Cary, NC — This week was a little less active than typical weeks this time of year. CAMPO Meeting Wednesday I participated in a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Executive Board. The agenda included three consent items, three public hearings, and five regular agenda items.  Public hearings for the Unified Planning Work Program along with MPO Certification and an amendment to the FY2020-2029 Transportation Improvement Program were held without speakers and approved unanimously. A public hearing for the FY2023 Locally Administered Project Program (LAPP) was he ..read more

Cary, NC — This week the staff and council held its first quarterly meeting of the year. Monday I met with the town manager to go over items to be discussed at the quarterly meeting. Those topics included branding, an environmental update, an update on capital projects, park projects, and sidewalk projects. We also talked about the upcoming DEI committee appointments which I will make in a few weeks. Our meeting lasted about fifteen minutes. Recording the 2022 State of Cary Video Tuesday I recorded the voice-over parts for the video version of the State of Cary address at Digital P studios. T ..read more

Cary, NC — This was another light week as the council and staff prepare for our first quarterly meeting of the year next week. Meetings & Tennis Championship Board Monday I met with the town manager and town attorney to discuss elections, and ordinances related to discrimination. Our meeting lasted about 30 minutes. Later Monday I met with the Atlantic Tire Tennis Championships board. The tournament date for this year is set for September 11th through the 18th. Our discussion focused on getting our community and businesses involved. This may include new events during the tournament. O ..read more

Cary, NC — This week I was scheduled for a trip to Miami on Wednesday which was canceled. As a result, there were not a lot of activities on my calendar. Weekly 1:1 with the Town Manager Tuesday I met virtually with the town manager for our weekly one-on-one. Our topics of discussion included downtown development, future ordinances, intergovernmental meetings, the Eastern Gateway developments, and the DEI task force. Our meeting was less than thirty minutes. 2022 State of Cary Wednesday morning I delivered my annual State of Cary address to a couple hundred people in the Prestonwood Country C ..read more

Cary, NC — Wednesday morning at Prestonwood Country Club, Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht presented his 15th annual State of Cary address to a packed ballroom of Chamber members. Each year, the hour-long event covers the growth, developments, demographics and other metrics of Cary’s successes over the previous year and a few updates on the ongoing and future focuses of the Town of Cary. Weinbrecht started by saying that as the new year begins, the Town does continue to grapple with challenges, both personal and professional, and the tragic losses of life, including a Town staff member. “That can ..read more

Cary, NC — On Wednesday last week a vote of 69-50 was made in the NC House to advance House Bill 605 which calls for another postponement of North Carolina’s primary elections. With support coming from state Republicans on this bill in a party-line vote, the question is if Governor Roy Cooper will opt to veto the bill. Tomorrow will mark a full week of deliberating that decision. If Signed, Bill Moves Primaries to June 7, 2022 The writers and supporters of the bill have said it is necessary in order to allow more time for an ongoing battle in the courtrooms over NC’s election districts. The p ..read more

Cary, NC — This was a holiday week so things were a bit slow. Meeting with Mayors, Congressional Candidates Monday I participated in a meeting of the Wake County Mayors Association. Ten of twelve Wake County Mayors were in attendance with only Apex and Raleigh absent. We welcomed Blake Massengill, the new mayor from Fuquay Varina, Sean Mayefskie, the new mayor from Holly Springs, and Glen York, the new mayor from Zebulon. After introductions, we talked about what was going on in each of the communities. The meeting lasted about three hours. Tuesday I met with a Congressional candidate. We talk ..read more

Cary, NC — I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a Happy New Year. Performance Reviews & Interviews Monday I attempted to contact each council member for questions or concerns about Thursday’s council meeting agenda. The agenda was light so there were not any questions. Later in the day I met with staff to briefly go over the agenda. We anticipated the meeting would be short. Monday night the council met in closed session for about two and a half hours to give a performance review of two of its three employees. Wednesday I had an interview with an N&O reporter about our DEI ef ..read more

Cary, NC — In a meeting that totaled 16 minutes, the Cary Town Council approved 6 consent agenda items and unanimously voted to move forward with a list of sidewalk improvements and joining FEMA’s Community Rating System. Priority Projects Get Influx of $20 Million As is typical, the council approved a list of items in the consent agenda at the top of the meeting. These are items that are typically routine, don’t require further discussion, and can be all approved with a single vote. One item that stuck out Thursday night as having a sizeable price tag was the appropriation of $20 million, th ..read more

Cary, NC — During their June 11, 2020 meeting, the Cary Town Council approved the creation of a community-based task force to focus on issues relating to human relations, inclusion, and diversity in Cary. This meeting was less than a month after the death of George Floyd and the signing of the national Reimaging Policing pledge related to police use of force. The idea to create this citizen advisory task force was initiated by councilmembers Lori Bush and Ya Liu and was met with a unanimous vote of approval. In that meeting, council members expressed a desire to see more details such as a clea ..read more