2011 ELECTION: GET READY (A WCHL Commentary)

Can you believe how fast 2011 is flying by? Before you know it, it will be May Day, then Memorial Day, and much too soon it will be the 4th of July and Labor Day. Then we will go to the polls on November 8th. Filing begins on July 1st at noon and ends on July 15th, so we will know who the candidates are for the Chapel Hill Town Council, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the local school board, and we already know that the quarter cent sales tax will be on the ballot.

So why am I bringing all of this up now? Simple! I believe that our democracy flourishes when we have an informed and involved electorate. There are plenty of ways to be involved but being informed is hard work. And if you believe recent polling data, many say they don’t vote because they don’t know about the candidates or the issues on the ballot.

Now is the time to pay attention to the various issues on the agenda of the three bodies that will be on the ballot. Some of the candidates will be incumbents, so pay attention to them as they address the complex issues that they must decide in the coming months. Ask yourself how you would resolve the issues. Who knows, it might even motivate you to stand for election. Chapel Hill has the mayor and four of eight council seats, Carrboro has the mayor and three of six seats, and the school board will elect people to five of the seven seats.

Sorry Impressions, but “People get ready, there’s an election coming, you don’t need to bring no money, you just get informed and vote!”

OUR GRADUATES (WCHL Commentary)

On Saturday June 14th, our community had a great happening – we graduated almost 750 young men and women from two of our high schools. There were many, many family celebrations after graduation, but we as a community ought to celebrate too. Some discount the notion that it takes a village, but it truly does. Families and friends provided lots of support to these young people as they developed to the point of graduation. The administrators, staff, and faculty worked hard to provide the education that they received, but it’s the people of the village, if you will, who provided critical resources that were necessary to help make this great education possible.

We want our children to receive a solid education from talented and caring professionals and we know that the costs of doing this are rising rapidly. Our budgets are tight and it’s hard to fund everything, but we as a community remain committed to providing resources to help prepare our children for the future. We also know that not every aspect of education is about money, and many in this community devote a lot of time to guiding, supporting, and nurturing. These things will never appear in a budget.

As our graduates now go out and build on the foundation they received in our schools, whether it is additional education or the workplace, we as a community should celebrate their success and the successes to come. Yes, it takes a village, and this one has every right to be proud of this most important product --- those we have helped to educate!