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September 17, 2009
This has been a terrific week on the campaign trail. The highlight of the week was the Town of Cary’s biennial candidate forum which the North Carolina Center for Voter Education moderated. It was videotaped at Cary Town Hall on Tuesday. This was the first time all four candidates were videotaped together and asked the same questions. The citizens of Cary will now have a realistic view of each of the candidates and where we stand on the issues. Sparks were flying between several candidates while I remained a voice of reason. I answered the questions honestly and completely. You will have the opportunity to see it on the web and on TV 11 beginning on Saturday September 19. Cary TV 11 will be airing the forum through Election Day on October 6. Tuesday evening the candidates also participate in a forum at the Carolina Preserve. I was excited to see so many people in attendance. They asked many thoughtful questions. I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to a room full of terrific people. One issue that the residents at The Carolina Preserve are having is the lack of a cell phone tower and service in their area. They do not have land line phones but are using Voice over IP for their phone service. I was so concerned about this situation that I have contacted a friend of mine who is in the Cell phone tower business and asked them to investigate placing a tower close to The Carolina Preserve for the safety of its residents.
Tonight I will be attending two more candidate forums. I look forward to meeting more terrific people and answering their questions about this great town I call home.
Cary Chamber of Commerce has printed their election guide which was in yesterday’s paper as a pull out. UNC TV has also posted candidate information on their website. Please check out my profile and my audio taped statement by following this link:
Check back soon for more information about the campaign trail.
Remember to vote Sinkez on October 6
Thanks for reading.
Cindy
August 23, 2009
Cary Lazy Daze
Yesterday was the 33 annual Cary Lazy Daze festival. I began the day with breakfast at First United Methodist Church. The Methodist Men’s group cooks up some of the best pancakes in the area. The Lazy Daze activities began with the Town Crier’s proclamation and wonderful music from both Cary High school and Green Hope high school bands. There was a huge crowd in attendance and everyone enjoyed the entertainment. I was there with numerous supporters handing out fans to keep the crowds cool. The day was hot and humid so the fans were a welcome relief. It was wonderful to meet so many great people. The vendors were terrific and I enjoyed the fact that their offerings were varied. The local entertainment was exciting and enjoyable. There were some brief showers in the afternoon and the crowds began to thin out due to the rain, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the many people remaining. I enjoyed myself and hope everyone in attendance did too.
Thanks!
Cindy
August 14, 2009
Which comes first the chicken or the egg?
Last night I attended the Cary Town Council meeting. There was great discussion and at times wonderful debate. I applaud Mr. Portman for casting the lone dissenting vote last night on the topic of shared sick leave. Mr. Frantz and Mrs. Robinson brought forth a proposal for the Town to consider adding a shared sick leave benefit for all town employees. This subject first came to my attention while interviewing for an endorsement from the Police Benevolent Association last week. All candidates interested in receiving endorsements go through an interview and answer questions based on a questionnaire received in the mail. In my interview I stated I would need to weigh the positives and negatives of shared sick leave with the current sick leave policy to see if it was in the best interest for our residents and the Town employees. Currently Town employees can accumulate sick leave at a rate of 12 days per year. Any unused sick leave is credited to their retirement on a percentage basis at the time of retirement. The idea of shared sick leave is that an employee may voluntarily place their sick leave in a pool. If someone needs extra sick leave and they participate in the pool they can use sick leave from the pool. The costs associated with this are more than just clerical. Mr. Portman pointed out last night that sick leave is not the same as vacation. Employees are expected to use their vacation and return to work refreshed, recharged and ready for work. Sick leave on the other hand is not expected to be used completely. It is to be used as needed. This proposal will cost the Town more money with the possibility of using all sick leave in a calendar year. There are other costs associated with the sick leave pool such as someone with a higher pay grade using the sick leave in the pool of someone in a lower pay grade. The majority of the Town council voted to have staff look into shared sick leave over the protest of the Town manager. Mr. Shiver stated that shared sick leave had been studied two years ago and staff decided not to move forward with this. He was also concerned with the way the issue was raised. When following proper protocol Town employees with issues are to speak to their superiors or the Town Manager to work through the issues. Then if warranted the Town Manager will bring an issue to the Town Council for review. This was not the cast last night when two members of the Town Council brought forth an item that was initiated by a conversation that at least one board member had with a town employee.
Also discussed last night was the return of the issue of back yard chickens. Many citizens petitioned the council to create a CIRC (Citizen Initiated Review Council) regarding allowing more back yard chickens in Cary. Currently back yard chickens are allowed on certain types of zoned lots in Cary. There was a wonderful informative presentation done on back yard chickens. Several issues arose during the discussion that ensued. The cost of the study at almost $26,000 was a big point of contention with the board especially since there is not budget for it. Another reason that the Council decided not to do another study on back yard chickens is that a recent study was done by staff and the Town Council members did not feel that another study was warranted at this time.
I find it interesting that 2 years is long enough to warrant a new study for shared sick leave but 1 year for back yard chickens is not.
Let me know what you think about this. Send your comments to me using the contact page.
Thanks
Cindy
