Save Davidson's level of organization peaking as election season begins

The Save Davidson activist group is getting more organized by the day it seems.

Originally started as a Facebook group focused solely on the Beaty Street RFP, the Facebook group quickly expanded and now boasts over 1100 members.  That's a tremendous representation and reach for a town the size of Davidson.  In addition to hosting several nature walks on the town owned Beaty Street property, conducting flyer handouts, and coordinating information sessions at homes around town, the organization has just expanded its web presence as well by launching SaveDavidson.org .

As a show of the dedication and research capacity this group is capable of harnessing, a 100 page dossier on the history of the Beaty property and the RFP process was posted to the new website.  Check it out here.

When a group gets this organized and this active, it is a game changer when it comes to local politics.  Look at WidenI77.org for a comparison.  While that group hasn't stopped the I77 HOT lanes project - yet - it has had a tremendous impact on our local elections over every election cycle since 2013.  It's very arguable the anti-toll group's efforts and the other groups it spawned cost the governorship of a sitting incumbent at the state level.  That is in addition to the impact the movement has had on the makeup of the Town Boards in Huntersville and Cornelius.

With "Save Davidson", it looks like a similar phenomenon is in the works in our local college town.

A big part of the reason for the saying "you can't fight Town Hall" is that Town Hall (or government in general) has a whole staff whose job it is to promote the "official" point of view.  It is hard for part time activists to compete against that.  When average citizens get organized and leverage the time and talents of many, it changes that dynamic.  The balance of power between activists and the local government shifts.

Election season starts Friday with the opening of the filing period for candidates.  The Save Davidson group is peaking at the right moment to truly have an impact on the outcome.  The key will be which candidates does it get behind and which ones it opposes.

Kurt Naas announces run for Cornelius Board of Commissioners

The first time I saw Kurt Naas speak was several years ago when the Red Line commuter rail project was making one of its numerous attempts to get off of life support.  Naas was giving a presentation for the Cornelius Town Board exposing flaws in the plan put together by a highly paid group of consultants.  Naas presented information that was professional, well thought out, and as thorough as anything the consultants brought to the table, and he had done it for free.

Since then, Kurt Naas has become a household name here in North Mecklenburg.  His is a name synonymous with citizen advocacy and leadership, a name of someone willing to fight for the public's best interest.   Tuesday, Kurt Naas put that name in the ring for the next contest for Cornelius Town Board.

Here is the press release put out by his campaign.

KURT NAAS ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY 
FOR CORNELIUS COMMISSIONER

Citing The Need for a Strong Voice for Cornelius, Leader of Widen I-77 Anti-Toll Group Says He Can Be More Effective Representing Citizens and Businesses as an Elected Official

Kurt Naas, leader of the citizens group WidenI77 that opposed the I-77 toll project since 2012, announced his candidacy for Cornelius Commissioner. According to Naas, years of fighting the I-77 tolls emphasized the need for elected officials who will listen to the people, carefully research the issues and stand firm on convictions. When he formed the group in 2012 most elected officials in the region were convinced tolls were the only answer and largely ignored warnings from Naas and others who had thoroughly researched the plan. Today all North Mecklenburg towns and Mecklenburg and Iredell counties have passed resolutions opposing the project.

“Back in 2012 I realized that it was going to take a community-wide effort to stop try and stop this project. It clearly is not in our region’s best interests,” Naas says. In response he formed the group WidenI77. The organization grew into a prominent grassroots movement, eventually reaching thousands of citizens through several town hall-style presentations and Naas’ hundreds of blog posts. For his efforts the North Carolina Open Government Coalition named him their 2015 “Citizen of the Year”, and last year the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce recognized his organization with a Distinguished Service Award.

In addition to fighting the toll project, Naas has served the community in other ways. He served on Cornelius’ Transportation Advisory Board for five years and currently serves on the DDI Landscaping Design Committee. Recently Naas was instrumental in stopping a NC Senate bill aimed at making it virtually impossible for citizens to sue the NCDOT. Senate Bill 613 would require the legal firm of a plaintiff suing the NCDOT to post a bond to cover NCDOT’s legal fees, and NCDOT would set the amount of the bond.

“If S613 had passed, the net result would have been no lawyer would ever take on a transportation-related case in North Carolina,” Naas says. He learned about the bill after receiving a tip and sprang into action. “I urged the Charlotte Observer to cover the issue, and suggested to a couple of television journalists that they contact the bill’s sponsor. Thankfully, the bill died in committee.”

Another cause for Naas has been encouraging town officials to install Adaptive Signal Control Technology (ASCT) on traffic lights. The technology adapts signal light timing to changing traffic conditions and typically increases the number of cars through an intersection by 10-to-30 percent.

“As crowded as our intersections are, it really makes sense,” Naas says. “There are thousands of installations throughout the Southeast but none in North Carolina.” After individual meetings with board members were ineffective he eventually found a receptive audience with town staff.

“Since then they’ve made great progress with the plan for ASCT lights,” he says. The West Catawba corridor is slated to be the first North Carolina installation in early 2018. NCDOT is sharing the cost and the vendor is cutting its price to gain a foothold in North Carolina. If it proves effective, NCDOT will look at rolling out the technology to other areas of the state.

“While the town leadership of Cornelius does well with most tactical issues, more attention needs to be given to broader strategic issues and opportunities that can impact the day-to-day life of residents. I’m running because I can be more effective representing our citizens and businesses as an elected official. It’s really that simple.”

Naas has already lined up the endorsements of a dozen elected officials including Republicans and Democrats from across the Lake Norman Region. “The breadth of endorsements demonstrates I can work with people across the political spectrum on local and regional issues,” he says.

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Jim Puckett agrees. “As we face the challenges of a growing community we need principled leadership to ensure our quality of life,” Puckett says. “Over the past four years, no citizen has worked harder to that end than Kurt Naas.”

Naas began his career as an aerospace engineer with General Dynamics Space Systems Division where he worked on the guidance platform for the Atlas and Centaur rockets. After graduate school he worked for AlliedSignal where he led the global product support launch for their microturbine business, and subsequently held executive positions with Honeywell and Ingersoll Rand.

He owns a manufacturing business in Cornelius, lives in the Peninsula neighborhood and attends Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte. He’s been married to Maria for 28 years and they have one son, Stephen, 19, who is a two-time Golden Gloves state boxing champion.

Naas holds an MBA from the Kellogg School (Northwestern) and a Master’s in Engineering Management, also from Northwestern. He completed the dual-major, six-quarter program in five quarters while undergoing chemotherapy and he graduated at the top of his class. He is a member of Sigma Gamma Tau, a national aerospace honor society, and Beta Gamma Sigma, an honor society for collegiate schools of business.

For more information about Naas’ candidacy for Cornelius Commissioner can be found at www.electkurtnaas.com.

First Candidate out of the gate for Davidson Commissioner is newcomer Sam Weaver

So, Davidson finally has its first candidate for the Board of Commissioners race this November.

aShortChronicle has been periodically asking the incumbents if any of them plan to run for reelection, and so far none have taken the opportunity to commit one way or the other.  Today however, the race officially started with political newcomer Sammy Weaver announcing his candidacy on Facebook Tuesday morning.

Announcement begins below.

Hello, my fellow Davidson Citizens! Thank you for this warm welcome. I am very happy to be here with so many new friends! I am here today to announce my intention to seek one the nominations for Commissioner of the Town of Davidson. Over the next few months, I will challenge myself, go out into public, speak and introduce myself to as many Davidson residents as possible. I will listen and more importantly, pay attention. And for the ones who have been more vocal than others, I HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR!!! All I ask from you is to continue to be LOUD and maybe, maybe someone will hear. I know I will. I am here to serve the community and ONLY the community.  

I wanted to be brief but here are things that I am and are NOT. 

I am a Husband,
I am a Father,
I am a Veteran,
I am a Millennial, 
I am a Davidson Resident. 

I am NOT a politician,
I am NOT a developer,
I am NOT a lawyer,
I am NOT a builder,
I am NOT corruptible. 

My Slogan - “Roots Not Roads” 

This slogan is very important to me; it isn’t about anti-development or against growth. It is about establishing roots within our community, our home the Town of Davidson, and slow but important growth (similar to an Oak Tree) that benefits the community as a whole and not my self-interests (Roads, High Density Development, Compromising values, etc.). 
startled Stay Tuned for more information “On the Issues” and how we will address them together.  

Vote for Sam “Dream” Weaver (Just Like the Song)
“Roots Not Roads” 


Official filing begins on July 7th at noon.

Davidson Public Facilities vote moved back...could stymie voter input

Another vote on a controversial subject has quietly been pushed off by the Davidson Town Hall.  This time it is the vote on the $17 million in public facilities spending to redo town hall.

At the April 25th Board work session meeting Commissioners received an update from the project's consulting team that included that price tag.  At the end of that discussion it was mentioned that a financial review would happen on May 9th with a vote tentatively scheduled on May 23rd for moving the project forward.

That schedule now appears delayed.  On Thursday the town sent out a notice that included more public information opportunities such as a booth st the Farmers Market on May 6th and a presentation at DUMC on the 11th.  The notice also said this.

"Town Manager Jamie Justice and Finance Director Pieter Swart will provide a financial feasibility plan at the Davidson Board of Commissioners’ meeting on May 23 at 6:00 p.m. The Davidson Board of Commissioners will consider making a decision on the public facilities project this summer."  (Emphasis added)

aShortChronicle followed up with the town to find out the impacts of this delay, particularly on the possibility of putting this funding on the November ballot in the form of GO bonds.  When Davidson considered GO bonds in 2016, they were told by their bond counsel, the Parker Poe law firm, that June was the deadline to get started for a November vote.  See this post from last year on that

When asked about this Town Public Info Officer, Christina Shaul, responded with this.

"Under the board’s current meeting schedule, the Davidson Board of Commissioners would have to adopt a resolution at the June meeting."

We also asked if this new tentative schedule of a "decision on the public facilities project this summer" effectively takes GO bonds off the table?

The response?  "This is yet to be determined."

That of course raises a question.  Is the town intentionally boxing itself in to not allow voters a say on this project?  Remember, Town Manager Jamie Justice is on record saying that giving voters a say in this is "not recommended."

If the Board does not vote in June one can easily see them going forward with this plan and not seeking voter input.  The lack of time to get it on the ballot will be the excuse.

Sometimes delaying a decision is a good thing.  Sometimes it could just be one more maneuver in the ongoing chess game between Davidson Town Hall and the public.

Only time will tell which one this is.

Davidson Mayoral candidate Rusty Knox supports voter input on public facility spending

aShortChronicle previously told readers about a recent Civics 101 class in Davidson where Town Manager Jamie Justice said putting public facilities spending before the voters was "not recommended". Justice went on to ask (seemingly rhetorically) "What if the voters say no?"

Well, what we didn't say in that original post from March was "who" asked the question of Justice during that class about seeking voter input using General Obligation or GO bonds which require voter approval.  That person turned out to be Rusty Knox, an announced candidate for Davidson Mayor this November.

In light of the eye popping numbers thrown around at Tuesday's Town Board meeting to support the proposed public facilities expansion ($17 million to be exact), aShortChronicle reached out to Knox to see what he had to say.

Here's Knox's response in italics:

The latest news from Town Hall regarding the potential “public facilities” project is a little overwhelming. What started as a genuine need for additional, and greatly needed, space for our police and fire departments plus some additional space for staff has turned into a $17 million dollar soft version of the Catalyst project from 3 years ago. Included in the plan is a total redo of the area that contains the farmers market.  Surprisingly, when surveyed most residents and vendors love the “organic” nature of our farmers market. This plan allows for more food trucks to park within the confines of the market area.  These trucks will come to town, park, make money and leave….taking away revenue from our local restaurants that have banner days on Saturday mornings.

As the process has moved forward “post Catalyst” one thing has been crystal clear, our Mayor and some of our Board members are in favor of ANYTHING that says development.  This latest round of development is something that will cost the taxpayers.  Our space constraints are real; if you don’t think so, go ask to tour the police or fire departments.  Our staff, which is stellar, works in cramped quarters as well.  Is there a need, absolutely?  Should we be moving forward with some form of expansion, yes?  Is that need $17 million?  The last time Davidson spent this kind of money was in 2007 on Mi-Connection.  Expenditures by the town at this level need voter input and support. 

I feel that when you are putting these kinds of numbers out there and we still are shouldering a loss from the cable purchase that represents 9% of our budget, a general obligation bond would serve the town in realizing some of our lofty goals.  The town should know by now that public support is paramount.  From our Core Values “Citizens entrust town government with the stewardship of public funds, so government will provide high quality services at a reasonable cost.”  Most citizens know that the actions of our Mayor, Board and Staff are in the best interest of the town, but at this price tag, the voters need to say yea or nay.

So, there you have it.  At least one person planning to seek public office thinks the public should have a say in these things.

Beaty Street delay...or diversion.

On Friday, Davidson Town Hall published the agenda for Tuesday's upcoming Board meeting.

One expected contentious item was missing however.  That would be the expected vote to proceed with the Beaty Street property sale and development proposal for Davidson Development Partners' "Luminous" project.   The project has been roiling the citizenry these past few months, as has much of what's been emanating from Town Hall.

At roughly the same time, the below email from Assistant Town Manager, Dawn Blobaum, began circulating on local social media.

Eric Giangiordano who has been one of the community leaders opposing the project posted this along with the email.

So, while any delay in moving forward with this effort should be seen as a positive, residents are right to be skeptical.  This show has been seen before...and recently.

Davidson Town Hall recently delayed their vote on the RAP rezoning by a few months, but ultimately passed it after making a few relatively minor tweaks.

What could make this one different is the length of any delay.

Within 90 days, filing for the next election will be over, and those opposing this project and others have been beating the bushes for new candidates.  A delay of more than 30 days puts any vote on this Beaty Street project squarely in the election cross hairs.

While no Davidson Commissioners have said publicly whether or not they will seek re-election, pressure will begin to mount on that front as the July filing period gets closer.

The public deserves to know if the people taking these contentious votes are doing so as lame ducks or are willing to stand behind them while facing the voters.

The clock is now officially ticking on answering that question.

Davidson Town Hall overseeing divisive time of its own making

Davidson is currently going through a divisive period in town history.

One can hardly turn around - in the virtual world in particular – without running across an organized group opposing something emanating from official Towndom.  One could almost feel sorry for the staff and electeds if not for the fact that most of the various controversies originate from Town Hall itself.

Showing that activism is alive and well in this college town, citizen activists have been pushing back hard against Town Hall initiatives with varying degrees of success.  What makes Town Hall’s actions all the more surprising is that multiple controversial issues are coming to a head in an election year.

Generalized opposition started in September 2015 with the “Paradise Lost” Facebook group forming immediately after the initial ideas for the “Catalyst Project” came to light.  The project to redevelop Town Hall and the surrounding area generated intense opposition.  Ultimately, the Town jettisoned the idea of a multi-use development with significant private sector input.

Fast forward to recent months and one sees Town Hall fending off rising opposition to implementing its Rural Area Plan.  Passed last year, the RAP recommends several changes to development patterns for thousands of acres primarily in the municipal Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).  In December, the Town quietly moved forward on the important step of condoning critical water and sewer extensions to the ETJ.  However, rezoning large swaths of land for more intense development has been another matter.

Citizens did not want this mass rezoning to pass.  Nearly 750 signatures were gathered in an online petition asking Commissioners to hold off.  Signs opposing this rezoning dotted yards across town for weeks leading up to the March 28th vote.  So, it was hard to watch as Commissioners brushed those concerns aside, delivered what can best be described as condescending lectures from the dais on why citizen opposition was wrong, and passed the rezonings anyway.

But, that’s not all - not by a long shot.  Other voter-snubbing initiatives are also underway.

Davidson Town Hall is pushing development of 19 acres it owns off of Beaty Street.  That effort has generated another opposition group organizing on Facebook under the “Save West Davidson’s Tree Canopy” page.  This group has been vocal – packing recent Board meetings.  They are upset about the possibility of losing this land to development.  Concerns about traffic, loss of greenspace, negative impact to surrounding property values, and the speed with which this project is moving forward are just some of the problems listed by those who don’t like what Town Hall is selling.

The Town is also in the driver’s seat pushing forward a public facilities project to expand capacity for the Fire and Police departments as well as more parking and significantly more space for staff.  While few would deny the public safety departments need more space, concern about the necessity and potential cost of the other facilities expansions is riling some residents.  Making matters worse, at a recent Civics 101 class put on by the Town, Town Manager Jamie Justice indicated putting these expenses before the voters in the form of a bond referendum was “not recommended”.  “What if the voters say no?” he asked.

Taken together, these two projects might go by another name - “The Catalyst’s Revenge”.

Eighteen months after the original Catalyst Project reared its ugly head and was subsequently beaten back by citizen pressure, these two projects bring together all of the elements which ignited that original controversy.  The scope, size, and cost of these projects as well as expanded Town involvement in increasing development activity all bring back memories of those original Catalyst Project meetings.

Rather than learning from mistakes in how the Catalyst Project was rolled out and with the Board’s recent vote on the RAP as a guide, Davidson Town Hall has chosen a different path than one might expect.  Instead of giving voters what voters want, Town Hall is giving voters what Town Hall wants.

That’s a strange approach any year – stranger still for an election year.  How that turns put will be interesting to watch.

This post first appeared in this week's Herald Weekly at HuntersvilleHerald.com.

Multiple new candidates to vie for Davidson Mayor in 2017

One of the worst kept secrets around town became official this past week with the announcement in Business Today that Rusty Knox will run for Mayor of Davidson this November.  It was known that Knox was strongly considering a run, but with an official announcement Davidson will have its first contested mayoral election since 2011.

Interestingly, the linked article was apparently in the print edition last weekend, but it didn't get up on the web until Friday the 17th.  Word started to spread Thursday when a photo of the print article was posted to Facebook.  aShortChronicle spoke to Knox on Saturday and he says the response has been overwhelming and positive as people have heard the news.

Knox is looking to carry on the family tradition of service to the town.  As most readers will know, Rusty Knox is the son of long time former Davidson Mayor Russell Knox.  Several years ago a regular reader told aShortChronicle the last time they felt that town government truly represented the citizens was when Russell Knox was mayor.  That should be welcome news to those who cherish Davidson's small town character.

Knox has not officially filed with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections but tells aShortChronicle that will be happening soon.

Speaking of filing for office...

In researching this post, we came across another candidate who has made it official by filing but has not officially announced.  Apparently, former Davidson Commissioner Laurie Venzon filed back in November and has been raising money ever since.

According to this Statement of Organization, "The Committee to Elect Laurie Venzon" was formed on November 1st.  The Organizational Report shows the campaign has purchased a domain name for a website.  Finally, the 2016 Year End Report filed at the end January shows Venzon has been raising money, over $2500 by the end of 2016.

Venzon was elected as Commissioner in 2007 and served through 2013 when she and her family moved to Kansas City.  They returned to Davidson last year.

Davidson politics appears to be entering uncharted territory.  It may be unprecedented to have multiple candidates vying for office this early in the election cycle.  Also, Davidson campaigns have historically been very low budget affairs with candidates often committing to raise little to no money to avoid the campaign finance paperwork.

With new candidates in the mix and significant money already being raised, 2017 is shaping up to be an eventful year.  Mayor John Woods will have quite a race on his hands, one could say it would be the Mt Everest of uphill battles, if he decides to run for reelection.