ELECTIONS 2023
On September 11, The Local Reporter sent questions to all the Municipal Candidates for the Town of Carrboro, including the Mayoral Candidates. Barbara Foushee is running unopposed for Mayor of Carrboro. All of the candidates responded. The School Board Candidates were not included. Our deadline was September 25. Here are the unedited written responses we received to our seven questions from all of the Mayoral and City Council Candidates in alphabetical order:
Questions for Carrboro political candidates from TLR:
1) Is Carrboro’s government on the right track? If not, what specific changes would you advocate for if elected?
ANSWER FROM BARBARA FOUSHEE – CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF CARRBORO
Generally, I think we are on the right track in Carrboro. People are at the core of my service and I am guided by hearing from community voices on issues that matter to all of us. We work for the community and should always be listening and attentive to their concerns. Looking through a racial equity lens is key to our community’s success, while having diverse voices at the local government table will help to ensure that we have equitable and fair discussions, policy development and outcomes.
We also have several issues that run in tandem with each other such as affordable housing, climate and environmental justice, transit needs, and stormwater management to name a few. We have to work to address all of them and not diminish any of them because each one is critical to someone in our community and every decision that is made affects all of us. Working together, I believe that we can address conflicting issues in a way where no issue is left behind and everyone is heard.
ANSWER FROM CATHERINE FRAY – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Carrboro’s government has taken several important actions recently that will shape our collective future for years to come. Most importantly, the town dedicated over $1.5 million to emergency support for residents and businesses during the pandemic. In the last 12 months, the town has also allocated $6.7M in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, including significant amounts for affordable housing as well as home repair and weatherization assistance for low-income homeowners. Last summer, the town also adopted Carrboro Connects, the town’s first comprehensive plan. Carrboro won an award for the plan, which has racial equity and climate action as its two unifying themes and lays out the town’s goals for the next twenty years or more.
If elected, I will advocate to continue and expand on these themes of supporting Carrboro’s residents and prioritizing equity, climate resilience, and housing affordability. There is plenty of work to be done!
ANSWER FROM JASON MERRILL – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Yes! They are doing a fantastic job of proactively engaging the community in decisions, big and small, and the comprehensive plan, Carrboro Connects, is an excellent guiding document for what policies should be prioritized going forward.
ANSWER FROM APRIL MILLS – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Unfortunately, it seems that political polarization is impacting our town’s ability to address challenges. I aim to make sure that for every issue, the Council is fully informed and collaborative. Carrboro is at a pivotal point in its evolution, and I’m passionate that we can find solutions to our challenges by making sure to include voices from all of Carrboro’s neighborhoods.
ANSWER FROM ELIAZAR POSADA, JR. – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL
Yes, I believe we are on the right track.
ANSWER FROM STEPHANIE WADE – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL
Yes, we’re on the right track, but we must better prioritize our actions to meet town needs. We should focus on stormwater/flooding management, public transportation and community engagement.
Carrboro has long ignored stormwater and flooding issues in the community. In the recent Carrboro Connects project, many citizens voiced their concerns about how stormwater and flooding affect them and their communities. Yet the town council has not advanced significant policies or actions that will meaningfully address this problem; especially amongst the most vulnerable in our community who live in floodplains and who are disproportionately affected by this issue. One of my first actions in office would be to meet with the stormwater advisory board and identify actionable steps we can take to reduce the impact of flooding in our community.
Public transportation is an invaluable service that allows citizens to travel within Carrboro and surrounding communities. It reduces traffic, our reliance on cars and our carbon footprint. We must ensure that we invest in public transportation and continue to make improvements in technology (ex. real time bus tracking) investments in infrastructure (ex. Covered bus stations). I believe we should continue to ensure all public transit options remain affordable to the community, that they remain accessible to the community and that we continue to speak with riders and operators about ways we can continue improving the service.
Finally, I value community engagement and feel that the current council is not always open to input from all community members. One example of this is from our last town meeting before summer 2023 where I witnessed several speakers unable to voice their concerns. They were told, “I see some people on this list I’ve heard from before. I’d like to hear from people who I haven’t heard from.“ I believe it’s important we honor all Carrboro citizens who sign up to speak at town meetings, no matter the subject or how often they attend meetings. They took time out of their busy lives to speak to something important to them and I would make sure everyone had their three minutes to speak. That is what a representative democracy looks like; listening to multiple points of view and internalizing all feedback. This community wants to feel part of our town’s planning process and I believe this is a missing component of our current town council.
2) What are Carrboro’s three most pressing issues, and how should the town address them?
ANSWER FROM BARBARA FOUSHEE – CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF CARRBORO:
Housing affordability, climate change mitigation/environmental justice, and working through a racial equity lens; all three are closely linked together and support each other. Smart and thoughtful development coupled with transit planning can help to make housing affordable and reduce climate impact at the same time. Affordable housing and environmental justice are also critical pieces of our racial equity strategies. To reach sustainable outcomes together, we must pay attention to both race and ethnicity as we continue to tackle community issues.
I will work to address these issues by continuing to advocate and educate on the importance of expanding housing opportunities and how climate change/environmental justice impacts all of us, especially our black and brown communities. Our town’s budget should mirror our priorities, so I will continue to push for the allocation of more funding for these issues. Our comprehensive plan, where the big pillars are race equity and climate action, will guide development and re-development in the town as well as address town services. The plan also has heavy emphasis on the three pressing issues that I have mentioned and have race equity and climate action as the foundation for the plan.
ANSWER FROM CATHERINE FRAY – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Carrboro, like many other small and large municipalities, has a housing affordability crisis that was 50 years in the making but has become much more severe during the pandemic. If we do not act to change the trends that brought us here, we risk Carrboro becoming a place where only wealthy people can afford to live. To address this, Carrboro should make it much easier to build less expensive homes, which are usually smaller, denser, more energy-efficient, more transit-oriented, and more walkable, as compared to the expensive and car-dependent housing our current process favors.
Carrboro also faces challenges due to climate change. Hotter days and heavier rains are here now and we can expect them to become more severe in the future. Because our stormwater standards were lax in past decades, many low-lying areas are now experiencing frequent flooding due to run-off from our roofs, yards, and parking lots. Changing the way we build new homes will help with this, but the town should also plan ahead to use our stormwater utility, created in 2017, to fund projects that will slow the flow of stormwater and remediate the flooding we already have.
Carrboro is a town that embraces biking and walking, but many of our roads are not safe for these activities, especially in neighborhoods where many Black and Brown residents live and which have experienced long-term underinvestment. This pushes us all to spend more time in cars and strains the budgets of folks who can least afford to own a car. Carrboro should continue to implement our bike plan and ensure that each time the town makes improvements to a street that pedestrian and bike infrastructure is prioritized.
ANSWER FROM JASON MERRILL – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
How we address our community’s issues is as important as what we do to address them. Proactively engaging the whole community in decision-making, as the Town did during the creation of the Comprehensive Plan, will ensure that our decisions include the voices of all of our neighbors, not just the loudest ones.
Enabling transportation infrastructure investment that expands our multimodal mobility will broaden our affordability, better support or local business owners, and build our resilience for the looming climate crisis.
Affordability is the biggest immediate challenge we must address as a community, especially access to affordable housing. Our current housing shortage crisis is a problem that is rooted in decisions that were made decades ago, so the solutions will neither be simple nor yield immediate results, but we risk losing both the unique character of our community, as well as our beloved friends and neighbors, if creative folks can’t afford to put down and maintain their roots here, so we must work on every front to solve this problem.
A diverse and robust transportation network should also be a top priority for our town because making it easier for folks to get around town without a car addresses several important issues:
Expanding low-cost transportation options like sidewalks, bike lanes, and bus lines can ease financial strain on families and create a more accessible and affordable transportation system for everyone.
Offering more transportation choices can boost local business. Studies show that customers who walk or bike tend to spend more money at local businesses than those who drive, and our infrastructure decisions can make it easier for these valuable customers to support our local economy.
As the climate crisis unfolds, diversifying our transportation options will make our community more resilient as carbon-emitting modes become more expensive and less practical.
ANSWER FROM APRIL MILLS – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Stormwater Management/Flooding
Community and Infrastructure, including sustainability.
Public Transportation
Stormwater Management – many people in Carrboro are experiencing flooding in and around their homes. Here are a few ways we can address this critical issue:
Implementation of surety bonds on new developments.
Constructing stormwater ponds capable of withstanding 50-year or 100-year storm events.
Preserving existing trees to minimize erosion and maintain the ecological balance of our creeks.
Using current stormwater funds to create a grant that HOAs and individuals can apply for funds to address issues in their community.
Community and Infrastructure, including sustainability.
I’m committed to making equitable improvements in our community through infrastructure like public transportation and parks and recreation. I will do that through better connectivity, safer transportation, and enhanced accessibility for all residents. This includes adding sidewalks and bike lanes.
Public Transportation:
I don’t like seeing individuals waiting for a bus in a ditch with a sign. I want people to feel safe riding the bus. We must expand our bus system, add new routes to include neighborhoods in North Carrboro, add bus rapid transit (BRT), and improve all bus stops with consistent infrastructure and design. I want to ensure neighborhood traffic is safe and that infrastructure encourages walking and cycling.
ANSWER FROM ELIAZAR POSADA, JR. – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
For me the three most important and pressing issues are affordable housing, equity and inclusion, and equitable transit.
ANSWER FROM STEPHANIE WADE – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Stormwater/flooding is the town’s most significant issue. It is no secret that in our town, flooding is getting worse, with urban sprawl and climate change. We should hold developers accountable for completing stormwater devices before handing developments over to HOA’s. We should also work with developers who care about our community and our existing flooding issues. This means our town council needs to proactively adopt climate-action best practices and make sure we hold our developers accountable when they propose new developments.
Next, we should bolster our existing public transportation system in Carrboro, particularly our bus system. Public transportation is a big item because it provides a solution to several other problems such as affordable housing, climate change and a more equitable Carrboro. We
should foster our relationship with Chapel Hill to accomplish this. We cannot have affordable housing without a strong public transit system already in place. We cannot reduce traffic in town without a strong public transit system. Just the facts.
Finally, we must ensure our community is built upon the principle of safe streets.
Carrboro’s Planning Board wants to divert traffic from major roads through our neighborhoods. During the most recent Carrboro Town Council work session an agenda item was put forth encouraging traffic from our main roads to be directed through our neighborhoods, per the current 47-year-old Connector Roads Policy. This out-of-date policy encourages car usage; it fails to be environmentally friendly and, instead, it is in direct conflict with our current Community Climate Action Plan
Another issue brought up was removal of the current bollards around town. These bollards encourage people to bike and walk from neighborhood to neighborhood without using a car, and unlike paving speed humps and building new bike lanes they are cheap and easy to remove if emergency vehicles need access and do not require revising taxes like some other traffic-calming methods could. More importantly, removing bollards will in fact increase traffic through our neighborhoods, making streets less safe for children, pedestrians and people on bikes.
3) What prior experiences make you uniquely qualified for serving on the town council?
ANSWER FROM BARBARA FOUSHEE – CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF CARRBORO
I have always had a very high level of community service, engagement and activism within the community as I worked with various organizations such as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., OWASA Board of Directors, Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate and My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper Advisory Board of Orange County, to name a few.
I seek community input through engagement and ongoing conversations; this is how I keep my finger on the pulse of the community. To know community, you have to be in community and I pride myself on being accessible and transparent. Also my life experience as an African American woman brings a unique lived experience and voice to the local government table. I have had a long-term commitment to serving the Carrboro community and my work continues to revolve around community building and bringing voices and faces to the table that aren’t already there. Historically, these community members have been underserved and pushed to the margins.
For these efforts, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP has awarded me the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service award which is given to an individual whose work has promoted diversity and champions social justice. In local government, we need to hear from all of the community about issues that matter to all of us. I am running to keep a seat at the table because representation matters and we can only achieve more sustainable and equitable outcomes together. I sought re-election to the Town Council in 2021 because I saw that there was a need for representation and I still see that need today as I run for Mayor of the Town of Carrboro.
ANSWER FROM CATHERINE FRAY – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
I have served on the Planning Board for 11 years, including 2 terms as the chair. That means I have spent hundreds of hours reviewing development applications, input from residents, and our land use ordinance. I have seen the way that Carrboro’s development review process works (or sometimes doesn’t work) up close and at length. I also served as co-chair on the Carrboro Connects comprehensive plan task force, working to ensure that all voices were heard during the input process.
ANSWER FROM JASON MERRILL – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
I started a small retail bike shop, Back Alley Bikes, and grew it into a medium-sized retail bike shop over the course of fifteen years, so I have lots of hands-on experience with budgeting, management, and complex problem-solving. Furthermore, my experience as a member of our small business community has made me especially aware of the needs of our small business owners and their vital role in shaping our community’s character. I also served on the Chapel Hill Transportation and Connectivity Advisory Board for six years, two of them as chair, which provided me with an invaluable education in how local government works and stoked my desire to be of greater service to the community I love.
ANSWER FROM APRIL MILLS – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
I bring a range of relevant experiences to the table:
Graduated from Leadership North Carolina.
Participated in seven Inter-City Trips with the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.
Membership in the North Carolina Economic Development Association.
Service on multiple Nonprofit Boards.
Four years of dedicated service on Claremont HOA, addressing stormwater and compliance issues.
Two decades of active involvement in the Triangle community.
Possess an MBA.
Representation of the voice of a mixed-use design neighborhood.
Parent of two children in the CHCCS.
ANSWER FROM ELIAZAR POSADA, JR. – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL
I have served on the council since June of 2022 after being elected during the special elections to fill an open seat. Prior to my elections, I have served in multiple town boards and commissions, as well as having a long track record of working for the Carrboro community through my work with local nonprofits.
ANSWER FROM STEPHANIE WADE – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
I’ve been President and Vice President of different HOA’s which has helped me learn the nuances of working on a very local level, listening to people I live near and advocating for our neighborhood safety on a governmental level as well as planning for community activities and social gatherings. I am committed to our community. I currently volunteer for Meals on Wheels, an organization which I adore and has connected me to many of our older residents. I have a degree in Sociology which gives me a unique perspective on social constructs. I have 30 years of working for Educational and Governmental institutions from Elon University to the Federal Government, to NYC and back to NC at UNC. I believe strongly in education for the future. With most of my working career as an IT Analyst, I have a strong understanding of interpersonal relations and problem solving under pressure while working in a time sensitive academic environment.
Lastly, I dedicated over a year going through the process of making our neighborhood’s route to school safer by getting dozens of signatures needed to petition the town to perform a traffic study which ultimately resulted in less and slower traffic allowing kids from several neighborhoods to bike to school safely. It is not an easy process, but by working my way through it, I have learned how I can help provide safety to other areas of town as well.
I know people are busy and don’t have time to address the council about stormwater, about safe streets, or speeding, or other issues they encounter. I want to do this work for the community. I am available and I have time to listen to each resident of Carrboro. As well, I hope to be able to identify these pressing issues that I have referred to above before people need to come to the council. This is how I see my job.
4) How would Carrboro approach affordability issues over the next few years? Build more duplexes/triplexes? Change zoning laws to encourage more density in single-family neighborhoods. Build more housing of any kind?
ANSWER FROM BARBARA FOUSHEE – CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF CARRBORO
Persistent income equality is a real problem for people of color as well as the economy; this gap is a result of very complex interactions among social, historical, political and institutional forces. Increasing the minimum wage is at the top of the list followed very closely by investing more in education and helping working families to build generational wealth.
We need a variety of housing choices and increased supply across all socioeconomic statuses, but particularly low to very low wealth and the missing middle class. I would continue engaging local electeds about activating policy that would allow for this housing and identifying funding sources for the effort. This effort will also need subsidies as well as jurisdictional funding.
Finding suitable land for the housing is also a consideration, keeping in mind factors like being near public transit, affordable density and keeping environmental impacts to a minimum. Carrboro Town Council has approved a framework for affordable housing on town-owned land. We are in the process of working through the steps andkeeping community engaged as well. I believe that the town is working to get it right when it comes to thoughtful development and smart growth. In my mind this continues to be a work in progress and it will take all of us to achieve success as a community and as a town.
The goal is to protect our community’s health and environment while also achieving a community that is economically strong and socially diverse. To get there we need to 1) create a range of housing opportunities and choices across socioeconomic statuses, 2) increase community and stakeholder collaborations, and 3) make fair and cost-effective development decisions. Our comprehensive plan seeks to implement our community vision and provide guidance for growth and development over the next few decades. The plan’s policies address land use rules and define key projects under themes like racial equity, climate action, fiscal sustainability and affordability.
ANSWER FROM CATHERINE FRAY – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Carrboro should take a broad approach to the affordability crisis. This includes: making it easier to build modest homes than mansions, working with non-profits like Habitat for Humanity to build affordable homes for those who need them most, reducing barriers to building less expensive homes, encouraging more density along our bus lines, and ensuring that low-income homeowners can access funds to assist with weatherization and repair to keep our existing affordable homes in good shape.
ANSWER FROM JASON MERRILL – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
We are currently dealing with an extreme housing inventory shortage, especially for folks making less than 60% AMI. Many of the best tools, like affordable housing mandates, have been preempted by the state, so we must employ more creative tools to incentivize builders to provide the types of housing that we need most, namely smaller, less expensive homes for working people.
ANSWER FROM APRIL MILLS – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
I have a lot of ideas on how we can address the affordability problem, and we will need multiple approaches. Here are some:
- The town must identify land to purchase or work with a current owner to create a public/private partnership that would allow the Town to maximize the opportunity.
- Require a linkage fee for developers. This is a one-time fee that developers must pay when building certain types of projects. The money goes to the Town’s Affordable Housing Fund, which pays for new income-restricted housing. The linkage fee would be between 44 cents and $1.86 per square foot, depending on the project, as an example of what Austin, Denver, and Boston require.
- Continue to partner with Community Home Trust.
- Public transportation needs to be aligned with affordable housing.
- Focus on building for mixed-use development.
- Hold developers accountable to the people of Carrboro regarding infrastructure requirements around stormwater management.
ANSWER FROM ELIAZAR POSADA, JR. – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL
We could approach affordable housing by implementing our Carrboro Comprehensive Plan and using innovative strategies like those outlined in the work of multiple community organizations and committees like the Big Bold Ideas Affordable housing committee. This would include small area plans, new construction of mixed use developments, building more duplexes/triplexes/tiny homes/etc. and building economically integrated neighborhoods.
ANSWER FROM STEPHANIE WADE – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Affordable living isn’t only about mortgage payments or rent factors, it is also about access to public and private services, such as the ability to get to work without a car, or a pool to learn to swim, or to the park or grocery store. Simple things we take for granted in life have a serious cost and sometimes become cost prohibitive.
I do believe we can build affordable dwellings that better suit everyone’s needs. Along with building dwellings, a robust and regular public-transit system is important to maintain connectivity for all residents.
Just because we build more duplexes and triplexes doesn’t mean that they will be affordable. As we have seen with recent residential building in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, most new developments have limited affordable housing options and are marketed for luxury (high rent) living, even for duplexes, triplexes and apartments. As well, many families want to live in their own single-family home with a yard. These too can be more affordable. I believe as a town, we can work for better solutions.
Within this conversation I would also like to see more integration of neighborhood playground equipment and parks or splash pads in underserved neighborhoods as well as wise stewardship of resources. Perhaps a public swimming pool for all of Carrboro residents would be appropriate since 95% of child deaths under the age of 5 are due to drowning. Swimming lessons for all Carrboro residents would be very progressive, inclusive and equitable.
Circling back to public transportation, Carrboro cannot have equitable and affordable housing without an adequate public-transit system to ensure that they can remain connected to all parts of the town.
In summary, the narrative of this conversation needs to change from affordable housing to affordable living, and how we as a community foster that attitude will lay the foundation for our growth as a complete community.
5) What do you think is the best course of action for the town’s parking issues? Specifically, address whether you favor paid parking in Carrboro.
ANSWER FROM BARBARA FOUSHEE – CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF CARRBORO:
Free parking is paid for indirectly by everyone down the line and in reality encourages longer-term parking. The town council has received information from town staff and had discussions about paid parking and paid parking technology. There is certainly a community engagement piece that needs to happen before town council makes a decision. Paid parking can be beneficial if implemented in the appropriate way which would include some type of enforcement.
Parking continues to be a work in progress within the town of Carrboro as we work on public and private partnerships and reach our climate change goals which includes more bike-ped infrastructure and reducing car dependence. I believe that looking at transit in a holistic way is important as we all use the same travel spaces in town and need to be mindful and respectful. A continuing emphasis on bike-ped education, infrastructure and funding is in order as we pursue climate/environmental justice goals as well as promote better mental and physical health in the community.
We should continue to investigate ways to have car parking in the downtown for our businesses while centering the value of walking, biking and using public transit. These issues are running in tandem with each other and the reality is that folks will move about as is comfortable for them but we can continue to educate and inform how they do it.
ANSWER FROM CATHERINE FRAY – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
In the downtown area we should help private landowners with parking to work together with each other and the town so that we use existing parking spaces more efficiently, for example by making spaces available when a business is closed. The town should finish its wayfinding project so that visitors can more easily find open parking spaces in public lots. We should allow business owners to provide the amount of parking they feel they need, rather than requiring minimums. Paid parking could be an option if these methods are not sufficient, but we should make sure we the design of such a program does not penalize low-income or disabled residents or those running short errands.
ANSWER FROM JASON MERRILL – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL;
Carrboro has abundant parking inventory, but it needs to be better managed. I favor paid parking in Carrboro because charging a nominal fee is one way to encourage more parking turnover. That said, connecting loyal customers to local businesses is about access, not just parking, so we need to continue addressing the issue holistically in order to find the best suite of solutions, including better multi-modal connections, instead of constantly seeking a single simple solution.
ANSWER FROM APRIL MILLS – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Did you know that it costs $15,000+ a parking space when building a parking deck? Prior council members have upset and turned away businesses that could have been aligned to support additional parking. My first goal would be to build a bridge and have a conversation with these businesses. I would want to understand “peak parking times” and have a timeframe when parking is free and paid. I would also like to see reverse-angle parking in our town as it allows for more vehicles to park on the street over parallel parking. I worry about our hospitality workers, and if they are driving into town, it would be beneficial to provide them with a safe, free parking lot. I will advocate for improved public transit, including bus rapid transit and a line that reaches the more N. Carrboro communities.
ANSWER FROM ELIAZAR POSADA, JR. – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL
I have and will continue to support our paid parking pilot program and would use the results of that project to see if it makes sense to continue to have paid parking after that.
ANSWER FROM STEPHANIE WADE – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL
Again, a robust public-transit system will help with parking problems and vehicle congestion while also tackling climate change, equitable access to public and private services, as well as affordable housing.
I’m open to hearing arguments for paid and unpaid parking, I want to make sure all our neighbors feel heard on this issue.
6) What specific ways can the town improve access to multi-modal transportation (transit, walking, bicycling)?
ANSWER FROM BARBARA FOUSHEE – CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF CARRBORO:
We can start by looking at this important issue and all others through a racial equity lens to ensure that no one is left behind. Our lower-income residents may not have any other means for transportation and we should make sure that equitable and sustainable options are available for them and their voices are represented at the transit table.
Funding should be allocated in a way that supports increasing transit services, improving current infrastructure and developing new projects. Community education and engagement around different modes of transportation is also critical. Recruiting and retaining bus drivers in this post-COVID era is difficult as the job is now considered to be hazardous. A pay increase, increased safety measures for the drivers and maybe even some hazard pay may be helpful in this effort. We can further protect bike lanes with enhanced safety measures and I believe that all bike lanes should be protected when possible, recognizing that every bike lane situation in town is different.
ANSWER FROM CATHERINE FRAY – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
The town should continue to build out planned infrastructure improvements from our Capital Improvement Plan such as the Jones Creek Greenway, sidewalks on South Greensboro Street and Barnes Street, and sidepaths on Homestead Road and NC 54, among many others. We should also seek additional grants to try to accelerate the planned building schedule. We should also continue our support of Chapel Hill Transit and advocate for increases in bus service frequency at times when workers are commuting.
ANSWER FROM JASON MERRILL – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
We have an excellent public transit system, and we have both plans and funds to expand it, but we are dealing with a driver shortage. Fortunately, that problem will eventually be solved with continued hiring. For non-motorized transportation, we could always use wider sidewalks, as well as more bike lanes and greenways. The Town has demonstrated a commitment to securing funding and moving forward the plans we already have, so I am excited to see the continued improvement!
ANSWER FROM APRIL MILLS – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
As the Town continues to densify North Carrboro and other neighborhoods, the first goal would be to have a bus rapid transit line along Eubanks to Old 86, and one to Rogers, to Homestead, to Old 86, to 54, to UNC, and Southern Village. The Town needs to hold developers accountable for sidewalks and bike lanes and work to collaborate with DOT to address Homestead and widen Old 86 with bike lane expansion. We must streamline the petition process for traffic calming measures and decrease the required signatures. We need to fulfill the approved sidewalk project that has been promised and approved by Counsel on S. Greensboro Street from South Green to Main Street.
ANSWER FROM ELIAZAR POSADA, JR. – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Implement our Bike Plan, Carrboro Comprehensive Plan and complete our greenway projects. I am proud to say that we are also closing in on the full implementation of the Chapel Hill Transit Short Range Transit Plan. We’re now operating over 90% of scheduled service as we recover from the pandemic. As the system continues to hire more bus drivers, we’ll be able to add the rest of the services and expand to include needed adjustments.
ANSWER FROM STEPHANIE WADE – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
We need more crosswalks with lights. We need more sidewalks and multi-use paths that are constructed where they will see the most use and be cost-effective. We also need short bike-and-ped connections between neighborhoods.
A great example of this is the connection between Barrington Hills and Sunset Creek Circle. It’s very inexpensive to build and maintain and allows ped-and-bike connections that are direct between two areas with no need for non-auto travelers to access main streets.
7) Over the summer months, the community has been asked to share feedback on the preferred alignment for Phases III and IV of the Bolin Creek Greenway. What is your preferred alignment? Please explain why.
ANSWER FROM BARBARA FOUSHEE – CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF CARRBORO:
The town is still in the process of collecting community information from the survey; I will wait to hear from community voices. The council should receive the results of the survey sometime in October.
ANSWER FROM CATHERINE FRAY – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
I prefer the creekside alignment, because it will harm the smallest number of trees of any of the alignments, and offers the best opportunity to repair the damage done to the creekbank by decades of OWASA trucks as well as bikers and pedestrians. If OWASA wanted to install a sewer pipe today, I would NOT support running it alongside Bolin Creek. But since the pipe has been there for 60 years, and OWASA has and will continue to keep their easement cleared of trees, I think that Carrboro should place the greenway there as well and take the opportunity to remediate the damage by replanting and preventing erosion from continuing to get worse.
ANSWER FROM JASON MERRILL – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
The Creekside alignment because it will provide the greatest benefit to the most people. As a mountain biker and nature lover who spends a lot of time in our forests, I will readily admit that I have major reservations about resurfacing any of our existing trails. Still, the benefits of improving access between schools and neighborhoods for all users, especially kids, seniors, and folks with limited mobility, is such a significant and obvious improvement for our community that I can quickly put my personal objections aside.
ANSWER FROM APRIL MILLS – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
My preferred alignment prioritizes safety and connectivity while considering environmental impact and cost:
I support the quickest route to connect trails for safe school commuting.
I express concern about the environmental impact of the Creekside Alignment.
I would consider supporting the Upland Forest Alignment if its cost is justified and safety standards are met.
ANSWER FROM ELIAZAR POSADA, JR. – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
While we have not gotten the full response from what the community wants on the Bolin Creek Greenway survey, I personally support the creekside alignment. Using that alignment we can work with OWASA as they complete their planned work on the easement to build a trail that fits the needs of the community, therefore causing the least amount of disturbance to the area. We can make the existing trail accessible to all of our residents. And we can explore ways of working with state and federal partners to do some creek restoration while we are already going to be on the site.
ANSWER FROM STEPHANIE WADE – CANDIDATE FOR CARRBORO CITY COUNCIL:
Greenways could be a vital component of our community, and we need to be purposeful as to where we put them and how they best serve the community.
The feedback is currently still ongoing, and I would not want to influence anyone else’s opinions based upon my response. That said, I look forward to reviewing all feedback that is being gathered as part of the survey. Additionally, I look forward to further information that will be gathered when the town conducts updated feasibility assessments, engages with property owners along the alignment, performs environmental, stormwater and water quality assessments and considers costs and funding options.
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