gchildress@heraldsun.com; 918-1046
CHAPEL HILL -- The one thing that all eight Town Council candidates agreed on at this week's Neighbors for Responsible Growth forum is that Chapel Hill is a pretty special place to live.
Where they differed slightly is on what they would do to keep it that way.
In a free-wheeling and entertaining discussion Wednesday that was moderated by former mayor Jonathan Howes, the candidates tackled questions that ranged from naming two things they value most about Chapel Hill to explaining how they would improve public notice and participation in local government, which some citizens find confusing.
"I think the town hasn't made it inviting for the average citizen," said John Dehart, adding that he believes the town needs to become more innovative and take advantage of social networking to interact with residents.
Incumbent Laurin Easthom pointed to the town's recently upgraded Web site as one effort to improve communication between the town and residents. And while it's not perfect, Easthom said it is "definitely a step in the right direction."
Perhaps one of the most provocative questions of the night centered on whether candidates think there is ever a good time to "circumvent" existing rules and ordinances such as the town's Comprehensive Plan and the Land Use Management Ordinance.
"If there is a need to circumvent the regulation, then we need to rethink the regulation," said Matt Polhman.
Candidate Penny Rich said town officials must be careful about changing the rules. She said there will be exceptions, but that they should only be made "when public input is involved.
Gene Pease said he doesn't think the process is working very well because it's arbitrary and inconsistent.
Will Raymond agreed that the rules need to be very clear.
Incumbent Ed Harrison said the "process works well most of time" and when it doesn't he usually votes against the project.
Candidates also discussed the need for more affordable housing and the need to stop relying so heavily on the residential property tax.
Neighbors for Responsible Growth has scheduled a forum for the four mayoral candidates on Oct. 18.
