Wendell News Outlet

In today’s (10-31-07) Eastern Wake News Mr. Buddy Scarboro ran an open letter to the citizens of Wendell in which he belittled a previous political advertisement placed by a group of citizens who questioned his qualifications for the office of Mayor of Wendell.

Quite graciously, Mr. Scarboro tacitly admitted that the contents of the advertisement were true by stating that he was “sorry for any misrepresentation on my behalf”. He then goes on to describe the advertisement in question as “slanderous”. In my dictionary the word slanderous is described as “saying of something false and damaging”. After having apologized for his misrepresentations, which were factually stated and documented in the advertisement, why then does he say it was false and damaging? Mr. Scarboro, you can’t have it both ways.

Again Mr. Scarboro shows his gracious nature by “forgiving his fellow Christian brothers who thought it so important to cast the first stone” and “as for the rest of the people who took part in the stoning, I forgive them as well”. Mr. Scarboro, I am sure the citizens of Wendell who placed the advertisement in question appreciate your magnanimous gesture of forgiveness for their having exposed your record as a town commissioner for the past 12 years. You are apparently proud of your service, at least when you attended!

The citizens of Wendell have some decisions to make this coming Tuesday when they step into the voting booth, The major decision they face is whether to let the town continue in its current downward spiral or to elect a new mayor and commissioners and move into the 21st. century. Please don’t let political rhetoric, as in Mr. Scarboro’s letter, that says nothing and blames everyone else for his inadequacies, sway your thinking. Wendell is on the threshold of an exciting new era of growth and development and we need forward thinking leaders to guide us through this period.

All you need to do to access the Wendell Candidates Forum VIDEO ON DEMAND online is to click on this link and select Candidates Forum under the Wendell column :

http://ewtv.org/archive.htm

Happy Viewing, Folks !

Neil.

Video tape of the Wendell Candidates Forum that was held on Tuesday October 9 will be broadcast by EWTV (East Wake TV) and can viewed on cable channel 22 as well as your computer.
It will be broadcast at least once a day through the end of October.
Check the schedule at http://ewtv.org/schedule.htm.

VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN: GROWTH IS A BIG ISSUE IN RALEIGH AND CARY ELECTIONS

The 2007 municipal elections on Tuesday showed without a doubt that Wake citizens are very concerned about rapid growth. What's more, in Raleigh and Cary, mayor and city council candidates not backed financially by big developers were rewarded with victories. Impact fees, quality growth management, water needs and transportation were big issues in the elections, and drove voters to city candidates who said that citizen interests and not developer interests should be the driving force behind local planning and policies. The message was growth should help pay its share of the costs of growth, and this has been WakeUP's drumbeat over the last year and a half. To read more, click here.

Also, outgoing Cary Town Councilor, Marla Dorrel, spoke at WakeUP's 2^nd Annual Meeting Sept. 25 about the politics of growth in Cary. She called for new leadership, and that is what the elections may bring. To read her remarks, go to WakeUP's website (remarks up soon).

Don't forget to visit our Web site and Forum for additional information.

Transfer Tax Facts for You to Use

Now that the General Assembly has given Wake the ability to have a transfer tax, WakeUP is working to get a transfer tax referendum on the Wake ballot in the coming year. A transfer tax is a great opportunity to help pay for growth's needs in Wake -- particularly for schools. Over the next 20 years, Wake County will need 82 new schools! Either everyone's property taxes must increase dramatically, or growth can help pay its share. A 0.4% transfer tax on all real estate transactions can raise $50 million a year in Wake, and that could be bonded to $500 million for schools. To learn more about the transfer tax and to download WakeUP's powerpoint, go to www.wakeupwakecounty.com and click on the "transfer tax" box. If you want to join WakeUP's transfer tax, please contact Stan Norwalk at stann@nc.rr.com. We need your help! WakeUP needs YOU! We are a grassroots citzens' movement, and all of us working together makes us an effective voice. To meet our next goals, we need many kinds of help from volunteers, including: fundraising data management graphic design issue advocaty on transfer tax, water, and transportation WakeUP's strength is our PEOPLE! Please contact Karen Rindge at krindge@earthlink.net if you want to be an active part of our growing, successful organization!

In last night’s interview (10/5/07) on Channel 17, where the discussion centered on the Pepper Pointe controversy, Wendell Commissioner Ronald Thompson said "In any small town, everybody doesn't want growth. But you've got to uh, it's coming whether we want it or not". Yes commissioner I agree, it is coming, in waves.

During this same interview, the commissioner also said "You're not gonna get commercial if you don't have housetops. So you gotta have housetops to try to entice business to come in." Again commissioner, we have agreement in principal, but perhaps not in substance.

The following comments are not about the homes in Pepper Pointe, as that was a giant step in the right direction; it was the right development at the right time. No, my concern is that maybe Pepper Pointe has established a monetary criterion for new housing developments in the town instead of being just the beginning of an upward trend in home prices.

We need housetops, but what’s under those housetops is what really counts. Another 1500 housetops built over inexpensive homes, jammed together on small lots, is not going to entice businesses to come to Wendell, at least not the kind of business’ the town wants and needs. Do we really think an upscale restaurant or boutique will be enticed to move to Wendell where the average families’ discretionary income is unable support that type of business? Of course not, business people need to be where customers have the financial ability to buy their products.

In general, people who buy more expensive homes have more discretionary income (but not always). More discretionary income begets more upscale businesses which help to enhance the perception of the town; generates more sales tax revenues which in turn allow for more improvements and services to the town which....well enough said I’m sure you see the point I am trying to make.

In my opinion, the Town of Wendell needs to upscale its housing. We currently have a sufficient amount of inexpensive housing on small plots and now, in order to create the diversity in housing we all want, we need many more expensive houses built on larger plots. Some may question the need for larger plots, but look around Wake County, see how many expensive homes are built on small plots. Perhaps within Raleigh, where the land prices have skyrocketed, you may see expensive homes on small plots, but that is the exception. More expensive homes on larger plots, as will be developed in many parts of Wendell Falls, is the way the town should be heading.

Perhaps I misunderstood the commissioner’s comment that “you gotta have housetops” meant housetops on any size or priced housing. If so, and if he was referring to more expensive housing, he has my full support.