Today’s N&O listed its endorsements for city council. While I agree with most of them, I have to wonder how the N&O could fail to endorse incumbent councilor Randy Stagner.
Randy has worked very hard as a councilor. He may be the one most likely to show up at a meeting, whether it be a community meeting or otherwise. As the Parks board liaison for the past two years, Randy has showed up more frequently to Parks board meetings than any other city council liaison I can recall since I began serving. He takes his work very seriously.
One of his passions is transportation issues, passion for which we are in desperate need of here. He is a cyclist who frequents our greenways. He also spearheaded the creation of the Greenway Volunteers program, putting over 70 citizen volunteers to work monitoring our greenways. This program was his initiative, and it has helped Raleigh avoid the kind of crime that sometimes occurs on Durham’s American Tobacco Trail.
Randy also took up the issue of Sandy Forks Road, a District A street that’s long been in truly abysmal shape. Through his efforts, bond money is being secured to give this road the attention it has long needed.
Randy’s not beholden to special interests. He’s a retired Army colonel who has a lifetime of public service experience. Has he made a few rookie mistakes? Certainly, but overall he’s done a fine job and deserves another term.
On the other hand, Randy’s opponent is an attorney for real estate developers. He has a poor grasp of the issues, whether it be the city’s Unified Development Ordinance, how the parks system works, and other issues. His service on the council while working his day job would almost certainly be a conflict of interest. In short, he would be a train wreck. How the paper’s editorial board could give him the nod is beyond me. I worry that Colin Campbells’ less-than-stellar reporting has tainted their judgment.
