Jim Crawford for Chatham

Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 14:10:26 -0400
From: James Crawford
Subject: Crawford for Chatham

My name is Jim Crawford. I am the Democratic candidate for Chatham County Commission, District Four.

I grew up in a large family on a farm. I believe in high quality public education and I have taught US History as a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill and as a faculty member at Elon College, UNC-Greensboro and North Carolina A & T.

One lesson that history teaches is that our country thrives when it has leaders willing to invest in our people and places to achieve a mutually shared vision. Our county needs commissioners who cultivate citizen participation and who will deliberate and make policy in public view to achieve a shared goal. Our county is better served by women and men who regard government as a positive force to create a higher quality of life for all citizens rather than a necessary evil.

I am currently a member of the county planning board. We have been busy reviewing numerous sub-divisions which, along with Chatham Park, will transform our land and future. We need to revise our 2001 land use plan, something the current board refuses to do. We need a road map for balanced growth that preserves our rural character while also attracting good quality businesses and growing Goldston, Pittsboro and Siler City. If elected our team will invest year in and year out in Chatham’s municipalities.

The county’s aging population is growing. I have personally visited many of our at-risk senior population while volunteering as a carpenter for the Council on Aging. Seniors who rely on the county for transportation and access to the bookmobile were dealt hard blows by ideologically-driven Republican penny-pinching. I want to closely examine these and other recent cuts in county services, particularly those that adversely affect this vulnerable population in order to ensure that our local government is investing in its people and being a positive force in their lives.

I have served on the parks and recreation advisory board. Rather than invest in making all of the county’s properties serve our people and draw visitors from neighboring counties, the current board has failed to capitalize on the value and importance of a high quality parks and recreation system. In addition their budget priorities fail to comprehend and leverage the intangible and tangible value of arts and culture to economic well being and quality of life in Chatham County.

Finally, while the current GOP-led Board of Commissioners has disbursed the affordable housing funds from Briar Chapel to worthwhile groups, the leadership still has no coherent plan to address the real need for affordable living in Chatham County. While “kick the can” was a fun game to play as a child it is no way to govern a county.

I invite you to learn more about the Democratic vision for Chatham and the strong team that Karen Howard, Diana Hales, Mike Cross and I will have in place for you after November 4th.

Please visit my website to find out more: http://www.democracy.com/jim-crawford/issues.aspx.