The Buie Knife

Obama Supporters Launch Chatham Changemakers

Easter weekend did not deter an enthusiastic group of Obama supporters from gathering in the  Chatham County Superior Courtroom on Saturday, April 11 for a half-day of information-sharing and to launch a new organization: Chatham Changemakers (www.chathamchangemakers.org). I'm the group's webmaster. The group is not only working locally to garner support for President Obama's agenda, but is tackling a plethora of local issues, believing, as President Obama has said, that "change comes from the bottom up." The local issues the group is working on include:

• health care
• energy
• immigration
• education
• transportation
• environment
• economic development and stimulus
• labor
• race relations
• affordable housing
• media and communications in Chatham County
• a SUSTAINABLE community

In addition to Chatham County, I'm aware of active Obama groups in Orange, Durham, Moore and Guilford counties. Perhaps you know of others (if so, post them in the comments section). The ones I know about are:

(1) The Orange County (NC) Campaign for Change has four specific goals

• Expanding voter participation through voter registration and voter education
• Organizing community building and community action projects
• Working with elected political leaders to ensure accountability and transparency to the electorate
• Organize active, collaborative support for President Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise

(2) DurhamforObama.org has three goals and six action steps in its mission statement.

(3) Moore CAN -- An outgrowth of the Obama campaign, this group is working on five issue areas.

(4) Pledge Project Canvass -- Volunteers in Greensboro are going door-to-door to gather signatures in support of Obama's agenda.

Related:

• Nationally, A Resurgence of Interest in Community Organizing

Chatham County in Better Financial Shape Than Most Surrounding Counties, Lucier Says

It is illuminating to read Chatham County (NC) Board of Commissioners' Chair George Lucier's State of the County Address, complete with color graphs. I'm new to local civic life in the county, and I learned that Chatham is in far better financial shape than other nearby counties. I couldn't find any coverage of this important address in The News and Observer, the Chatham Journal, or other local media outlets I searched on Google, so I've decided to summarize it myself for my own edification and that of readers.

For FY2009, Chatham is projecting a relatively tiny .24% budget shortfall, compared to a 4.76% budget shortfall for Orange County, a 2.3% shortfall in Wake, a 1.99% shortfall in Durham, and a 2.48% shortfall in Lee Counties. Compared to other counties in the state of similar size, Chatham's county government staffing levels are lean, spending 14% less in FY 2008 for salaries and benefits than other counties in the same population group. Chatham froze staff positions and eliminated non-essential travel, and delayed several construction projects.

Of concern to some homeowners is "sticker shock" from property revaluations.

'Organizing for America': Obama Network in Chatham County, NC Plans Continued Activities

Ken Boggs, Democratic chairman of Mann's Chapel precinct in Chatham County, NC, heard a frequent complaint from voters during the 2008 election: "The only time I hear from the Democratic Party is at election time when they are seeking my vote."

Ken thought this complaint from voters was understandable. In the era of mass media (radio, television, direct mail) and campaign "air wars" --dominated by negative campaign ads -- traditional political strategists viewed voters as impersonal demographic targets, to be sold a message that has been test-marketed by focus groups but has nothing to do with listening to individual voters' real concerns. Until 2008, the "ground war" or grassroots organizing had been increasingly ignored by political campaigns since the advent of television advertising in 1960. But that era is now ending. The Obama campaign's ground war was hugely successful. Two-way, interactive communication over the Internet is replacing one-way television broadcasts, and reducing the isolation and alienation that voters feel.

Visionary precinct leaders like Ken Boggs understand the huge potential of information technology to reconnect citizens with their government. He started a blog called Chatham-County.blogspot.com, that reported on the Obama campaign from a very local perspective and helps citizens in his area connect with their representatives. Now the task for precinct leaders like Ken is to use new media tools as well as face-to-face contact to maintain connections with voters, and harness the energy of the Obama movement, so that in two or four years he doesn't hear the same complaints he encountered in 2008.

For more than 12 years, I've advocated the development of online structures that mirror real-life civic and political structures, listening to and recruiting citizens at the grassroots precinct level to be more involved in civic life and government. Here in Chatham County, thanks to the Obama victory, we're starting to do that. Obama won this county by 3194 votes -- 17,862 to 14,668. Four years earlier, in 2004, John Kerry won Chatham County by just 12 votes. The margin of victory in 2008 is attributable to an aggressive voter registration drive, new opportunities to vote early, and a highly visible and well-organized Obama ground game in the county.

Imagine if many of those nearly 18,000 voters as well as McCain voters with whom they find common ground remain connected -- via email, social networks, face-to-face meetings. Imagine if precinct leaders listen to their concerns, imagine if they are recruited for volunteer programs and service projects in the community. Imagine if this kind of organizing happens in every county in the nation -- what a different, and better, nation this would be. To sustain and grow this movement, Obama has announced the creation of "Organizing for America":



I'd say this organization has a good chance to make the dream of a more responsive, participatory democracy a reality. 

Early Returns: North Chatham Elementary Students Vote Obama, Sixth Grade Votes for McCain

My son Alex's school, North Chatham Elementary in Chapel Hill, NC, encouraging kids to get accustomed to the idea of participating in democracy, had a mock election. Obama won 421 to 316. However, the sixth graders went for McCain, 36 to 29, and the fifth graders went for McCain, 43 to 36. Alex gave his reasons for voting for Obama here.

Pam Cash-Roper of Pittsboro, NC, a Republican, Spoke at the Democratic Convention and Explained Why She's Voting for Obama

In prime time, five "regular" Americans spoke at the Democratic Convention. By far the best of the five, in my humble opinion, was Pamela Cash-Roper, a retired nurse from Chatham County, Pittsboro, NC. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm a resident of Chatham County.)

The N&O did a nice story. Below, courtesy of the Chatham Journal, she talks about the response in Chatham County to her high national profile:

You Know You're From Chatham County If...

click. Clever. Apparently written by recent high school graduates. Sounds like a good place to raise my son.

Thriving Online Community in Chatham County. How About in Your County?

Having written extensively about the potential power of online neighborhoods nationally, I'm pleased to see the extent of electronic democracy in Chatham County, NC, where I now live. Though Chatham is a relatively rural community, it seems to have thriving online communities.

"I look at it like neighbors talking across the fence, but instead of the fence being in your yard, it's all the way across Chatham County," said Gene Galin, in a 2002 Independent Week profile, when he was given a "Citizen Award" by the paper for his efforts online. He's the creator of the Chatham Chat e-list, the Chatham Journal, the Chatham County Bulletin Board, not to mention ChathamNCBlogs.

Chatham County has recently added an e-mail service to let people know about important happenings and events.

These online lists don't include discussion groups for specific Chatham County neighborhoods.

I bet such examples of electronic communications on the county and neighborhood level are springing up across the country. Do you know of others?

On Living in Chatham County, NC: What's Its Future? Pros and Cons of Population Growth and Development

North Carolina's population is projected to double by 2035, moving from the 11th largest state to the sixth or seventh largest state. Chatham County, where I live, is expected to leap from 60,000 in 2008 to at least 120,000 by or before 2035. Perhaps there will be much faster growth, depending on economic conditions and the response of local government.

When I arrived here in late 2006, there was talk that Chatham could become "the new Cary-Apex," which grew from a few thousand people in 1968 to more than 120,000 in 2008.

The notion that the semi-rural character of parts of North Carolina, and Chatham County could be destroyed is not welcome to my wife and me. We were lured here by the sharp contrast to the high-traffic nightmare and relatively high crime rate of the Washington, DC metro area. The idea that Chatham's population density might reach Cary's, with the inevitable crime, urban sprawl, malls, and tens of thousands of newcomers does not appeal at all.

We know we've found a good thing. After moving to the North Carolina Triangle in 2005, we shopped around for more than a year before settling on Chatham County, where we found we could get far more bang for our real estate bucks than in Chapel Hill or Raleigh.

As relative newcomers ourselves, we can't exactly push for the county gates be closed now that we've arrived.

I actually wouldn't mind a little more hustle and bustle in Chatham County, and don't fear some of the proposed development, such as an upscale grocery store (Whole Foods?) at Fearrington Place. I note that the moratorium on residential development in the county has been extended to December, 2008, to give the county water system and schools a chance to catch up in the residential developments now underway. 

I think we could have the best of both worlds -- village atmosphere, small-town and semi-rural setting, enjoyment of nature, sense of place with roots, along with semi-urban opportunities nearby. And if we the citizens participate, we can help shape the character and sense of place for the future.

I am particularly intrigued by the idea of a Pittsboro-to-Chapel Hill bus route, which has been discussed on the Chatham Chatlist, and garnered more than 220 signatures on a petition. The Daily Tar Heel editorialized in favor of it:

Between skyrocketing gas prices and increasingly difficult parking situations in Chapel Hill, we think that a public transit line would be heavily used and would soon become well worth it. In addition, it's possible that Pittsboro could receive some federal funding for the bus line.

"Chatham Character: Rustic Beauty Key to Chatham's Charm" by Daneille Jackson in Fifteen501.com magazine describes some of the challenges of growth and developments under way or in the works, including a miniature Research Triangle Park. It's well worth a read.

Most of all, Chatham County needs to preserve and promote its unique character. I hate the idea of it being overtaken by suburban sprawl that will make it look like everywhere else in the country.

Having a special sense of place is a highly marketable commodity for a county. Travel writer Robert Nebel offered his take on Fearrington Village, the Silk Home Winery, Durham barbeque, and Downtown Raleigh in The Chattanoogan.com and MensTraveler.com. I also like his travel blog, focusing mainly on places in the Southeastern U.S.

What do you think of Chatham County's growth and how would you like to see it managed?

Responses

Update: Thanks to Gene Galin, administrator of the Chatham County Bulletin Board, my little essay above has sparked (so far) more than 25 responses.

A few hostile comments, apparently in reference to buzz words I used that are "hot" locally -- "newcomer"; "upscale grocery store (Whole Foods?)," indicating that I live in the eastern part of the county, expressing a concern for "preserving the semi-rural setting" and avoiding "suburban sprawl"  --  makes me wonder if I've unwittingly stepped into a hornet's nest.  As Julian Sereno pointed out in a well-written piece in the Chatham County Line, "Chatham Is Divided: There's a history to east-west tensions in the county."

Related:

• My Fearrington Village blog

Enclyclopedic Knowledge of Chatham County, NC

One of the most delightful things about Wikipedia, the online enclyclopedia, is the development of entries about the HYPER-LOCAL. I've learned things about where I live from the entry on Chatham County, NC. It was named for William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham, who served as British Prime Minister from 1766 to 1768 and opposed harsh colonial policies.

I had no idea that Charlie Daniels of the Charlie Daniels Band grew up here, or that Clay Aiken may live here. (I knew that Frances Bavier of Andy Griffith Show fame was buried here.) Seeing so many rabbits on my evening dog walks, I could have guessed that Chatham County was once a leading shipper of wild rabbit meat, but I didn't know it. I didn't know we get very little of our water from Jordan Lake.

What did you learn from the Wikipedia entry on Chatham County?

I also appreciated the link at the end of the article to "99 Things We Love About Chatham County," at the Chatham County Journal website, which made me appreciate where I live even more, and to try to be more observant of my local surroundings. What would you add to things to love about Chatham County?

Chatham County NC Blogs and Activist Sites

Here are the ones I can find. Let me know of others.

www.chathamncblogs.com (blog aggregator -- mostly posts from the Chatham County bulletin board)

http://galinforschoolboard.com (Gene Galin for School Board)

http://cross4chatham.blogspot.com (Mike Cross, Chatham County Commissioner)

http://barnes4chatham.blogspot.com (Patrick Barnes, former Chatham County Commissioner)

http://www.sallykost.org (Sally Kost, Chatham County Commissioner)

www.chathamcoalition.org (Chatham Coalition)

http://www.chathamchatlist.com