Council update: 9th Council member, arts collective, Bill of Rights Day

[Sally]

Dear friends,

This evening the Council selected Donna Bell to take the vacant seat
at our table.

As I suspect most of you know, this is a decision that was forced upon
us because of the resignation of Bill Strom, who resigned too late for
his seat to be placed on the ballot this fall. The resulting dilemma
was agonizing for all, especially the eight of us who were charged
with selecting his replacement.

The November election also left us, for the first time in many years,
without an African American at the table. This too created a dilemma.

The many messages from the community in the end boiled down to two
conflicting imperatives: Appoint the 5th vote-getter, because there
should have been five slots on the ballot; or appoint an African
American in order to restore the representation of a crucial, and
historically underserved, segment of the community.

Neither is a perfect solution.

My vote went for Donna Bell, an African American woman who lives in
Northside. I do believe that the vacancy left the Council in the
position of taking stock of itself and making a decision that results
in the best overall representation of the community. I also know, from
having known Donna for several years and seen her at work on town
boards, that she is exceptionally well qualified to serve. She has
served on the Planning Board. She currently serves on our community
visioning task force. She is a working mother with an advanced degree
in social work who teaches part-time at Elon. She comes with much
respect and many recommendations from her fellow citizens. I am
confident she will make a fine and productive Council member.

Here's the town's news release on Donna:

http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=22&recordid=1262&returnURL=/index.aspx


FRANK: The new Chapel Hill arts collective

Earlier today, I attended the celebration of the launch of FRANK, a
new art gallery and artists collective located on E. Franklin St. in
the old Kerr Drug space. It should be formally open for business by
February. This great project is the result of a major contribution by
Michael Brader-Araje, who owns the building, together with the Town of
Chapel Hill, the Downtown Partnership, and many additional people
committed to bringing this dream into reality. Quite an
accomplishment, and something I know we will be proud to see evolve.
More here,

http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=22&recordid=1260&returnURL=/index.aspx


Bill of Rights Day

Tomorrow at noon at Peace and Justice Plaza, I'll look forward to the
annual gathering and reading of the Bill of Rights. All are welcome!


Happy Holidays

Warm holiday cheers to you all.

Sally

sallygreene.org
sa...@ibiblio.org