2007 Chapel Hill-Orange County Elections

2007 Chapel Hill Municipal Elections

Town Council
Matt Czajkowski
Sally Greene
Cam Hill
Will Raymond
Penny Rich
Bill Strom
Jim Ward

Jim Ward (incumbent)

Click here for Chamber Commentary
Click here for Audio Responses

Legend:
Y = Yes, N = No, U = Undecided

1.) Is increasing the commercial tax base an important priority for you?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y

2.) Do you support shortening the time it takes to have a project approved or denied in Chapel Hill if the quality of the development and level of citizen input remained high?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y

3.) Would you support creating a set of criteria for desirable development projects and then expediting the approval process for projects that meet those established criteria?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

4.) Will you vote to set a lease expiration date or a deadline for the Homeless Shelter to vacate the old municiple building downtown?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
N	N	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	U	Y

5.) Do you support land use regulations and regulatory practices that promote the construction of office, retail and workforce housing along transportation corridors?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

6.) Do you generally support the concept of developing the Horace Williams Tract into a mixed use research park (Carolina North)?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
U	Y	Y	U	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

7.) Do you think a healthy growing economy is an equally important component of community sustainability as environmental protection and social equity?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y

8.) Will you vote to implement the additional recommendations made by the Chapel Hill Parking Committee within the first six months of your term?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
U	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	U	Y

9.) Will you make economic development and redevelopment efforts a priority for you during your term in office?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

10.) Do you believe the town should provide incentives for its employees not to drive to work?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

11.) Do you support modifying the town’s panhandling ordinance to be more restrictive of the locations where people may panhandle in the downtown?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	Y	N	U	N	Y	Y	U	Y

12.) Do you think the town needs to do more to make sure its committees and taskforces include more representation from the business community where there is currently very little?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	U	Y

13.) List up to three specific things you would do to make Chapel Hill a better place to do business.
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward

Please click the following questions to hear the the candidates' response when asked at the forum held on October 9:
(for help in playing these files, please contact Randy Schmidt at 967-7075 x.32 or rschmidt@carolinachamber.org)

EmPOWERment, Inc. anticipates that upcoming mixed use projects will have a major financial impact on the community. If elected, what specific measures will you take to preserve the integrity of neighborhoods surrounding these projects?

Statistically, downtown has the highest crime rate in Chapel Hill. If elected, what would you do to improve the reality and perception of safety in the downtown?

What should we do to ensure our youth are better informed of employment opportunities so that they can remain in our community?

Chamber Commentary:

Jim Ward works for the North Carolina Botanical Gardens and is seeking reelection in order to continue improving the quality of life in the community. One of Mr. Ward’s top issues is maintaining environmental quality, though he believes development and the environment can co-exist. Mr. Ward’s interest in streamlining the development process intersects with the Chamber’s interests as does his general support of the Carolina North project. By contrast, he is not supportive of the Chamber’s views on parking or the homeless shelter and seems unlikely to be a strong advocate for increased commercial development. The Chamber views Mr. Ward as an accessible and responsive candidate for Town Council.