Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 10:35:48 -0400
From: Dan Cahoon
Subject: Cotten, Bryan, Brooks and maybe Walker
I still don’t know Max Cotten and I don’t know anything except a name and a face for Mr. Brooks or Mr. Bryan. To those persons I send my respect and regard for tackling the daunting task of representing the people of Pittsboro.
I do take issue with your vote for rezoning. You voted yes to rezoning a place that does not need to be rezoned to be a productive resource for Pittsboro.
Why?
Why did you vote for this in the face of such ardent public dissent? Why the rush? Was it just so you could “get it over with” and go back to bed? Were you trying to save the developer of Pittsboro Plunder a little cash? A whole bunch of cash? Did this rush to vote have a political purpose? Did you think we wouldn’t notice?
You were asked directly at Last Mondays meeting to wait to vote, to wait until more information could be gathered. Pamel Baldwin pleaded with you to wait but was ignored. Randy Voller gave you plenty of opportunities to maneuver out of the situation and put it aside for at least a while. This public issue could have been discussed in a place where more of the people could listen and watch, where you could have looked them in the face when you voted yes.
It would have been the right thing to do.
I do not understand how you could do this to the people of Pittsboro. I am suspicious about all of this. It seems like a dirty deal, another dirty deal in a series of dirty deals.
Gentlemen, the only person I have met who would bother to defend your actions was a real estate agent who was so cagey about whether or not they would profit from your actions that I became even more suspicious. I don’t have anything against real estate agents per se but I don’t exactly trust them. Real estate agents make money by helping people buy and sell property. I think that makes them somewhat suspect as references when it comes to town planning. Why, some of my best friends
are real estate agents, still , I don’t trust the whole business.
I am not a real estate agent. I am a teacher who loves this community. My goals involve the creation and maintenance of a sustainable community, for me and for my children. I am counting on grand children and great grand children who have a healthy and beautiful world. I think we can have conveniences for us and for the many new members of the growing community. I believe we can accomplish this with reason, discourse and active participation of residents. I don’t believe outside developers should run the show. I don’t think outside developers should have a presence at closed meetings. I don’t think outside developers should have influence over planning decisions. I believe secret meetings and lunches and phone calls that can’t be recorded or trace should not be part of the planning process. I believe such actions represent corruption in government. The sad thing is that We the People don’t know about these “secret” meetings until the deal has gone down. We the People are too busy with the first day of school (August 27th), with teaching, with work of all kinds, to keep watch over our leaders. We must trust them to make reasoned decisions that reflect the will of the people. Our only power is the vote, and the voice (which can apparently be totally ignored by some people). I choose the voice right now and always vote when I have the opportunity.
You know, when you recite the pledge of allegiance 180 times a year (at least) you start to believe in it, especially the “justice for all part”. I like to recite the preamble to the constitution (I actually have to sing it, thanks School House Rock (T)) and sing the national anthem as well. I believe in the power of freedom and am learning the lesson about eternal vigilance.
Mr. Brooks, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Cotten, please resign from the board of commissioners . You have disregarded the interests of a significant number of voters and community members. You have pushed through a vote for unknown reasons. You have awakened the community. We will remember. We are vigilant. We are the people.
[where: Pittsboro, NC]