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3 <br />citizens. This is a complicated issue with many possible <br />solutions. He stated that the Task Force needs more time to come <br />to a recommendation. <br />Lee Mortimer, a Durham County resident and a member of the Center <br />for Voting and Democracy indicated that the Center supports <br />communities as they study their voting process. He commented that <br />Proportional Representation is the system that is recommended by <br />his organization. Typically it is racial minorities and women who <br />feel unrepresented; however, in Orange County it is rural citizens <br />and the conservatives. He suggested "limited voting" as a solution <br />to Orange County's situation. Bladen, Buford and Martin counties <br />are all using this system. He has mailed a packet of material to <br />each member of the Task Force and he asked that it be studied <br />carefully. He commented that adequate representation of the many <br />diverse constituencies requires efficiency and fairness. He <br />suggested that the Task Force contact one or more of the experts in <br />the field for more information. <br />Betty Ibrahim, a Chapel Hill Township resident and Chair of the <br />Orange County Republican Party, addressed the issues of the rural <br />citizens. Although she lives in Orange County, she owns a farm in <br />another county and understands the issues of rural citizens. She <br />believes there is a perception that the policies of the County <br />Commissioners are not in the best interest of the rural citizens. <br />The representation she is interested in is ideological. This <br />diversity would add to the debates. Orange County has become <br />increasingly expensive because of a lack of conservation influence <br />on the Board of Commissioners. Lower income residents are being <br />driven out of the county. She stated that she believes that the <br />policies of the current Board of Commissioners favors the higher <br />income resident. <br />Helen Urkhardt, a Chapel Hill Township resident, stated that if the <br />Board of County Commissioners is going to represent the entire <br />county, a new system must be established. The Task Force needs <br />time to study the population distribution in the 7 townships and to <br />study the different voting systems. She also stated that an <br />elected County Manager is an option which needs to be considered. <br />The Task Force needs to consider the tyranny of the majority and <br />understand what minority representation is all about.. This Task <br />Force is in a position to unite Orange County if adequate time is <br />given to studying the issues. <br />Kathleen Levine, a rural Chapel Hill Township resident indicated <br />that for most of her 20 years in Chapel Hill she felt represented. <br />It. was when she moved to rural Chapel Hill Township that she <br />realized many other residents did not have that same feeling of <br />representation. The airport issue caused her to tall: to many <br />people and she realized that many rural citizens feel <br />disenfranchised. There are many possible solutions to this dilemma. <br />She suggested that the Task Force take whatever time is necessary <br />