Special Election Edition of TCC‘s In the Know
Week of October 4, 2007
Focus on:
-City of Raleigh Elections
-Town of Cary Elections

On Tuesday, October 9^th, voters across the region will head to the polls to vote for city and town elected officials.  This special edition of In the Know covers several key elections.  Readers can learn more about who’s running for office, and where they stand on issues important to the community.

 The TCC does not endorse candidates for office.  However, we have asked candidates to respond to a questionnaire about growth management policies and issues.  Our summary of the races and issues is based—in part--- on candidates’ answers to our questions. 

Raleigh Elections
(District A):  Incumbent Tommy Craven faces challenger Nancy McFarlane.  Tommy Craven was narrowly elected to the council two years ago. He supports balanced growth policies and has indicated his support for public-private partnerships to build schools.  His approach to managing growth is not only fair, but reasonable.  He is a fiscal conservative, and has served as a moderate voice on the council.   According to his answers in the TCC election questionnaire, Craven does not support a growth moratorium, and supports a comprehensive planning process that protects our environment, and community needs while also considering the rights and interests of property owners.  Tommy is endorsed by the News and Observer. 

His opponent, Nancy McFarlane, is a business woman active in the community.  Throughout the campaign, Nancy has advocated for extraordinarily high impact fees on development.  Nancy’s won the endorsement of the controversial and activist driven Independent Weekly.  According to the weekly paper’s formal endorsement, “McFarlane calls herself a "practical problem-solver," emphasizing the need for a new comprehensive plan that allows for continued growth while also protecting Raleigh's natural resources and saving open space. She's anti-Kane subsidy, and backs Meeker's position on impact fees—which would mean a 100 percent increase. She's for empowering CACs. If she wins, she'll be a breath of neighborly fresh air in place of the incumbent's arch-commercialism.”   McFarlane did not complete the TCC questionnaire.

(District B):  Jessie Taliaferro is the incumbent representing Raleigh’s fastest growing council district.  She is a tireless advocate for parks, open space and recreational opportunities.  Her approach to growth and development is fair, and she often brings opposing sides of a development to the table to settle tough issues.  Jessie supports the use of public-private partnerships, and is against adopting a growth and development moratorium. 

Jessie faces two challengers:  Angel Menendez and Roger Koopman.  Roger Koopman, who ran and lost to Paul Coble for a seat on the Wake County Board of Commissioners, is running an aggressive campaign.  He’s aligned himself with at-large incumbent Russ Stephenson, and is on record for wanting to aggressively raise impact fees (even after last year’s significant hike).  While Roger did not answer our questionnaire, he is also on record supporting slow growth policies.  He’s also attacked the real estate and development industry in his campaign communications.   Surprisingly, his own campaign treasurer is in the real estate industry, and Roger has accepted campaign contributions from developers. 

Menendez is new to politics, and is on record supporting a balanced approach to growth.  He does not support stopping growth through a moratorium.   He supports the use of public-private partnerships.

 (At-Large- two seats):  Six candidates are vying for two at-large seats.  Incumbent Russ Stephenson is running to hang on to one of the two at-large seats.  Mary-Ann Baldwin, Helen Tart, David Williams, Will Best and Paul Anderson are the other candidates in the race.  However, all eyes are on what appears to be a fight among several front runners, according to recent polls.  Apparently Stephenson, Baldwin and Anderson are running ahead of the rest of the pack, and the real battle is between Baldwin and Anderson on the one hand, and Stephenson on the other.

Stephenson, like Koopman, has been running against the real estate industry and has also received campaign contributions from developers.  Stephenson’s campaign is about how he wants to raise impact fees.    Moreover, Russ gets his support from the likes of the Independent Weekly, and bloggers on the extremist Web site “Below the Beltline.”   The site’s anonymous bloggers recently attacked Mary-Anne Baldwin, and are frequent critics of the business and development community.  Russ did not answer the TCC questionnaire.

Paul Anderson, who ran two years ago for a seat on the Raleigh City Council, is another viable candidate running a semi-strong campaign.  Anderson did not answer our questionnaire.  However, he is on record supporting balanced growth policies, including a sensible approach to impact fees.  Three other candidates, David Williams, Helen Tart, and Will Best, are running admirable campaigns. 

Town of Cary (Focus on Mayor and At-Large):

Mayor’s Race:  It’s déjà vu all over again in Cary.  Incumbent Mayor Ernie McAlister faces an experienced candidate and former town council member, Harold Weinbrecht.  Mayor McAlister has spent the last four years undoing many of the harmful policies implemented by former Mayor Glen Lang. Ernie works hard  to  manage growth, while at the same time investing tax dollars back into roads and other infrastructure.  A common-sense consensus builder, Mayor McAlister is also one of region’s strongest and smartest leaders. 

His opponent is running on the exact same platform he ran on almost a decade ago.  Harold believes growth should be slowed, and is a frequent critic of the development community--- and the council’s recent decisions to approve dense developments. .  He’s currently the favored candidate of several neighborhood organizations upset with Ernie‘s support for several controversial rezonings.  Ironically, Harold was on the council when it approved several of the Town’s largest—and most dense--- developments.

At-Large:  Tommy Byrd and Irv Portman are squaring off for Cary’s at-large seat.  Portman, the Cary Town Council’s choice to fill a seat vacated by Michael Joyce, is a planner by trade and a previous member of the planning and zoning board.  He is running as a moderate and recently voted against several controversial developments. 

Tommy Byrd, owner of Byrd Commercial and member of the TCC Board of Directors, is running a strong campaign and giving the incumbent, Portman, a real run for his money.  Byrd is a long-time community leader and a native of Cary.  He is committed to improving Cary, and brings a level-headed, common-sense approach to growth management.  Byrd also strongly supports the use of public-private partnerships to build schools, and is a tireless advocate of personal property rights.