The week consisted of events on more of a personal nature. There were only a few town hall events. It was a week of prayer for family members and a friend in addition to celebrating Christmas.

On Monday a tennis friend of mine had a massive coronary on the tennis court. His heart actually stopped and he had to be revived. Through power of prayer and the great action of his friends, the EMS, and the wonderful doctors at Rex, he will have a full recovery. To me, his recovery is nothing short of a miracle.

Monday evening I attended the ribbon cutting of Kidz Corner daycare on Lake Pine Drive in Cary. These were some great folks who are looking forward to a successful business that all started with their desire to provide something unique to the community. I had the good fortune to talk with them for a while and learned that most of them had an association with Cary Christian School. My kids are well past the age for daycare. But if they weren’t I would definitely consider this daycare.

Monday night my wife and I attended the annual Mayor’s Association Christmas Dinner. After the meal I was presented the virtual gavel by Mayor Williams of Garner and by that action became the President. I MC’d the ceremony with an award and the introduction of mayors who introduced those in attendance. It was a great night. The only downside was the absence of Mayor Jones of Wake Forest whose father passed away. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

On Wednesday my daughter had shoulder surgery. The surgery went fine but the pain medicine made her sick. This meant she went several hours after surgery without pain medication. I am happy to report that she is doing much better but still has weeks of recovery left. She even attempted to go to Christmas Eve services and lasted through most of it. God bless her!

Wednesday evening I was headed to an interview with a student when I was asked by WRAL for an interview about the “Community Tree”. They did a fair job in reporting it but did not put emphasis on the facts. Most of the media did this to try and create a controversy. Some were saying that we were trying to rename our Christmas trees to Community trees which is absolutely false. The Fox news actually made the most impressionable incorrect statements which really damaged the reputation of Cary. It is a shame that some of the media are more interested in generating news than reporting it. Unfortunately, Cary got more than a black eye from this.

Because of this media created controversy I received dozens and dozens of emails about this issue. Here is a canned response I created for those emails:

Unfortunately the media is misleading everyone. The fact is that these trees have always been named a “Community Tree” and “Tree” and were named these names long ago to become inclusive (this was not done by the current council). What is proposed, and incorrectly reported by the media to mislead the public to create a controversy, is that two council members want to rename the trees to Christmas trees. And as far as I know there is no council opposition. Unfortunately, our next meeting is on January 14^th which is when we can and will address this. At that time I suspect our trees will be named Christmas trees.

Thanks for contacting us.

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

What is really disappointing about this mess is the way my Christian brothers and sisters responded and lashed out at me and other members of council. Here are just a few of the names and phrases directed at me (some to the entire council):

“Atheist”, “Idiot”, “stupid”, “fool”, “coward”, “worthless”, “Godless”, “disrespectful”, “insensitive”, “psychotic”, “pathetic”, ” insane”, “you are ridiculous”, “no ounce of leadership”, “no shred of decency”, “liberal BSer”, “no backbone”, “Christians no longer welcome in Cary”, “shocked and dismayed”, “street level politician”, “you are sorry, there must be retribution”, “no common sense”, “get your heads out of you’re a**”, “you are a laughing stock”, “hyper-political”, “you have lost your minds”, “hope to vote you out”, “leave us Christians alone”, “stupid liberal idea”,…

I must say that I was shocked at some of the things people said to me especially on Christmas Eve. One email was making a statement about Christ and in the next sentence used a four letter word. Anyway, enough about this. I will be glad when we put this behind us.

Wednesday evening I was interviewed by a student from NC State. His interview focused on leadership qualities and advice. His hope is to, one day, be in a leadership role. We talked for a while and I gave him a private tour of town hall.

Well that is all for this week and this year. I plan to next post on Sunday, January 3^rd. Have a very Happy New Year and please feel free to leave a comment on my post.

The week was a busy week filled with meetings, events, and a work session.

I was joined by the Governor on Monday afternoon to welcome Deutsche Bank to Cary. The town provided $75,000 in incentives to bring over 300 high paying jobs here. The payback period is three years. The state provided roughly $9.6 million in incentives. The jobs are IT jobs with the average pay over $88,000 a year. In talking with the executives, about 80% of their hires will be college hires. From my talks it also appears those college hires will be graduate degrees. At Deutsche Bank’s last location in Jacksonville they had three years to hire 400 people. They hired those in two years and now employ nearly 1000 at that location. My hope is that they will have that same success at this location.

Tuesday was a work session on the capital projects. The council reviewed all appropriated capital projects with the intention to postpone enough so that taxes will not have to be raised for at least two years. We agreed with the recommendations from staff and postponed over $24 million in capital projects. We used cash earmarked for those postponed projects and applied it towards the debt of higher priority projects. In addition to postponing projects we delayed indefinitely over $68 million in projects. The top three projects being delayed were the downtown streetscape, the aquatic center, and Walnut Street corridor improvements. Top projects moving forward include several road widenings, sidewalk improvements, radio improvements, greenway improvements, and storm drainage improvements.

Wednesday started with a holiday luncheon with the administrative staff and directors. It was great to have this time of fellowship together since we spent most of our time together in a professional capacity.

Wednesday evening I taped the January version of Cary Matters. The main topic for January will be the automated meter reading system. The question portion of the taping will be focused on online job applications and funding non-profits. So be sure to watch and send us your ideas of what we should be talking about in the future.

Wednesday night I attended a holiday dinner with a number of my campaign team members from two years ago. It is a fantastic group of people dedicated to making Cary a better place to live for all. We had a great time and dinner at Biaggi’s.

Thursday I attended the Economic Development Board meeting. Third quarter information was presented that showed our unemployment rate at 6.2% as of October compared with 6.9% in July. In addition, we went over several opportunities to bring jobs to Cary. We continue to be a strong contender in getting good jobs as was evident in Deutsche Bank locating here. Based on the information presented and what I have heard it appears the local economy should start making a positive move in the 2^nd quarter of 2010.

Emails this week included a lot of complaints about our holiday tree. It is a shame that two of our council members decided to make a media event out of this issue which divides the community at a time when we should all be coming together. The council will vote on their proposal in January.

Other emails this week included complaints about the proposed changes at High House and Cary Parkway, and complaints about solicitors attaching material to mailboxes.

Next week promises to be a short week with Christmas. The only event is the Mayors Association Dinner. At this dinner we will recognize elected officials and I will take over as President.

Well that is all for this week. I plan to next post on Sunday, December 27^th. Please feel free to leave a comment on my post.

The week was a busy week with a council meeting, the Christmas parade, the College Cup, two opportunities to administer the oath, and a meeting with the Turnpike Authority.

Monday started with an agenda meeting. We identified three items of potential controversy that would draw speakers or long discussion. Those included the Cary Parkway/High House proposal, the Bailey proposal, and the Carolina Legacy parking reduction. I estimated that the meeting would keep us there until midnight. I was only about a half an hour off.

After the agenda meeting I met with the town attorney to go over current legal issues. Based on the input I received I believe we are being represented well and making good progress (wish I could be more specific but you know I can’t since it is a legal matter).

I started Tuesday with my town manager weekly meeting. We discussed various issues none of which were crucial. I did ask if staff could find out from the Turnpike authority the design cost to have the turnpike around Cameron Pond include a wall.

Tuesday night I headed over to Morrisville with my wife to administer the oath of office to newly elected Mayor Jackie Holcombe. First, I would like to say that I have enjoyed working with Mayor Faulkner over the years and that she has been a good friend. Jackie Holcombe and I first met when my oldest daughter was in pre-school with her daughter Lindsay. Our daughters were very close so we got to know each other through our daughters. From day one the Holcombe family has been very kind, generous, and helpful. They are definitely the “good people” you always hear about. I was not involved when Jackie ran for Morrisville town council the first time. However, I was able to communicate with her on occasion about her run for mayor. Of course, I encouraged her and wished her the best. Once she was elected we sat down and talked. From that discussion I can tell you that she is still the wonderful person I met years ago. I believe she and the new council in Morrisville has great potential and can do great things for Morrisville in the future. It was an absolute honor and blessing to be asked and to perform the oath of office for Mayor Holcombe. I look forward to working closely with her as our towns partner on many issues in the coming years.

Wednesday morning I participated in the ABC 11 live cut in for their Heart of Carolina Food Drive. There were about a dozen or so volunteers to collect non perishable goods for the food bank. Their goal was 3 million pounds. I hope folks can find a little time and money in this holiday season to help those that are in need. With this year’s economy it is especially important.

Wednesday evening I met with several staff members from the Turnpike Authority. In the meeting with TPA yesterday we discussed options for noise abatement which included:
1) Sound Barrier - Would provide a visual and noise buffer. A typical wall would be 15 feet in height and as proposed would be approximately 1600′ in length at an estimated cost of $1.3 million. This wall option does not cover the entire neighborhood as the highway excavation encroaches within the Progress Energy easement and a wall is not permitted within the easement.
2) Earth Berm option - This would only provide a visual buffer to half the area in questions. This option would be minimally effective and has constructability concerns. The price is to be determined.
3) Landscaping option - This could provide a visual barrier but not a significant noise barrier. These options were presented as the most feasible considering the construction and financial constraints. Ricky Barker is part of the NCTA steering committee for the upcoming landscaping project
4) a combination of options.
It should be noted that the TPA would have to have any changes to the current plan resolved within roughly two months. This would mean finding $1.3 million in two months if we are to do a sound barrier wall. Another item of note is that clearing will begin on Monday. However, they estimate it will be late spring or early summer before they reach the Cameron Pond area.

Wednesday night I headed over to the Matthews House to welcome guests from the NCAA and colleges that were here for the college cup (NCAA Division 1 Soccer Championship). This was the 7^th consecutive college cup to be held at our soccer stadium. Thanks to our partners, CASL and NC State, this will once again be a sell out event. We have been awarded the 2010 college cup for women making it eight College Cups in a row for Cary. Getting the College Cup for 2011 will be difficult since the NCAA is considering a combined event with men and women and want a bigger venue. But we will see how that plays out The College Cup means millions of dollars in economic benefit for Cary and surrounding areas. Showcase teams competed in a tournament and were given tickets to the College Cup. Those teams were from 42 states, Bermuda, and Canada.

Thursday started with a meeting of the retreat committee. The retreat will be held on Friday and Saturday January 15^th and 16^th. Friday will be more of a higher level discussion of the vision for the town. Saturday will probably have much more detail. We will focus on four areas: 1) Community Planning - Planning for Quality of Life, 2) Making sure we’re ready when you are, 3) Financial Condition - Making sense with the dollars, 4) Municipal Services - Providing excellence in service to the citizens.

Thursday night was our only council meeting for the month of December. The item that seemed to generate the most public interest was the Cary Parkway and High House Intersection improvement proposal. This initiated from council asking staff to come up with future alternatives for the intersection because the intersection has no future plans. Without plans any development in the area will not require road improvement fees from developers. Although, this solution is clearly not the one we will need, we should continue to look for other options. Otherwise, the eventual widening will drastically change the aesthetics and character of the intersection. I insisted that we continue the public hearing on this topic, as advertised, until January 14^th which was supported by council. I have received criticism for this but to me protecting a citizen’s right to speak, no matter what their opinion, is of utmost importance and a right I pledged to protect when I was elected.

Saturday was the annual Jaycees Christmas parade. I was honored to participate. What was even more special is that my entire family was in the parade too. I rode in a 1957 car driven by Mr. Cooper and a former pastor of Cary’s First Baptist. I was flanked by both of my beautiful daughters. My wife rode in Erv Portman’s car with his wife. We had a wonderful time and passed out lots of candy. After the parade my family and I spent the rest of the day shopping.

Sunday I attended the finals of the College Cup soccer match between Virginia and Akron. This was a thrilling match won by Virginia on penalty kicks 3-2 after two overtimes ended in a 0-0 tie. The event turned out well even though the weather was lousy on Sunday. The estimated economic benefit for this event and the CASL event is estimated to be around $3 million dollars. The College Cup alone was estimated to have brought $300,000 in economic benefit. This event really gave the area a boost at the time we needed it. I am glad Cary was a host and hope we get to host many more College Cups.

I received numerous emails this week. Most of them were concerning the Cary Parkway and High House Intersection Improvements proposal. There were also several emails regarding the road stub for the Bailey subdivision. I also received a complaint about Cary’s water and another round of complaints from the Cary Watchmen (again full of half truths and misinformation).

Next week promises to be another busy week. Highlights include a ribbon cutting with the Governor on Monday and a work session on Capital Projects on Tuesday.

Well that is all for this week. I plan to next post on Sunday, December 20^th. Please feel free to leave a comment on my post.

The week included several holiday events, a committee meeting, and a personal event.

On Monday of this week I traveled to Georgia to bury my mother’s ashes. She died on July 5^th and my brother felt it would be appropriate to bury her ashes beside her parents grave on her birthday. Her birthday was Tuesday, December 1^st. So at about 10 AM on Tuesday, my brother and I put her remains in the plot, wished her a happy birthday and a restful peace. Then I headed back to Cary.

On Tuesday night when I arrived I had a conference call with the town manager and mayor pro-tem. Discussion included DOT projects and how to handle groups that are asking staff to do research for them. Tuesday night I went to the Wynston Ridge Homeowner’s Association meeting. Wynston Ridge is where my home is located. I did not participate in the meeting (only observed) but joined Jack Smith to answer questions after the meeting. Their questions included the widening of Holly Springs Road, schools, and greenways.

Wednesday I attended the Town of Cary Employee Recognition luncheon. Out of the 1100 employees, 650 were in attendance for the luncheon. I was fortunate to shake hands and talk with about 450 of them. What a blessing it is to talk to people who choose  a career in serving others. God Bless each and every one of them. Council member Adcock was also in attendance and also spent time thanking the town employees. I said a few words of thanks after the blessing and then had to hurry back to my daytime job.

Wednesday night I was scheduled to attend the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Elected Official Holiday Reception but had to cancel at the last minute due to work commitments that had to be addressed.

Thursday I chaired the Operations Committee for council member Smith who was out of town. We discussed five items but were in agreement so everything went on consent for the rest of the council. Items discussed included: $10,000 to assist with payment of a supplemental agreement for professional consulting services to complete the US 64 Corridor Study, Consideration of adoption of amendments to Policy Statement 157 for the Citizens Issue Advisory Group, denying an exception to the policy to allow additional street lighting in the Wynston Ridge Subdivision, agreeing to proposed improvements to be incorporated into the North Carolina Turnpike Authority’s Western Wake Freeway Project, and acceptance of a bid award for the Black Creek Greenway Phase II.

Friday I had an interview with Jane Paige from the New Homes and Ideas Magazine. In addition to being a cheerleader for Cary in the interview she wanted to know about how I felt my term was going. I told her I felt it was going well and that I had an excellent staff and a great council. I talked about the main objectives from the 2007 election which included growth, schools, roads, and the environment and how we have made progress in those areas. I will be very interested in reading what she captured from the interview.

Saturday morning I gave welcoming comments at the seventh annual Ole Time Winter Festival in downtown Cary. Unfortunately, it appears the weather hurt the attendance. I talked with organizers about combining this event with the Jaycees Christmas parade. Hopefully, we can make that happen next year and make it a great day of holiday celebration.

Saturday night I introduced the official Holiday tree lighter. This year the honor went to Assistant Fire Chief Don Daniels who is retiring on January 1^st. He has spent 37 years working in our Fire Department and will be sorely missed. The tree lighting ceremony was held inside the council chambers because of the rain. At the end of the performances we all headed outside to light the tree. It was a lot of fun and we even had snow. OK, so the snow was man made.

Emails this week included complaints about the automated meter reading system, the new noise levels at the amphitheater, HVAC inspections, the holiday tree (instead of Christmas tree), the Bowden house sign, and Cary’s expansion into Chatham County.

Next week will be a busy week for me including the swearing in of Mayor Holcombe of Morrisville, the swearing in of Mayor Pro-Tem Robison of Cary, welcoming officials to the NCAA Men’s College Cup, a council meeting, and the Christmas parade.

Well that is all for this week. I plan to next post on Sunday, December 13^th. Please feel free to leave a comment on my post.