Agenda 11-16-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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14 1 criteria versus the different methods. He said the questions were designed to help people think 2 about what the issues were. 3 Dr. Hazirjian said she cannot necessarily parse what went into everyone's calculations, 4 but there was a great deal of discussion over the course of meetings about economic barriers to 5 service, issues related to having a great deal of population density in one area of the county and 6 spread out in other areas, etc. She said, in theory, at-large districts can give people an 7 opportunity to be represented by a local person, but in this particular county, due to how the 8 population is divided, it is thought to be a foregone conclusion that the person elected is very 9 likely to be from District 1. 10 Patrick Mulkey said he is from the rural area of the county and there are different things 11 to deal with there. He said there is no garbage truck to pick up trash or recycling, as there is in 12 the towns, and if the water does not work, rural residents do not call the water department, they 13 have to call a plumber because they are all on well systems. He said these are some of the 14 things in rural areas, for which residents do not call upon government, and taxes go up, but no 15 one knows who is listening on the county commissioner level. He said with a single member 16 district, residents could pinpoint that person and give them a call. 17 Commissioner Richards thanked the group for the thought it put into this report. He said 18 part of her goal is learning more about District 2, because she lives in, and is more familiar with, 19 District 1, but sees herself as a commissioner for the whole county. She asked if there is 20 thinking about what provincial single districts are versus commissioners who look at the whole 21 of the county. She asked if there are any thoughts about how a "One Orange" approach may be 22 discouraged by having the separate districts. She said if she were to be representing just 23 Chapel Hill, for example, her motivation to learn about the rest of the county may be different. 24 Patrick Mulkey said a lot of discussion dealt with confusion that voters have in trying to 25 figure out whom to call and who will represent them. He said he understands the issue that 26 single member districts will not create a unified Orange County, which he thinks is unrealistic. 27 He said it will come down to the character and trust in candidate, just like every election, and 28 being able to hold a candidate accountable, which he thinks is more easily done with single 29 member districts. He said it is a hard thing to negotiate at the county commissioner level, and 30 cited the difference in per pupil funding between the two school districts. 31 Dr. Hazirjian said in the group's discussion, several people, including herself, felt there is 32 value in at-large districts because those elected at-large are supposed to be thinking about the 33 whole county. 34 Dr. Hazirjian exited the meeting due to technical issues. 35 Commissioner Hamilton thanked the group for its thoughtful work. She said she is 36 concerned about the evidence used to reach the conclusions. 37 Dr. Hazirjian's connection was re-established and Chair Price invited her to finish her 38 comments. 39 Dr. Hazirjian said there is the concept that there is a closer tie between single member 40 districts and the members they serve, but everyone is entering into conversation with fellow 41 Commissioners with concern about the whole county. She said it comes down more to who is 42 elected, rather than whom they represent. She said in a system where there is no at-large, 43 there is a sense that the people representing the districts are not just about their districts but 44 also think about what is better for the whole. 45 Commissioner Hamilton said she was thinking about the evidence that supports the 46 recommendations of the BEAG and has a number of concerns, one being the public input 47 survey. She said 413 individuals divided by the number from the 2010 census of folks over 18 48 years of age is 0.3% of the county, which is not a sample that would be considered 49 representative. She said the breakdown by race, ethnicity, age or voting, may not actually 50 represent the viewpoints of the county, so for her it does not provide the evidence that 51 necessarily supports the conclusions. She said given that the survey was conducted over two