Politics

Politics

There are 1,050 posts filed in Politics (this is page 79 of 105).

Planning Commission

I was nominated Tuesday for a seat on Raleigh’s Planning Commission. For those of you who don’t know, the Planning Commission is a volunteer board that makes major decisions on the city’s growth, including rezoning changes and development code. It’s a very important board. Our city councilors consider these appointments very, very carefully as the Commission works very closely with city leaders, city staff, developers, and community leaders. It may not quite be the major leagues in the realm of city politics, but it’s definitely triple-A ball.

Getting a seat on the Planning Commission has been my goal for quite some time. Lately, though, I’ve been totally focused on my work with the East CAC and the Parks Board. I wasn’t aware of this recent vacancy until I was encouraged to apply. It’s a huge responsibility and one that I do not take lightly. After some serious thought I put my hat in the ring.
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Highlights of 2009: Public service

It makes me laugh when I think of my coworkers seeing me rush to take a call during the day. They have no clue that I’m often talking with city councilors, police officials, company bigwigs, or reporters. That was the case in 2009: another banner year for me for public service. I did things this year that I’d never done before and those challenges paid handsome dividends.

I began to really come into my own as chair of the East Citizens Advisory Council (East CAC). The presentations were interesting, the fedback was glowing, and people began to take notice. Several of my initiatives resulted in the largest attendance ever at the CAC. I created CAC business cards, started a CAC blog, ordered signs for putting out days before our meetings, and even dabbled in streaming video of the meetings on the Internet. I even held a “history night.” I believe these were all firsts for a CAC.

The chairpersons of other CACs began to take notes on what I was doing. It’s becoming a leader of leaders. And it seems now our area earns more respect from city leaders. Plans are being drawn up right now to completely revitalize East Raleigh’s major thoroughfares. It’s an exciting time to be in East Raleigh.
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Highlights of 2009: Elections

There was a city election this year and once again I found myself in the middle of it. I pitched in with the campaigns of Rodger Koopman and Russ Stephenson.

Kelly and I hosted a meet-and-greet for Russ that had to get moved to a friend’s house when our daughter suddenly got sick. I also recorded a robo-call on behalf of Russ that went out to the neighborhood. We were happy to help Russ as he’s been helpful to our community. Then there was the all-day poll greeting I did, which I find is an odd combination of being exhausting and yet strangely energizing.

Unfortunately for Rodger, a reelection was not to be. In spite of my efforts he was defeated. I believe part of his undoing were the Wake school board elections, which brought out the angry voters. Still, Rodger may not be at the table now but he’s not through with politics. I’d like to see him take one of the Wake County Commissioners seats that will undoubtedly go Democratic this year. We’ll see.

The secrets of the Secret Service

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I just finished reading Ronald Kessler’s book In the President’s Secret Service. It’s an eye-opening look at our presidents and the men and women who protect them.

Kessler shares stories about these “protectees” that were once only traded among agents. In the words of one agent, if Americans knew what their presidents were really like “they would scream.” Among the many things we learn: Kennedy was a philanderer. Johnson was a horny old man and a thief who “would have belonged in an insane asylum” if he hadn’t become president. Carter was untrusting and micromanaged everything. Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 were kind to the agents. Clinton was, too, and was frequently late to his appointments because he wanted to speak to everyone who came to see him.

The book’s other theme is that the agency is being run into the ground. Morale is low and management doesn’t seem inclined to turn things around. This theme is woven around the tales of heroism but seems a bit pasted-on at times. So do other anecdotes, which are sometimes tacked on to places in the text only tangentally related. It seems that the book could’ve used another good reading by an editor before it went to print.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as I’m a political junkie. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know what our leaders are really like when the eye of the public isn’t on them. Then again, perhaps it’s better if you don’t know!

Update: National security expert James Bamford has a similar review.

A real danger to driving safety

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I’ve been thinking more about the recent N.C. ban on texting while driving, specifically how utterly useless the law is. It got me thinking that if our legislators were serious about making the roads safer, perhaps they would pass a law requiring older drivers to submit to additional screening as they get older. Such a law might have saved the life of a 42-year-old motorcyclist as well as the life of a six-year-old girl getting off her school bus.

I generally support the efforts of the AARP but they were dead wrong in opposing this bill. I hope that Rep. Ric Killian and the rest of General Assembly gets bold enough to pass this bill during the next session.

Texting while driving

Effective today it is unlawful to “text” while driving. Any “additional technology” used on your cellphone (other than talking) can result in a $100 fine. While I hate distracted drivers as much as the next guy, this law is ridiculous. Completely unenforceable. How will anyone know at a glance if one is dialing their phone (legal) or texting (not legal)?

And shouldn’t this be common sense, anyway? When are we going to outlaw applying makeup while driving? Or reading the newspaper? I’ve seen both done (and more) by other drivers. Do we need a law for these, too, or should we just encourage folks to use their good judgement?

Laws that aren’t clearly enforceable should not be laws. Good ideas, maybe, but not laws.

My NBC 17 interview

Due to my role as the chair of the East CAC, I was interviewed today by NBC 17 regarding WakeMed and a nearby club, Black Tie. You can view the interview on NBC 17’s website.

Longtime MT.Net readers know what a huge fan I am of WakeMed. Our daughter spent seven weeks there as a preemie and is thriving in every way thanks to the incredible care she got from WakeMed. Even so, I have to admit I don’t think I’ve heard one complaint from residents about Black Tie over the past year. I’m hoping both parties can agree to work together to help strengthen our community.

Here’s a typical day for me

I thought it’d be fun to document the kind of day I’ve had, so here goes:

5:45 AM wake up (usually 5:15 but “sleep in” because I showered the night before)
6:05 AM take dog for walk around neighborhood
6:15 AM spot car at dog park before park opens. consider dialing 911 but let it go this time.
6:25 AM return home
6:30 AM read and send emails
6:40 AM read N&O
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Former Garner mayor Don Rohrbaugh dies

Former Garner mayor Don Rohrbaugh died yesterday after a long bout with leukemia. He was 80.

Don was our neighbor for the five years we lived in Garner. He was kind enough to welcome us to the town the very day we moved in. He also talked me into serving on a town committee, so in a way he got me started with municipal politics.

More than that, though, he was just a genuinely nice guy. Condolences to his family.

Here’s his obituary from the Bryan-Lee Funeral Home:
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