December 4, 2003 - Stop Cary (www.stopcary.com) initiative publishes open letter to Ernie McAlister, Mayor Elect Cary, about involuntary annexation.
***
An Open Letter to Cary Mayor Elect Ernie McAlister Concerning the Town of Cary Involuntary Annexation Effort
December 3rd, 2003
Dear Mayor Elect Ernie McAlister
On Saturday, November 22, 2003 , Lame Duck Cary Mayor Glen Lang called for a special meeting of the Cary Town Council to consider proceeding with "Involuntary Annexation" of areas southeast of Cary . Since it is your administration that will be dealing with this, I assume he consulted with you prior to this shrewd, Pre- Thanksgiving holiday weekend political maneuver.
On Monday November 24 th , 2003 , The Cary Town Council, during this special called meeting, voted 5 to 1 in favor of initiating an Involuntary Annexation Effort. The only vote against was outgoing At-Large Councilor Harold Weinbrech. Mr. Nels Roseland was out of town.
On Tuesday November 25 th , 2003 , a public meeting was held about this decision at the Cary Town Hall . Over 180 people showed up for this meeting. All had been notified in less than 24 hours time. Some who came delayed holiday travel plans and others, such as myself, sacrificed time with family members that had arrived from out of town in order to be in attendance. The only elected official present at that meeting was Ms. Marla Dorrel.
Ms Dorrel stated at the meeting that she had some concerns about the action, but fell short of stating she was against it. Since that time, Mr. Michael A. Joyce, Town Council At-large Elect, has stated his opposition in a written e-mail to concerned residents. Also stating opposition is State Senator Richard Stevens and State Representative Paul Stam
A second meeting was held the evening of Tuesday December 2 and over 225 people attended, although many were not allowed into the auditorium because there was not sufficient space.
Due to the fact that an election has just occurred in the Town of Cary , and due to the fact you have made no public statement about this issue, I feel compelled to ask some questions and share the following public records.
During your campaign you had the following on your web site:
" Cary is not an island. In the heart of the Triangle, every critical issue we face has a larger regional dynamic. Water, wastewater treatment, transportation, the environment all demand close regional cooperation. As Mayor, I will work to restore the confidence and cooperative spirit Cary once enjoyed with our triangle neighbors." ( http://www.mcalisterformayor.org )
And:
"The citizens of Cary expect their Mayor to set the right tone for working with our neighboring communities and counties. I believe it's very important for Cary to forge the strongest possible partnerships with leaders from around the Triangle and in the Legislature" . ( http://www.mcalisterformayor.org )
Is fighting with Holly Springs a way to "...forge the strongest possible partnerships?"
You and I spoke by telephone on December 2 at 5:40 pm (shortly before the 6:30 hearing). I had also spoken with the Town Clerk of Holly Springs and learned that Holly Springs ' Town Councilors intend to bring the annexation line agreement issue back to their council meeting December 16 th . In view of this, I asked if you would consider tabling or delaying action on this involuntary annexation which you are scheduled to vote on (the full plan and report) at your first meeting as Mayor on December 11 th . You stated to me (and said I could quote you) that "no, you could not do that" and that the "stake was driven in the ground and Holly Springs needs to know we (the Town of Cary) are serious about protecting our $65 million dollar investment in the ground." What is disturbing here is that you apparently have not researched the facts in this case. First, Cary cannot produce, in writing, an agreement that the areas in question were to be a part of Cary . So (unless you can produce a document that states otherwise) it appears that the Town of Cary chose to invest $65 Million Dollars into an area for which it did not have a written agreement that it would someday be theirs! As some of your councilors have put it in phone conversations between them and myself, it may have been an "understanding" and a "gentlemen's" agreement, but there is no signed agreement entered into before Cary invested. As a former banker, did you ever approve a loan just using an "understanding" and a "gentlemen's" agreement? I should think not. But the town planner and manager continue to avoid admitting this fact. They keep saying the land was to be the Town of Cary 's by some sort of unwritten agreement. It is no wonder the people doubt their veracity. Invest $65 million dollars into an enterprise without a written agreement? The professionals in the Town of Cary who recommended that should be fired!
Again, this is to request documentary evidence supporting Cary 's agreement about its "extraterritorial" investment. Because I have read the Wake County Land Use Plan and know that some of the area was left "unclassified," I know Cary cannot produce such a written understanding. This makes it impossible for me to trust the Cary Town Staff. They did not do their job before, or there were reasons why the job was done this way, in which case, their explanations are disingenuous.
Even the special called council meeting now is a bigger question to me. You see, at the Holly Springs Town Board meeting, the involuntary annexation map that Wooton (the engineering firm contracted by Cary to do this work) did for the Town of Cary was displayed and is dated November 18, 2003 . Just for your information that was the day after the Wake County Commissioners removed the ETJ request from their agenda. At the first "special meeting" about this involuntary annexation held Tuesday November 24, Mr. Ricky Barker stated that the Town had learned about its "concern that Holly Springs was going to annex "on Friday November 21 and that is why the special meeting was called on Saturday by Mayor Lang. The fact of the matter is that Mr.Barker, during this meeting that the Town of Cary wants to continually remind the people that they voluntarily had to inform the public of procedure, lied for The Town of Cary and obviously knew that the Town of Cary was working on this involuntary annexation behind the scenes much earlier than he admitted to. This is why blaming Holly Springs is so absurd Cary 's own documentation proves this false.
So what could be the real reason you feel the need to continue forward with this? Could it be because of the following statements made during your campaign?
"It's not about growth, it's about maintaining quality of life," McAlister said. "Every element of quality life rests on sound economic management, and you can't do that when you are spending more than you bring in." ( http://newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/2976148p-2728333c.htm l )
So, with the understanding that more development and property will "bring in" more tax dollars, I submit the following public record:
In his campaign-finance report for the period between Sept. 3 and Sept. 26, McAlister showed that he raised nearly $23,000 during that time to raise his total for the campaign to almost $68,000. McAlister received $3,000 each during the period from Raleigh insurance man Steve Zaytoun and the N.C. Realtors political-action committee . Nearly 30 contributors with ties to the development community donated more than $9,600 to the campaign during the period. ( http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/cary/story/2951939p-2708501c.html )
If this is a border battle, why haven't you publicly stated a desire to "forge the strongest possible partnerships" and expressed your disapproval about the way the Town of Cary and its staff is approaching this issue, that is, the breakdown in the relationship with Holly Springs ? Could it really be that this will " bring in " more revenue (TAX DOLLARS), and that this border battle with investment protection overtones is just a smoke screen to cloud that possibility? Perhaps this may be just an effort to open more territory to development and that is enough reason for you to remain silent. If your campaign contributors list is any indication, it appears that the Developers and Realtors should be pretty happy about the direction Cary seems to be going right now.
I could be all wrong about this Mr. McAlister, but your public silence on the issue, as Mayor Elect, is troubling to me.
Please publicly explain your position on this issue soon. Please explain to the people who will be affected by the decisions of elected officials for whom they did not and could not vote, how the Town's leaders and staff, under some imprudently unwritten "gentlemen's agreement," could invest $65 million dollars in infrastructure, and then force them, as complete strangers to the situation, to involuntarily help foot the bill through their new property taxes. Please explain in Bankers Terms how this all makes good business sense, and why, as Mayor, you could allow this to continue, uncorrected.
I respectfully but strongly suggest that Cary, and you in particular, as new mayor elected on platforms that in no way resemble this heavy-handed abuse of power, think seriously about slowing down this process and really listening to the affected public. After all, it is your administration that ultimately will be held responsible for any action taken.
Sincerely,
Ron Thoreson
Dutchman Downs Homeowners Association Board Member
5736 Dutch Creek Drive
Raleigh , North Carolina 27606
(919) 303 2666
cc: Cary Town Councilors, Holly Springs Mayor, www.STOPCARY.COM , local news media