Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 09:24:40 -0400
From: virginia penley
Subject: Vision for the future of Chatham County
I moved to North Carolina nearly forty-four years ago and I have witnessed a lot of change in our area and State. To me, what I need to hear from our officials running for office is how will your vision and your ideas manifest to best improve the quality of life for the citizens of Chatham County.
To put it simply: how will you make the day-to-day life of the people of Chatham County more enjoyable and better for all citizens.
Investing in our public schools and making them “great” as opposed to to merely “good” would be a good start.
Investing the few dollars needed to support a robust transit network or something as simple as “the Bookmobile” are not budget breakers and certainly will yield a substantial tangible and intangible return on investment. (As a longtime property owner and taxpayer I can attest that these services would have been a boon during my recent convalescence from hip replacement surgery. I may not have needed them in the past, but as I have been stuck recovering at home and unable to drive or move well, I came to understand the value of these investments in our community.)
Finally, looking at a candidate’s resume is nice and running through a list of accomplishments helps inform the voter, but we are entering a very important period in the history of Chatham County and this era will require visionaries and leaders with strength and fortitude who understand that we need good quality water and infrastructure for our municipalities, businesses and citizens, great schools for our children and our future, and a plan to create and support prosperity that can be enjoyed by all.
In closing, our leaders or future leaders need to paint a picture for us to see and evaluate. The picture should include elected Commissioners showing up to meetings, attending regional committees representing Chatham County’s citizens, and protecting the air we breath and water we drink from potential hazards such as fracking and unplanned sprawl that covers the county like kudzu.
To quote John Wooden: “If we fail to plan we will plan to fail.”