Agenda - 03-07-2019 8-a - Minutes

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3 1 whom he initially felt like he had nothing in common, turned out to be a mentor for him. He said 2 the two could disagree politically, but were able to form a common path to make the County 3 better. 4 Commissioner McKee said even when Commissioners disagree, their diversity of 5 thought makes the County stronger. 6 Commissioner Marcoplos reminded the group that the divide in the County is often 7 described as Northern-Southern, when in fact it is more rural-urban. He said rural southwest 8 Orange area is the "lost corner" of Orange County, which consists of dairy farms and other rural 9 activity. He said it has more in common with northern Orange County than it does with Chapel 10 Hill. 11 Commissioner McKee agreed, and added that it has more in common with northern 12 Orange County than areas closer to Durham County. He said that 15 or 20 years ago he would 13 have been more likely to lump in southwest Orange with Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and that this 14 perception remains today with folks living in both areas. 15 Chair Rich reminded the group that many residents of Chapel Hill and Carrboro come 16 and go, while many rural residents have lived in the area for a long time. She said she wonders 17 if there is some resentment from folks that have lived here for so long, as a large portion of the 18 tax base lives in more transient urban areas. She said many Orange County families have lived 19 in the County for 200 or more years. 20 Commissioner McKee said he did not feel there was a personal resentment, but rather a 21 concern about the changes and new ideas the influx of people brings. 22 Chair Rich asked if it was resentment or fear of the changes. 23 Commissioner McKee referred to the history of Orange County in addressing the 24 question. He said during his time at North Carolina State University in the 1960's, he served in 25 different student organizations and felt he was fairly liberal politically, but when he returned to 26 Orange County and interacted with the county party, he realized many ideas he grew up with in 27 a rural area were not as progressive as he thought. 28 Commissioner McKee said resentment is created through fear of change and the 29 unknown, coupled with a reluctance to move out of comfort zones for people in rural areas of 30 Orange County. 31 Commissioner Marcoplos agreed that there was not personal resentment. He said he 32 has been a resident of rural Orange County for 25 years, and the transience in the urban areas 33 leads many residents to not understand the history of the County and the issues in the County, 34 which leads to a lot of political turnover due to contrasting views. 35 Commissioner McKee agreed and said Orange County's government has slowly moved 36 from rural areas dominating Orange County politics, to more representatives being elected from 37 the southern part of the county. He said around 1974 the first member was elected from in or 38 around Chapel Hill, and this trend continued through two more election cycles until urban areas 39 eventually took control of the board. He recognized that everything changed at that point, and 40 this created a lot of change in a relatively short period of time. He said this has lead to longtime 41 residents feeling that change, and seeing the County as quite different than the one in which 42 they grew up. 43 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the broader theme of intergovernmental collaboration 44 and how the prior conversations fit the theme so well. He said he did not want to further 45 entrench or exacerbate the divide and make it seem more significant than it is. He said the job 46 of the Board was to look at the needs of the County as a whole, referencing the maps from the 47 opening presentation showing needs across the County. He said the role of the Board of 48 County Commissioners should be to address unmet needs of citizens wherever they are in the 49 County, and not just areas that go unserved by town governments. He said that sort of thinking 50 is divisive and ignores the County's potential to serve all of its citizens in a variety of ways. 51