Commissioner Stacey Anderson's swing vote on Beaty Street...

Commissioner
Stacey Anderson

"So, I have changed my mind during this meeting."

Those were the words Commissioner Stacey Anderson uttered to start her comments as Davidson Commissioners made their closing arguments before voting on the Luminous project and the sale of the Beaty Street property this past Tuesday.  Anderson ultimately voted for the project, and that left many, many people very, very confused.  aShortChronicle went back to the video and listened multiple times to see what might have been missed.  Here is what Anderson said.

"So, I have changed my mind during this meeting.  
But I still think this is the best plan, the best for Davidson"  She goes on to talk about how great she thinks the plan is and about the money it will bring into the town.  She says she thinks it meets all the town core values.  Then she closes with this statement.  "But I don't think the town can take the pressure, the tearing up, the anxiety it is taking to do this. But, aside from that, this is probably the best plan you'll ever see on this property."

Taken all together this certainly sounds like someone who was for the project and then switched to being against the project because of what it is doing to the town.

Anderson's comments came immediately after Commissioner Jim Fuller received major applause for his statements and strong commitment to vote against the project.  They came after hearing dozens of citizens speak against the project.  After she spoke, Commissioner Rodney Graham spoke at length for the project.  Graham, along with Commissioner Brian Jenest also voted for it as well.

Taken all together, Anderson's ultimate vote for the project after her comments actually means she appears to have changed her mind twice.  She was for the project going into the meeting; against the project after hearing from citizens; then she was back to being for the project again just a half hour later when the votes were cast.

Graham and Jenest work in the development industry, and just like sharks bite at the beach in summer, developers build.  Their votes are wholly unsurprising.  What makes Anderson's waffling so difficult to accept on such an impactful vote is that hers was the swing vote.  Her vote made it 3-2 for the project.

Swing votes are important.  By definition, they cause something to go one way or the other.  Commissioner Stacey Anderson, now more than any of the other Commissioners, bears responsibility for the sale of the Beaty Street property and the Luminous project going forward.

As of this posting, Commissioner Anderson has not filed for re-election.  The filing period ends one week from today.

Update: Commissioner Anderson filed for re-election on Friday the 14th.

2015 Election Davidson recommendations...

Election Day is upon us and it is time to head to the polls. Here are some suggestions for Davidson based on the methodology outlined in my upcoming column from this week's Herald Weekly.  Be sure to check that out on Thursday.

Davidson has seen a lot of positive change at town hall since the last election, and much of the credit goes to the newest faces on the Board - Commissioner Stacey Anderson and Mayor Pro Tem Beth Cashion.

On their watch the town has seen significant change in senior town staff with the retirement of Leamon Brice and the recently announced resignation of Town Attorney Rick Kline.  Getting new thinking and perspective in these important staff positions will be a plus for the town.

Since these two Commissioners have joined the Board, the town has become more open in communication in various ways and my personal experience is that they are willing to get their hands dirty with thorny neighborhood issues if needed.

They are the only two Commissioners from Davidson who signed a 2014 letter to Governor McCrory asking for a delay in the initial HOT lanes contract signing.  They are also committed to resolving the Mi-Connection situation and realize it was never a business the towns should have entered.

Both Anderson and Cashion deserve reelection.

Newcomer Michael Angell also deserves a look.  On the two biggest issues facing the town - I77 and the Catalyst project - Angell has had the right answers.  He has stated the HOT contract with Cintra is a very bad deal for all the right reasons.  He is the only candidate on record fully stating the Catalyst Project is a bad idea for Davidson.

Having a voice like Angell's on the Board may have brought the issues uncovered at last week's public hearing on the Catalyst Project much sooner.

Now, for the Mayor's race in Davidson.

Mayor John Woods is once again running unopposed, an unfortunate situation to be sure.

Over his long tenure as an elected official, Mayor Woods has certainly done some good things.  His love of Davidson should not be questioned.  However, when it comes to the biggest decisions facing the town, Woods's track record is lacking.

He supported creating Mi-Connection which is the single worst decision in the town's history.  He became the face of the Red Line effort and the blind pursuit of rail transit without first securing solid permission from Norfolk Southern.  He has also been anything but an opponent of the Catalyst Project which has the potential to alter the very fabric of the town.

While it is a shame that he has no opponent this time around, voters do have a choice.  They can leave the race blank.

Doing that can send the message that even if the officeholder does not change, the thinking needs to.

Just my 2 cents...

How Davidson Failed to Have a Special Meeting on HOT Lanes

There's been a lot of activity and swirl around the I77 HOT lanes project the past week - activity generated by the release of additional information from NCDOT - prior to Thursday's signing of the Commercial Close of the deal.

Here in Davidson much of that activity was around the request for a Special Meeting of Davidson's Town Board to discuss seeking a possible delay in signing the Commercial Close on the project until this new information could be clarified.  The need for the special meeting (if one was going to be had) stemmed at least in part from a post on this site last week.  Since we reported that this special meeting was not going to be held, aShortChronicle has obtained emails from the Town of Davidson detailing how that decision was reached.

There is much more in the documents received than the below set of emails, and it does appear there will be a sincere effort to hold a joint meeting with NCDOT and other area elected officials - possibly in early July 7th in Cornelius. Also, as part of the documents received, a list of detailed questions was compiled primarily by Commissioner Anderson and submitted for response to NCDOT.   Both of these are very good things towards getting clarification and updated information.

As for how Davidson's Board decided to not have a special meeting on the subject, that's a different matter.  There is definitely some room for improvement there.  Below are the relevant email selections on that.

Emails in time sequence starting with Comm Cashion's original request.
 

 Comm Jenest's response to Comm Cashion's original request...

Comm Fuller's response to Comm Cashion's original request...



 

Mayor Woods's response to Comm Cashion's original request...



Comm Graham's response to Comm Cashion's original request...

Comm Jenest's response to Comm Graham...

Comm Anderson's response to Mayor Woods (There was no direct response to Comm Cashion's initial request in the documents received)...

Without commenting too much on the individual responses, it appears that Mayor Woods had the strongest objection to having a special meeting to discuss this issue of a delay.  The extensive use of bold and underlining in his response being the clear indication of that.  Readers are strongly encouraged to go back and read that one a second time paying attention to the tone of it.  His frustration at even being asked for a meeting and having this conversation is palpable.

As for the Commissioner emails, readers can decide for themselves who gave this issue the most thought.

We'll leave our comments at that on the responses to the special meeting request.  We here at aShortChronicle would not want to be accused (again) of spreading misinformation or engaging in hyperbole.

Bonus Observation: Davidson's adopted Rules of Procedure require the Mayor or any three commissioners to call a special meeting.  This appears to be in conflict with the North Carolina general statute GS 161A-71 governing these meetings. That statute says the Mayor, the Mayor Pro-Tem, or any two commissioners can call a special meeting.  If Davidson was following the General Statute on this issue, both alternatives for who can call a special meeting were met.  Commissioner Beth Cashion is Mayor Pro-Tem and Commissioner Stacey Anderson provided the second needed request.

To eliminate the kind of heavy-handed response exhibited here by the Mayor against reasonable requests from Commissioners to call these meetings if needed, the Board should update their rules of procedure to be in line with State requirements.

With Filing Still a Month Off, North Meck NCGA Candidates Make Announcements

This past week saw announcements from local candidates regarding this year's NCGA elections.  With just a few weeks left before filing begins, things are sure to get interesting as the State and Federal election cycles ramp up.

On Tuesday, State Senator Jeff Tarte (Rep) sent out an email blast announcing a long list of endorsements - including endorsements from three Davidson Commissioners - Brian Jenest, Beth Cashion, and Stacey Anderson.  See here for the announcement and complete list. 

Not all that surprising is the absence from the list of Mayor Woods, Commissioners Graham, and Commissioner Fuller.  If they were to endorse anyone in the upcoming general election cycle for the NCGA, I'd put my money on Democrat and Davidson local, Natasha Marcus, in the NC House 98 race to replace Thom Tillis.  All three were pictured here at the campaign kick-off event in Davidson for Ms. Marcus with Mayor Woods doing the candidate introduction.  Interestingly, Mayor Woods was listed as a "supporter" of Republican John Bradford in this announcement regarding his recent Cornelius campaign, but he's missing from the list of elected officials endorsing Bradford for the NC-98 race.

Speaking of the NC-98 race and John Bradford, Bradford's campaign announced an important appointment this week.  Joshua Dobi will chair Bradford's election campaign committee.  That name may sound familiar to readers of this blog.  When Bradford announced his intention to run for this seat, we pointed out that local businessman Joshua Dobi had strongly urged voters to support Bradford in his recent run for Cornelius Town Board.

On Bradford's campaign site, ElectBradford.com, the campaign says of Dobi's selection to chair the campaign committee...

"Choosing a CEO in a successful Lake Norman area business is a calculated decision"

Seems like there are a lot of "calculated decisions" going on.  Then again, this is politics.

Davidson swears-in new elected officials. - VIDEO

There are a lot of great things about living in a small town like Davidson and being able to participate in your local government in an up close and personal way is one of them.  As the first of what will be a regular feature here at aShortChronicle, here is video of tonight's swearing-in ceremony for Davidson's newest batch of elected officials.  Call it our little contribution, free of charge, to openness and transparency in local government.  We won't be able to get every public meeting on tape, but we'll try to get the important ones!

Link to Video of Swearing In Ceremony




NOTE:  You may need to turn the sound all the way up.

This video contains:

1. The farewell to Commissioner Connie Wessner who was not re-elected this term.
2. The swearing-in ceremonies for Mayor and Commissioners.  With a nice small-town touch, these were all done by the family members of each official.
3. The election of Beth Cashion as Mayor Pro Tem and the assignment of commissioners to various nominating committees..