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The state of Raleigh's leadership


RALBOI

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A plan without an extremely expensive train is still a plan. Is Disney failing to plan every time they expand their bus system? Their system is a huge, efficient success.

The big myth is that car-dominant development has to lead to congestion and long commutes. Name one congested, dangerous bottleneck inside the beltline. It isn't the car that is the problem. It is what we've done with it since about 1965 that is the problem.

Do you all realize that the most convenient, walkable, car-independent place to live in the Triangle is the corner of Cary Parkway and Kildaire Farms Road? There is no plan to include this area in transit plans. In fact, the plan is to make transit nodes like this area, but most will fall well short at a high cost. We can plan to have several of these types of areas all over the Triangle to serve local residents without committing ourselves to a giant money pit (almost every local rail transit system in the U.S. is a fiscal nightmare)

I think that in order to be consistent with the evocation of God, we also can't ignore human nature. People moved to this area for a reason. They like convenience, options, and smart public expenditures.

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Ok, let me tackle these as quickly as possible:

TT Regional Rail: Absolutely. We cannot expect to be taken seriously as a city without it. It is a major investment in our future with significant arguments in it's favor from many perspectives.

Urban Growth Boundares: Although I like SOME of the effects that other communities have seen from this, I am not sure how it would be feasible in a landlocked area such as Raleigh that has no regional planning authority (See regionalism question).

Impact Fees: As I said in a Planning Commission meeting that was quoted in the media:

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Some of the city races are getting interesting, and the fight seems to be getting especially tough for Thomas Crowder's W. Raleigh (District D) seat. A bit to my surprise, I drove through Cameron Park this evening and saw more than a few Van Dyk signs. Crowder is extremely well organized and widely supported in various neighborhoods, but it seems Van Dyk has applied some pressure in a district that often goes unchallenged.

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Many of us posters on UP have expressed our discontent over the years with the quality of leadership (or lack thereof) at the Raleigh city government level. The time has come where we can actually do something about it, and make significant changes. There are some very exciting candidates running for mayor and city council this year, that has made me personally very optimistic.

The Raleigh downtowner recently featured a Q&A session with each of the candidates ( The Candidates Are Coming! ).

If you haven't already, please take a serious look at their responses, their bios, and their positions on the issues affecting Raleigh. I urge each of you to get out and vote on Oct. 6! Raleigh is in desperate need of a change in leadership, and now is the time to do it. The future and direction of our great city hangs in the balance.

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Many of us posters on UP have expressed our discontent over the years with the quality of leadership (or lack thereof) at the Raleigh city government level. The time has come where we can actually do something about it, and make significant changes. There are some very exciting candidates running for mayor and city council this year, that has made me personally very optimistic.

The Raleigh downtowner recently featured a Q&A session with each of the candidates ( The Candidates Are Coming! ).

If you haven't already, please take a serious look at their responses, their bios, and their positions on the issues affecting Raleigh. I urge each of you to get out and vote on Oct. 6! Raleigh is in desperate need of a change in leadership, and now is the time to do it. The future and direction of our great city hangs in the balance.

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Meet the next Raleigh City Council:

Charles Meeker

Russ Stephenson

Mary Ann Baldwin

Nancy McFarlane

John Odom*

James West

Thomas Crowder

Bonner Gaylord*

* both are newly elected; Odom beat incumbent Roger Koopman, and Gaylord replaces Philip Isley, who elected not to run again.

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Meet the next Raleigh City Council:

Charles Meeker

Russ Stephenson

Mary Ann Baldwin

Nancy McFarlane

John Odom*

James West

Thomas Crowder

Bonner Gaylord*

* both are newly elected; Odom beat incumbent Roger Koopman, and Gaylord replaces Philip Isley, who elected not to run again.

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I voted for Russ and Lee, but my vote wasn't enough... I voted for West because his opponent didn't seem interested in anything other than providing token opposition.

I am glad Mr. Gaylord won over Mr. Haq and hope the council will continue to be good stewards of the city. Odom replaces the Isley contrarian discussion/vote. I think that it is good that voice will have a seat at the table as well, as long as it doesn't lead to Mike Regan-esque nonsense.

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I hope this is a joke. Trader Joes did not make this intersection suddenly the epitome of walkability. I do agree that a comprehensive strategy would include the 100 or so such intersections in the triangle and would involve the planning of additional density and connections (pedestrian and vehicular) in these areas.

By the way, the original downtown Raleigh grid was served by streetcars, and those did not disappear until the oil and car industries conspired to do away with them.

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A power strip in downtown Raleigh? CVS might have them. Or the original, expanded Taz mart. If not, Ace Hardware in Seaborad does. Ace's poor marketing does not downtown Raleigh an unlivable failure. If anything, questions like those suggest the need for better Raleigh blogs.

Does having an Ace, a Harris Teeter, and a Chipolte make North Ridge shopping center on Falls the most walkable area of the Triangle? Hardly. It (and Kildare/Cary Parkway) have 5+ lane roads to feed acres of parking -- great for cars, not so much for walking.

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Not trolling at all, but thanks for the vote of confidence (I wonder why this board is so quiet these days...).

My brother in law lives behind TJ's, and aside from everyday groceries, he walks less than 1/2 mile to get about 80% of the things he needs. More of life's everyday amenities are walking distance from that intersection than nearly every spot in the Triangle. Meanwhile I see Twitter posts asking downtown Raleigh people if they know of anywhere they can by a power strip in downtown Raleigh. Unreal. I lived near downtown Carrboro for 3 years, and have to say that I drove farther and more often for things than I do living near North Hills.

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Funny I had this very conversation with some coworkers the other day. The Wake Commissioners are doing things that Raleigh cannot ignore now, such are screwing with the school system and anything else that happens to come up next since Betty had to take a bathroom break. Next up I am guessing will be pulling funding from all transit oriented projects and funneling it into paying the bonds for 540 so it won't have to be tolled. All downtown projects with hotel and meals taxes pegged are in jeopardy if they have not begun yet. (maybe in jeopardy even then, not sure how the agreements are structured). The Raleigh folks, need to square up to Wake and get some things straight...in a hurry....

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Indeed. It appears that this school board will be even more controversial than the last one. Already threats of lawsuits with the NAACP vowing to bring the board to court if they do away with diversity and the ACLU looking into actions at the first meeting of the board for the swift voting action, which could have violated state laws. I have a feeling that this board will just wind up tied up in lawsuits, so all I can say is, THANK GOD I DON'T HAVE KIDS YET! I'm just going to pull up a seat and watch NC's version of UFC, the Wake County School Board.

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