Legislators and certainly not by those who represent portions of Orange County outside of your district. www.co.orange.nc.us Protecting and preserving —People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina — You Count! (919) 245 -2130 • FAX (9 19) 644 -0246 149