Minutes-02-07-2023-Business Meeting

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5 the Board is aware of his community interest from tax assistance for those who qualify, addressing mental health needs, addressing the needs of non-English speaking residents related to DMV stops where they didn't understand what to do with their tags. He said his public service started in 1966 when he was 11 years old by integrating the white school system in Hillsborough on the third floor of the Whitted building, which is the home of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. He said he strives for inclusion and acceptance by representing his community. He said his dad always told him to stick with the facts and let the facts be the truth. According to census data, he said African Americans make up 11.9% of Orange County's population. Currently the Board's composition is 43% white female, 28% black female, and 14% white male. He respectfully requested his appointment to the Board of Commissioners, adding another demographic. He said he is home-grown, here to serve the people, and will do it with all his heart. He said he loves the town and thanked the Board for hearing his comments. Natalie Ziemba introduced herself to the Board and said she uses she/her pronouns. She said her training as a social worker taught her to look at the social and environmental context of what works and what doesn't. She believes there are a lot of policies that work well in Orange County, but asked how policy can be used to improve those contextual pieces and build a sense of connected community, safe housing, and stable employment that helps build financial wealth. She asked how policy can lead to a more holistic economic bottom line that considers environmental and community protections in addition to the more traditional metrics of profit margins and job creation. She asked how policy could also support the youngest generation of workers facing a different career landscape than the traditional professional trajectory available to generations before. She said these are all incredibly complex problems with multiple options for moving forward, and keeping the social and environmental context pieces will lead to political decisions that continue to improve the community. She said she hopes to be part of the team making the decisions. She thanked the Board for their consideration. Chair Bedford reviewed the background information for the item for members of the public who may not be aware of the reason for the vacancy. She explained that former Commissioner Renee Price was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives, which created the vacancy on the Board. She thanked the four applicants for applying. She said they have all demonstrated that they have a history of service to this county and state, which she appreciates. She hopes those who are not appointed will continue to serve, join an advisory board, or run for office in the future. Commissioner Fowler seconded Chair Bedford's sentiments, and thanked the applicants for putting themselves out there and their engagement. She said she hopes that engagement will continue even if they aren't the one selected to join the Board. Vice Chair McKee said it takes a lot of courage to step forward. He said he remembers what a daunting task it was to run for commissioner back in 2009. He said all of the applicants are well-qualified and appreciates them all for applying. He said he thinks they can find a way to keep them all engaged, hopefully through advisory boards. Commissioner Richards said, having gone through this process recently, she understands how each of the applicants is feeling. She thanked them for putting themselves forward for this seat and said she looks forward to working with them either on the Board or other ways. Commissioner Hamilton thanked all of the applicants for applying and said she would be happy to talk to anyone about running for the Board in the future. Commissioner Greene said she agrees with the other members of the Board and thanked the applicants for stepping up and their willingness to serve. She said she hopes they will stay engaged with the Board and the community going forward. Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board, said the members of the Board have a ballot in front of them and asked them to circle the name of the person they would like to vote for and sign their name. She said the Deputy Clerk, Tara May, would collect the ballots and then she would read