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3(0 <br />2 <br />Public Hearing only to discover that it was an information meeting <br />on the election process. People left feeling disappointed. He <br />stated that fair representation, even if it costs money to <br />implement, is a wise investment. The Board of Commissioners must <br />be paid more money so that working class people could afford to run <br />for office. He warned against the system which would require <br />residency in a certain district but allow countywide voting. It. <br />would be a waste of time to go through this process, change the <br />current system, and not actually solve the problem. <br />Steve Levine asked the Task Force to consider their Charge <br />carefully. It will be impossible to fulfill the Charge without <br />thoroughly researching other systems. <br />Robert Strayhorn, of Chapel Hill Township and an Orange County <br />farmer, asked that this Task Force consider that they have an <br />opportunity to improve the way that people feel about local <br />government. Township residency requirements would make government <br />more responsive to all of its citizens. A Commissioner living in <br />a rural district would hear about issues through local church and <br />civic memberships as well as in their daily activities. The people <br />who live in the rural part of the community- need to feel <br />represented. <br />An unidentified citizen commented that the Commissioners seem to <br />vote with the majority of the people and those people live in the <br />Chapel Hill /Carrboro community. <br />Lee Mortimer, a Durham County resident and employee of the Center <br />for Voting and Democracy, indicated that the rural citizens of <br />Orange County have a legitimate concern. He pointed out that there <br />are many local communities in North Carolina where the conservative <br />vote dominates. If Orange County takes the lead here by <br />establishing a more equitable method of representation, it will set <br />a precedent for other communities to use. <br />Patrick Mulkey asked for members of the audience to raise their <br />hands if they felt that the present system was not fair. Most of <br />the audience indicated that they did feel that it was unfair. <br />Mr. Chockly stated that many of the citizens who feel unrepresented <br />are farmers and they are still in their fields. They do not feel <br />that it is worth their time to leave their work and come to a <br />meeting. <br />Iseith Cook stated that as a resident of Cedar Grove he has noticed <br />a lack of organization and community involvement with local <br />government.. It is citizens responsibility to inform the <br />Commissioners about issues that are important to them. It takes a <br />time commitment to become organized and use the system. <br />Robert Ferguson indicated that he felt frustrated by the lack of <br />