Tom Stevens is running uncontested for his 6th term as Hillsborough Mayor. MAYORAL CANDIDATE – TOM STEVENS Name as it appears on ballot: Tom Stevens (Thomas I Stevens) Date of birth: 3/3/1954 Home address: 213 W Tryon St Hillsborough NC 27278 Campaign website: http://www.tomstevensformayor.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/TomStevensforMayor/116651355088465 Occupation & employer: self-employed as leadership consultant, artist Phone: 919-360-2249 m Email:
[email protected] Twitter handle, if applicable: @mayortomstevens This will be your 6th term as Mayor of Hillsborough. Give yourself a report card. Grade each of the terms that you’ve been in office and explain. Everywhere I go people say with great enthusiasm, “I love Hillsborough!” - which makes serving as mayor for the last decade a joy as well as a privilege. When I first ran for mayor 10 years ago, there were specific things I said I would do: to serve as a passionate spokesperson for Hillsborough; to listen to diverse voices (listening is not the same as agreeing); and to lead in a way that brings the town board together and builds positive relationships with Orange County and other jurisdictions. I believe I’ve done a credible job on all those items. Of much more importance is what WE have done. There is so much in the last decade that our town has accomplished through many hands, heads, and hearts working together - as board members, town staff, advisory board volunteers, and engaged citizens. • Town government deserves high marks for stewardship of our basic infrastructure, investing in regular road maintenance, replacement of sewer and water lines, the Nash Street sidewalk project, a new waste-water treatment plant, attractive way-finding signage throughout town, and wonderful community amenities like Gold Park and Riverwalk. • Our multi-year budget process, combined with our strategy map and balanced scorecard system is a model of fiscal responsibility and management effectiveness, far beyond legal requirements and the practice of even larger local governments. • Our planning processes have been streamlined to benefit both people wanting to build here as well as for citizens giving feedback on the impact of new development. • With broad citizen input we have articulated a vision of our future, carefully documented in our land use plans, ordinances, zoning, and area plans such as the Cornelius Street or Churton Street corridors - and we have a track record of sticking to those plans to manage growth.
• We’ve encouraged the establishment of additional local businesses, restaurants, and shops; and we’ve become home to an active community college and brand new hospital. • In recognition of our community’s vibrancy, our town has received accolades such as a Distinctive Destination, Great Main Street, America’s Little Literary Town, even high ranking for America’s Coolest Small Town. We are not by any means perfect - but we endeavor to correct mistakes quickly, and strive to improve. In comparison with other local governments, your town deserves a well-earned A, thanks to the team effort of your town board, town manager, town staff, and many citizen volunteers. While we’ve accomplished much, there’s plenty of work on the horizon. We must deal with a wave of development proposals; we have a train station to build; we will have new neighborhoods with new people that will need to be welcomed into our town. With more of us living here, it’s even more important to work together. I am ready to continue working hard on behalf of our community, and to do so keeping in mind a widely shared vision that emphasizes small-town character, celebrating our cultural and natural heritage, and encouraging sustainable prosperity for folks from all walks of life.
There are 3 seats available for Town Commissioner and 5 Candidates. MARK BELLName as it appears on ballot: Mark Bell Full legal name, if different: Mark Reid Bell Date of birth: September 25, 1965 Home address: 168 West King Street Mailing address, if different from home: Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/MarkBellForTownBoard Occupation & employer: Vice President for Health Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, North Carolina Hospital Association Phone: 919-883-5187 Email:
[email protected] Twitter handle, if applicable: 1. Hillsborough is poised for historic growth. How will you lead and manage the growth that we are experiencing? The population of Hillsborough has been growing at in increasing rate over the past 15 years. The town, Orange County, and the US Census Bureau estimate that our population will grown from 6,087 residents in 2010 by approximately 30% in 2030 and could double by 2050 to approximately 12,538 residents. Current planning guidelines limit the growth of Hillsborough to the 2050 target population because the town is bound by water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure capacity, as well as geographic and rural buffers defined in Hillsborough-Orange County interlocal agreements. However, the number of dwelling units that have already been approved by the town—some of which are currently under construction—will cause a significant
population increase in the next few years. One of the most important roles of the Town Board is to create policies to ensure sustainable development, and if elected I will work in coordination with the Hillsborough Planning Board and Orange County to ensure the town reviews and updates all relevant ordinances, policies, and procedures regarding strategic planning and growth. I will ensure the Town Board is actively engaged in overseeing sustainable growth by directing the Town Manager and planning staff to hold regular public outreach sessions to inform the public about potential and ongoing growth; reviewing land uses outlined in Hillsborough Vision 2030, Hillsborough Future Land Use Plan, and the Churton Street Strategic Corridor Plan; and ensuring the Town Board and Orange County effectively update the Hillsborough and Orange County Strategic Growth Plan. 2. Though Hillsborough is close to perfect, we realize it isn’t. What would you to do improve Hillsborough? Hillsborough is an exceptional place to live, work, and visit for many reasons. We have history that bore witness to the birth of the nation and the state, an irresistible small town vibe, excellent recreation opportunities, and a natural environment that attracts visitors from all over the region. The role of the Town Board of Commissioners is to enhance our quality of life, including making sure that all neighborhoods are safe and have access to the essential components that support our small-town character and sense of community. We first need to ensure these values are preserved and available to all citizens, even as Hillsborough is growing in size and population. We shouldn’t lose focus on he good things we have while concentrating on managing the inevitable growth that is coming our way. To improve our town's quality of life we need to continue reviewing and updating the Strategy Map annually to ensure the Town Board's vision for Hillsborough is aligned with the needs of citizens. We must continue to invest in talented staff to execute the vision laid out by the Town Board. Maintaining a vital downtown and establishing more opportunities for citizen participation is also important. I support improving the town website to make it more interactive with citizens and provide online polling to gather timely citizen feedback. We should continue to lobby telecommunications providers to bring gigabit broadband to Hillsborough, which will help bring new business to town and enable more citizens to telecommute. 3. Churton Street has long been a topic of conversation when it comes to traffic. Is traffic in downtown a concern for you? Congestion along Churton Street has been a concern for citizens for many years. Out-of-town commuters and commercial drivers who travel through Hillsborough no doubt experience the same concern even as they are contributing to the problem. The congestion is a public safety issue because it limits emergency vehicle response times, and heavy congestion certainly doesn't help economic development opportunities in the downtown area. The town's options are limited when it comes to resolving this issue without resorting to establishing a bypass around the downtown area, which was proposed in the Elizabeth Brady Road Extension but found to be costly ($30m) and not sufficiently effective (only a 10% reduction in downtown traffic). The NC Department of Transportation has a plan to expand Churton Street to multiple lanes south of the Eno River to I-40 in 2023. This could help ease congestion by enabling traffic flow through the downtown more quickly, but Hillsborough is also likely to have more vehicles on Churton Street by this time and so the overall effect of widening Churton Street is unknown. If elected, I will direct town staff to work with NC DOT to explore new options to address congestion and expand alternative modes of transportation such as walkways, bicycle paths, buses, and other modes of
public transportation to reduce dependence on motor vehicles. I will also ensure the Town Board enforces zoning and strategic growth objectives to promote new growth in areas with appropriate transportation capacity to help reduce future vehicle congestion. 4. Hillsborough has received some attention lately due to the confederate flag and the former confederate memorial library. A. Should anything be done to the lettering on the museum building? I support the Town Board's decision to request, and the Historic District Commission's decision to approve, the removal of the "Confederate Memorial" lettering from the c. 1934 building that currently houses the Orange County Historical Museum. The Museum's request to remove the lettering triggered a lively debate and revealed two very different versions of our local history. In one version, "Confederate Memorial" acknowledges the sacrifice of locals and therefore should be preserved. In the other version, "Confederate Memorial" represents a systematic attempt to enforce Jim Crow through the establishment of a whites-only public library. Confederate memorials were erected across our state following the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and through the 1930s when this particular building was erected. The debate surrounding this issue has shown us how difficult it can be for some people to talk about race, even in the 21st century. It has also brought people together and created new opportunities to talk about diversity. I suspect the average citizen of Hillsborough was unaware of the lettering on the building and will not miss it when it is gone. B. What is your take on the confederate flag? The Confederate flag is a hateful symbol that has no place as part of government-sanctioned uses such as license plates or government buildings. It belongs in a museum as part of an educational exhibit about American history and race relations. The Confederate flag does not represent Hillsborough's values of community and diversity. 5. What is your vision for Hillsborough? My vision for Hillsborough is to retain our small-town identity and diverse heritage while strategically navigating significant growth in the years ahead. Hillsborough has a strong sense of community that I'd like to see grow as the town grows. We're fortunate to have so many citizens who are willing to engage in their community and contribute to Hillsborough’s vitality. I'd like to see more opportunities for citizens to interact with each other and to reach out to neighborhoods other than their own. We also need to create more opportunities for Hillsborough residents to find local employment and reduce our rate of poverty, which is higher than the national and state averages. My vision for Hillsborough includes a new public-private partnership between the town, neighborhoods, local businesses, and developers to systematically fill jobs with local residents and include affordable housing and transportation considerations in their employment and development plans. I have created several web-based tools similar to this concept in my professional work and think they could be successful in this case as well. Hillsborough is an attractive destination for tourists because we successfully preserve our history and don't let our prosperity overrun our small-town character. We need to maintain this balance, vigorously preserve our history, and offer technical assistance to preserve neighborhoods that will face redevelopment pressures in the years ahead. Without preservation, these neighborhoods are at
risk of disappearing and being replaced with new construction that may not be desired by residents. 6. Hillsborough is the coolest small town in America. Fact. What can you do to make it cooler? Hillsborough has a well-deserved reputation as a cool small town because we have so many great things to see and do, and because our citizens are enthusiastically engaged in the life of the town. If elected to the Town Board of Commissioners I will continue to be engaged myself and promote the various community, cultural, historic, shopping, dining, and recreational opportunities our town has to offer. Public celebrations such as the holiday, July 4th, and Handmade parades bring thousands of visitors to Hillsborough to experience the creativity and civic pride of our citizens, and the Hillsborough Art Council's Last Fridays events are fantastic examples of what makes Hillsborough special. I will prioritize town funding for services that support these kinds of activities, as well as infrastructure for walkways, greenways, parks, and recreational facilities to promote fitness and community. The Eno River and Occoneechee Mountain offer unique opportunities for residents and visitors to experience Hillsborough and I will seek opportunities to maximize access to these natural resources. I will also expand support for our architectural, historic, and cultural resources, including the Hillsborough Visitors Center located in the Alexander Dickson House, the Burwell School Historic Site, and the Orange County Historical Museum. Our citizens are the ultimate reason Hillsborough is such a cool place, and I look forward to exploring ways to bring us together.
ASHLEY DESENAName as it appears on ballot: Ashley DeSena Full legal name, if different: n/a Date of birth: August 21, 1984 Home address: 1101 Eno Street Mailing address, if different from home: Campaign website: www.facebook.com/AshleyDeSenaforHillsboroughTownBoard Occupation & employer: Operations Coordinator, John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy Phone: 919-376-6031 Email:
[email protected] Twitter handle, if applicable: @ashleyHSBO 1. Hillsborough is poised for historic growth. How will you lead and manage the growth that we are experiencing? I think we need to look back at traditional development patterns in which our progress counts on us building, working, and growing together - not in a nostalgic way, not in a way that doesn’t allow us to move forward, but because that development model functions best, now and historically. In town after town, traditional, walkable communities not only provide the tax-base, the wealth, and the value, but also cultivate opportunity for individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. That’s what we used to have in America. The notion that towns need to solve every problem in every neighborhood in order to be a great place is a relatively new one. This approach doesn’t pay for itself. We see this in some residents’
resistance to growth in Hillsborough. It’s rational resistance. Everyone who moves here just costs us more, perhaps most notably in congestion and infrastructure. We need a development pattern that inspires us to feel glad to grow and will encourage newcomers and businesses to want to stay here. Part of that pattern is financial. If we want Hillsborough to be resilient in the event of another recession or shifting state and federal budget priorities, it’s necessary to transition away from 20year loans for infrastructure improvements toward creating capital reserve funds and optimizing our fund balance. The other priority is safety. People want to live and locate their businesses where they feel secure, and the town should invest in police and fire department positions, training, and technology and maintain a close relationship with Orange County emergency responders as we grow. 2. Though Hillsborough is close to perfect, we realize it isn’t. What would you do to improve Hillsborough? The first thing I would do is reform or remove ordinances that stifle entrepreneurship and fulfilling employment opportunities. Strict regulations on home businesses, food trucks, and sharing economy innovations such as Uber and AirBnB and limit employment options for people who have talent but lack capital. We should not stand in the way of entrepreneurs or extant business owners using their resources to generate places we want to patronize and to work. Hillsborough is known for being a difficult place run a business; amending ordinances will improve our town’s reputation in the business community and will make it more attractive to new, relocating, and current employers. I am also a huge advocate for accountability and transparency. The Town Board should hold town halls at least annually to encourage open conversations and good relations between the town and the citizenry. By convening outside of a regular Town Board meeting, we can uncover intersections of interests amongst government, nonprofit, and private entities more readily and build a better civic infrastructure. Also, the town website should include easy access to internal town government policies and financial information, such as town employee salaries and benefits, debts and the cost of debt service, the impact costs of regulations, and a precise property tax breakdown. Lastly, the Town Board needs to devote more oversight to the two advisory boards with dedicated tax funds: the Tourism Board and the Tourism Development Authority. These two boards have complementary missions and are intended to work harmoniously, yet they have not built strong lines of communication. 3. Churton Street has long been a topic of conversation when it comes to traffic. Is traffic in downtown a concern for you? Traffic on the downtown segment of Churton Street and traffic all over Hillsborough is of concern for me, both from congestion and pedestrian safety perspectives. At the August Last Fridays, a gentlemen spoke with me about the need for traffic calming on Harper Road; a pedestrian was struck by a car there and killed not long ago, so let us not focus exclusively on downtown. Sidewalks are sorely needed on Churton Street south of downtown. That said, upcoming downtown access improvement projects, including widened sidewalks and brickstamped crosswalks, and a permanent speed monitoring sign will likely ameliorate pedestrian conditions on downtown Churton. Although the NCDOT’s traffic calming options are limited,
perhaps the northern entrance to town can better signal to drivers that they are entering a pedestrian area. As the town grows, Churton Street will bear more and more traffic, and congestion will increase. The NCDOT has scheduled two congestion mitigation projects on Churton: extending Orange Grove Road to US 70 Business and widening Churton Street to four lanes from I-40 to the Eno bridge. Neither project will begin until 2023, however. Adding a reverse route to the Hillsborough Circulator bus is the most cost-efficient expansion of public transit that could reduce traffic through downtown. In the meantime, Hillsborough must not obstruct (beyond public safety assurances) risk-taking entrepreneurs from inventing solutions to our congestion. Congestion isn’t all bad, however; it means that people are coming to downtown. Even passersthrough see things they like and return to patronize our local shops and restaurants. 4. Hillsborough has received some attention lately due to the confederate flag and the former Confederate Memorial Public Library. One: should anything be done to the lettering on the museum building? Two: What is your take on the confederate flag? As has been documented in The News of Orange County articles and elsewhere, I am not in favor of removing “Confederate Memorial” from the Confederate Memorial Building. Its deletion means far more than taking down lettering. It is the destruction of a memorial. Let us acknowledge that. Some may cheer the action; others not. Nevertheless, that is what is happening. In large part, August’s confederate flag rally was a defensive reaction to the Town Board’s treatment of the memorial controversy. The event may not have occurred had the town expressed interest in a community conversation - authentic dialogue between opposing sides - when the removal request was first made. A few Town Board meetings during which people talked at each other without opportunity for listening and exchange left us more divided over this incredibly complicated, emotional issue than we started. In such cases, the UNC School of Government recommends that town leaders host a series of events that include different viewpoints, clear rules for respect, recognition that commemoration is not a zero-sum game, and - most importantly - small group discussions. Our town missed an incredible opportunity to strengthen community by avoiding this method. Regardless of the outcome, anger on both sides could have been diffused by a town-led process of seeking understanding amidst differences. I’ve independently spoken with others who oppose my analysis of the issue and have learned a great deal. The confederate flag is not an official flag, and it shouldn’t be used by governments as such. This does not mean that it must be banned from historic sites, museums, cemeteries, and places that commemorate the Civil War or that private individuals should be banned from possessing it. 5. What is your vision for Hillsborough? My vision for Hillsborough is an entrepreneurial town with a strong civic infrastructure. Having ended ordinances that bar economic opportunity, the town is bustling with small- and mid-sized employers creating value; poverty and unemployment rates have decreased. While the town maintains its historic charm, it’s not a bedroom community anymore. The people of Hillsborough are more likely to work where they live, which is better for their health as well as the environment.
Flexible zoning regulations allow creative, attainable housing solutions and keep the overall price of housing down. People know their neighbors, and, even though they may not be friends, neighbors collaborate productively to make their corner of Hillsborough that much brighter. Achieving this vision requires that we all - citizens and town government - exercise the humility and tolerance necessary to inspire people to create and cooperate through institutions of their own making. Your freedoms to trade, to try, to fail and to succeed, and to pursue your vision, whatever it is, are essential. I will fight for them. It is your vision - not mine - that matters. I don’t possess enough hubris to reject the billions of decentralized economic decisions that are made in Hillsborough every day - growing economies are built by individuals acting in accordance with their own goals, after all - nor do I wish to force citizens to accept my social priorities. In my vision for Hillsborough, you determine what is best for your home, family, and livelihood. 6. Hillsborough is the coolest small town in America. Fact. What can you do to make it cooler? Towns that measure the impact of land use restrictions on housing prices are cool. Over 20% of Hillsborough’s population lives in poverty while the average house price is above $250,000. We begin to meaningfully address attainable housing scarcity by examining our zoning practices. Do height restrictions and minimum lot size, for example, create artificial shortages and raise prices? There’s evidence that zoning ordinances can have these unintended consequences. A few weeks ago, an Indy Week reporter wrote about tiny houses that cost $30,000 on average. By relaxing zoning restrictions, affordable tiny houses could become an option. Zoning and permitting processes must be nimble to keep construction costs down. Hillsborough should also encourage the Orange County HOME Consortium to devote a higher percentage of funding to rental programs, as some beneficiaries don’t desire homeownership maintenance costs. Subsidiarity - the theory that decisions are best made at the most local level that can competently make it - is very cool. Levels range from the individual household, to the block, to the neighborhood, and up to the town. Ownership of roosters can be decided by the block. Tiny houses can be decided by the neighborhood. Citizens in the impacted area convene for a charette; their decisions are then deliberated and codified by the Town Board. In places like San Diego, Washington, D.C., Vancouver, B.C., and Perth, Australia, where this system is widely used, contentious issues are usually resolved long before public hearings. Subsidiarity is very sophisticated, yet simple, and the delegation of power and responsibility and the genuine community-building that results is worth the town’s effort.
EVELYN LLOYD Name as it appears on ballot: Evelyn P. Lloyd Full legal name, if different: Date of birth: Home address: 169 W. Tryon Street Hillsborough, NC 27278 Mailing address, if different from home: Campaign website: www.facebook.com/EvelynLloydforHillsboroughTownBoard Occupation & employer: Pharmacist, Owner-Lloyd’s Pharmacy
Phone: (919)732-1500 Email:
[email protected] Twitter handle, if applicable: Hillsborough is poised for historic growth. How will you lead and manage the growth that we are experiencing? My approach is to attend every meeting about proposed developments. To ensure that the town board follows its 2030 plan, listen to developer presentations, ask questions, gather public opinion to address residents’ concerns and make sure the development is beneficial to the town and consistent with our values and vision. Important issues to consider are water capacity, traffic environmental impact and costs of the town services, weighed against the benefits to the tax base and the overall well-being of the community. Though Hillsborough is close to perfect, we realize it isn’t. What would you to do improve Hillsborough? We cannot rest on our reputation or become complacent about our coolness and quality of life. The town has hired the Spinnaker Group to do a marketing analysis to determine what type of businesses the town can support and where they could be located. They will use the number of rooftops that we have and will have after build-out of the approved units. This will help us plan wisely, site businesses strategically and avoid sprawl. Spinnaker’s work also will contribute to our economic development by helping us identify good sites for businesses that bring jobs A position to assist the Tourism Board and the Tourism Development Authority will soon be in place to support these boards, improve communication and focus on economic development.
A space study is underway to evaluate the town’s operational needs for the next 20 years. The results will help determine where to locate and move some town operations and offices. Our goal is efficiency and wise use of taxpayer money. These are just a few of the ways we are constantly working to improve the quality of life in Hillsborough, for today and well into the future. Churton Street has long been a topic of conversation when it comes to traffic. Is traffic in downtown a concern for you? Traffic on Churton Street has long been a concern of mine and of nearly everyone I meet. There is much more that can be done to work with DOT to identify and improve alternative routes through and around town, to reduce traffic on Churton. That's why I served on a group about a decade ago that developed with the county and citizens the Orange Grove Access Management plan, which calls for extending that road across the Collins property, past the proposed train station, and under the railroad tracks to 70A. This would reduce congestion at the Churton-70A bottleneck, and is finally programmed for state funding. I helped work with the county to develop the Hillsborough Collector, which offers free public transportation and keeps people out of their cars. I participated in another joint planning effort with the county for the economic development districts south of I-85 along both NC 86s, with
the aim of assuring traffic flow and ways around town. We successfully got the Waterstone developer to run Waterstone Blvd from New 86 to Old 86, creating a de facto southern bypass. We need to align Mayo Street and Eno Mountain Road to provide a faster and safer western route near town to bypass Churton. Our South Churton Street Corridor plan, if and when it's funded by the state, will try creative ways to accommodate and calm traffic. In the near term we should direct our staff to work with DOT to develop a plan and signage to use existing roads to identify the optimal ways to avoid Churton to the south (Waterstone Blvd), west (Mayo/Eno/West Hill), east (Old 10/Lawrence Rd.) and north (US 70 to I-85 and I-95/40). Hillsborough has received some attention lately due to the confederate flag and the former confederate memorial library. One: Should anything be done to the lettering on the museum building? Two: What is your take on the confederate flag? The town board voted to remove the letters from the entrance pediment and will install a freestanding informational/interpretive sign marking the former 1934 Confederate Memorial Library. I believe this is appropriate because the purpose of the building has changed and the Confederate Memorial wording over the door is misleading for visitors. The Confederate Flag has meant different things to different people. These beliefs are based on uses. Some people see the flag as a symbol of heritage, because they had people in their family who fought under the flag. There are people who are neutral and have no feelings one way or another. Then, there are people who experienced it, in the civil rights era as a symbol of hate, so there are people who experience this as a symbol of people trying to do them harm or deny them what they consider to be their rights of citizenship and people who did not experience it directly who know it from photographs or stories. One can say that in a group of people, there won’t be a majority of those with the same beliefs
What is your vision for Hillsborough? My vision for Hillsborough is for a safe and healthy environment for all citizens. It should be an affordable place for families and seniors to live and a community that honors history while leading the way to a prosperous future. We must work diligently to accommodate growth through the use of the town’s water capacity study and careful scrutiny of new development projects. I want to preserve the town’s heritage, the small-town character and sense of place that we love. We should continue to increase workability in neighborhoods, work on the town’s infrastructure and make sure that town employees have the tools to do their jobs. Hillsborough has continued to improve its mass transit services. With the Orange Circular bus, the GoTriangle bus to UNC and the Orange-Durham Transit bus to Duke Medical Center, citizens who can’t drive and those who choose not to are able to go to work, shop and access medical care. Hillsborough is moving forward with continued careful growth, enlightened economic development and careful planning. With the engagement and involvement of all segments of our community it will only improve as a wonderful place to live and work.
Hillsborough is the coolest small town in America. Fact. What can you do to make it cooler? Hillsborough has a lot to offer, so much of which is cool. Great parks like Riverwalk, walkability, a new county library, Last Friday’s, art galleries and sidewalk dining, an educational system at Durham Tech, mass transit, Yep Roc Records which shoots videos all over town called the “Sawyer Sessions”, a new radio station, non-profits like the Music Maker Relief Foundation and so much more. The fact that the downtown is in the middle of the historic district with an 1845 year old courthouse and a 1766 year old clock given to the town by King George, III certainly makes Hillsborough unique. As a town board member I’ve had a hand in all of these cool elements in our special town. I continue to encourage and remain receptive to, small and sometimes experimental businesses. Help link entrepreneurs to Orange County small business loan programs. I fight for environmental protection. So much so, my father and I protected the Eno River by selling the last hill of the Occoneechee Mountain to the Eno River association to become a part of the State Park System. Our set of values, mission and vision that we share and care about is authentic and makes us unique and in so many ways “cool”. Most importantly we must maintain Hillsborough as a place with distinctive character while resisting the homogenizing influences of corporate sameness.
BRIAN LOWEN Name on Ballot: Brian Lowen Full Legal Name: Brian Julian Lowen Date of Birth: 11/12/1963 Home Address: 405 North Nash Street, Hillsborough NC 27278 Mailing Address: PO Box 665 Hillsborough NC 27278 Campaign Website: N/A Occupation & Employer: UNC Healthcare Admissions & Registration Supervisor Phone: Home (919)245-1914 Cell (919)270-5109 Email:
[email protected] Twitter Handle: N/A 1)Hillsborough is poised for historic growth. How will you lead and manage the growth that we are experiencing? I believe that one of the most important things that we can do to prepare for the growth that’s coming is to continue to be proactive. We’ll continue to conduct thorough Impact analysis for our development proposals that gives us a full range of data to help in the boards decisions. In this way we don’t overburden the Towns infrastructure or the staff that maintain it. As much as legally possible we should make any future developments shoulder the cost of hiring any additional public safety and Fire personnel that would ultimately be needed to support the proposed development.
2)Though Hillsborough is close to Perfect, we realize that it isn’t. What would you do to improve Hillsborough? I will continue to encourage revitalization and redevelopment of the Highway 70 Cornelius Street Corridor. I would work to make our communities more safely walkable by beginning discussions on how we can build more sidewalks and connect others that have been built in front of newer businesses but end abruptly at the property boundaries. I would work closely with the Hillsborough Orange County Chamber, Orange County Commissioners and my Colleagues on the Town Board to aggressively recruit the business that we would like to have in Hillsborough. I will continue to acknowledge and reward all of our Town staff that performs an outstanding job with sometimes limited resources. 3)Churton Street has long been a topic of conversation when it comes to Traffic. Is Traffic in Downtown for you? Traffic in Downtown and many of the routes that are being used as an alternative to avoid the traffic are a major concern of mine. The unfortunate reality is that the traffic is not going to go away. Even if we never approve another thing being built in Hillsborough we will continue to have a concern with traffic in and around town. The Town and County have done several things to help alleviate the Traffic by providing public transportation with a circular bus route as well as a dedicated bus route between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill as well as a route added going to and from Durham. Many years ago the town supported the State NCDOT building an extension to Elizabeth Brady Road which would have provided an alternate North to South route with the expectation that this would take some of the traffic off of Churton Street. This option was eventually abandoned and no new alternatives are currently on the table. When re-elected I will hopefully encourage my colleagues on the board to work with the County and State to aggressively pursue options to bypass traffic around the center of Hillsborough for those vehicles that are just merely passing through. I know that there are no easy solutions to the traffic dilemma however we must come up with some creative solutions or the things that are really cool about Hillsborough and attract visitors and other tourist related functions will be overshadowed by our traffic issues. 4)Hillsborough has some attention lately due to the confederate flag and the former Confederate Memorial Library. One: Should anything be done to the lettering on the Museum building? Two: What is your take on the confederate flag? I have voted unanimously with my current colleagues on the Town board to remove the letters from the front of the Building occupied by the Orange County Historical museum. My position on this decision has not changed. The Confederate Flag has for a very long time been a controversial emblem and it obviously means different things to different people. As an African American, it has always symbolized a period of slavery and the fight for the south to remain a Slave Hold. I know that there are those who will say that my understanding of the historical facts regarding the flag are incorrect however as indicated earlier the flag means different things to different people and it will perhaps always be that way. I believe that the Flag should not be flown on Public property at any time due to its overall negative perception.
5)What is your Vision for Hillsborough? My Vision for Hillsborough is that we continue to be a Vibrant Community that celebrates its diverse heritage. That we continue to be a progressive community where we are inclusive of individuals and families from all walks of life and that we are always welcoming not only to our residents that live and work here but to everyone who comes to visit and or conduct business in our great town. As Hillsborough grows we should become a community that is truly walkable and one in which neighborhoods easily connect to one another. I would like for our community to be crime free as much as possible and I envision a town where the residents are very active in their local government. I envision a town where everyone is an eye and an ear for overall public safety. I would love for Hillsborough to be a community that ultimately provides the services, activities, housing, shopping and recreation etc. that would make those who currently live here want to remain in Hillsborough and those that are considering locating here come and stay for the long haul. I want to continue to embrace economic development that will bring businesses which pay living wages that support the overall vitality. 6) Hillsborough is the Coolest Small town in America. Fact. What can you do to make it cooler? To make Hillsborough an even Cooler Town I would like to be re-elected as Town Commissioner so that I can continue the progress that is already taking place. I would like to continue to work with the Mayor and the Board along with Town Staff and Residents doing what works well and implementing new ideas and initiatives that bring forth the positive change that I speak of in my Vision for Hillsborough.
CINDY TALISMAN Name as it appears on ballot: CINDY LEE TALISMAN Full Legal Name: Date of birth: AUGUST 6 1960 Home address: 2105 MAGNOLIA LANE HILLSBOROUGH NC 27278 Mailing Address: Campaign Website: Occupation & employer: TRAVEL CONSULTANT AND PRESIDENT AND CEO OF TRAVEL BY CINDY,INC. Phone: 919-241-4034 Email:
[email protected] Twitter handle: Hillsborough is poised for historic growth. How will you lead and manage the growth that we are experiencing? Yes we are and at a frightening pace without any planning for immediate infrastructure in place to support what is happening right now. The roads are congested, schools overcrowded and where does one go to shop or to grab a bite to eat? We have a few dining establishments
downtown but hardly any apart from those and none right off two major interstate highways. We are in the perfect location: between 40 and 85 to supply weary travelers with a nice restaurant, decent hotel and maybe some shops to break up their travels. We are listed as a destination place so let’s make it happen! But what can we offer? Fast food... Not everyone wants fast food and a Holiday Inn Express with no signage visible from the highway. At least while travelers are driving past our town they are aware of our name as we have a bright Carolina Blue water tower rising above the trees! Nothing else but a water tower! I would rein in the permits for housing developments and solicit businesses to join our town! Though Hillsborough is close to perfect, we realize it isn’t. What would you to do improve Hillsborough. As much as I enjoy Chapel Hill and Carrboro I don’t wish to see Hillsborough become a mini version of them. Think about what both those small towns have in common: lots of homes and apartment complexes and except for Rosemary Street and Franklin Street very little commercial businesses. We desperately need commercial businesses in Hillsborough as well as in Orange County. But let's at least start with our town and bring money here instead of our money going out. We have one of the highest property tax rates in the state, currently .8788, with a review in 2017. Can we really afford to have our property rates hiked up further? I certainly can’t. Churton Street has long been a topic of conversation when it comes to traffic. Is traffic in downtown a concern for you? Yes it’s a mess and the plan to bypass downtown is slated to start in 2023 so I guess we sit tight until then. As a resident of Orange County for almost 30 years and a Hillsborough resident for 5 I cannot understand why the Town Board has not done anything yet and neither started or planned to earlier. Some of the current members have been on the board long enough to have actively addressed this problem. This traffic just didn’t pop up overnight; it’s been an issue for a long while. Hillsborough has received some attention lately due to the confederate flag and the former confederate memorial library. One: Should anything be done to the lettering on the museum building? Two: What is your take on the confederate flag? 1) The lettering on the library is just that - “Lettering". It’s a memorial to fallen soldiers and as much as some history is not pleasant, and no war is, we cannot erase history by removing statues, lettering or anything else that might offend some. What offends me might not offend you and vice versa, but history is history which must be preserved in order to teach our children and their children. 2) The Confederate flag? Why am I being asked this question? The flag was carried by proud Southern boys going off to war to gain independence from federal power, increased taxation and the hold they had over States' rights. Unfortunately it has been used to symbolize certain hate groups who have also carried the Stars and Stripes and burned crosses. Again embrace our history, and learn from past mistakes.
What is your vision for Hillsborough?
Avoid becoming overdeveloped with building excessive housing and instead bring in more commercial businesses that will supply opportunities for residents here to work and shop. Our infrastructure is fragile and lacking right now and will only get worse: i.e. schools, home owner traffic and water usage. Yes we have 2 water resources and Lake Orange is full BUT the West Fork Eno is about 20 inches below maximum and we are already using 5.6% more water at present than this time last year. The new hospital is not yet at full capacity nor is Waterstone and the other smattering of developments around town completed. I have already felt the water pressure diminish at my house. By scaling back housing developments we can achieve a good balance between places to live and places to shop.
Hillsborough is the coolest small town in America. Fact. What can you do to make it cooler? By preserving our history and avoid becoming a mini version of Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Not that I don’t enjoy Chapel Hill for that’s where I shop and go to dine as the options in Hillsborough are very limited. We need to bring in more businesses, i.e., hotels, restaurants and stores so we can only become cooler while keeping our small town charm. We have a lot of residents in the surrounding area who would love to see us grow with businesses as opposed to cookie-cutter housing developments! IF we build they will come and say, "Where can I eat and lay my head in that town?" instead of passing us on the Highway. I’m all about eating out and shopping - can you tell!
