MorrisvilleAction Endorsements

The MorrisvilleAction.org (MAO) steering committee has met with all Morrisville Town Council candidates, with the exception of Jan Faulkner, who stated she would not accept the invitation to be interviewed and that she was not seeking MAO's endorsement. MorrisvilleAction thanks all the candidates who met with it to share their visions for future Morrisville.

For Morrisville Town Council Election on November 3rd, MorrisvilleAction.org is pleased to announce its endorsements:
Mayor - Jackie Holcombe
At Large - Tom Murry
District 2 - Steve Diehl
District 4 - Margaret Broadwell

Mayor
For mayor, MorrivilleAction enthusiastically endorses Jackie Holcombe, an active and effective advocate for our community. Mrs. Holcombe will provide the new leadership that Morrisville desperately needs. She helped the grassroots effort against the 19% property tax increase supported by her opponent in 2008 and brings to the table a track record of fiscal responsibility.

As a small business owner, Mrs. Holcombe also understands the difficulties faced by businesses large and small in these challenging economic times. Her responsive style of leadership and promotion of sustainable growth we can afford will serve the town well.
http://www.electjackie.com/

At Large
Tom Murry has served on the Morrisville Town Council since 2005. A fiscal conservative, Councilman Murry has never voted for a property tax increase. He is a strong advocate for citizen-driven efforts to increase public safety and government efficiency such as the Morrisville Community Emergency Response Team and the Morrisville Budget Performance Assessment Panel. Councilman Murry has frequently called for more citizen input opportunities on important issues facing the Town. MorrisvilleAction is pleased to endorse Councilman Murry.
http://www.votemurry.com/

District 2
For District 2, MorrisvilleAction endorses Steve Diehl. Since moving to Morrisville in 2001, Steve has been a tireless advocate for citizens. Whether on Town Advisory Committees, an often heard voice of reason at Public Hearings, or in news reports from local media, Mr. Diehl has consistently supported resident residents' interests. MorrisvilleAction believes Steve Diehl will provide the leadership needed to move Morrisville forward in a fiscally responsible manner.
http://www.stevediehl.org/

District 4
MorrisvilleAction endorses Margaret Broadwell for District 4. MAO endorses Ms. Broadwell due to her thorough understanding of the issues directly affecting our community and her previous 10 years experience of public service on the Morrisville Town Council. She has a proven record of bringing citizen friendly programs and policies to the community while supporting fiscal responsibility and an open government.
http://www.votebroadwell.com/

Vote on November 3rd

The mission of MorrisvilleAction.org is to enhance the quality of life for Morrisville residents by supporting responsible growth of a density appropriate to residential communities. MAO is a non-partisan group of citizens encouraging voters to select candidates of integrity who support responsible growth.
Visit http://www.morrisvilleaction.org/ Morrisville Action is a non-partisan NC chartered political action committee in compliance with state financial reporting requirements.

Town Council Adopts Revised Land & Transportation Plan

Following over a year of substantial effort by citizens, Town officials and staff, outside consultants, and land developers, the Town Council approved its Land Use and Transportation Plan for 2009-2035. Thanks to considerable concern and input from residents, a number of key changes were made in the Plan that was initially presented to the Council:

• Priority to NC 54 improvements.
• Significant decrease in total additional area designated as Regional Activity Center surrounding the planned Park West Village. Also, restrictions on potential additional apartment buildings and “big box” retail outlets.
• Additional low-density residential development designated for areas along both Church St and Aviation Pkwy.
• Removal of the proposed Crabtree Crossing Pkwy Extension. It will be replaced by a greenway.
• Addition of bus stops near residential neighborhoods.
• Addition of green space protection in the McCrimmon Small Areas Plan. A large recreation area to be considered.
• Coordination with Wake County Public School for future school location (removal of Holly Creek Rd area from consideration).

Our appreciation go to all citizens who spoke at public hearings, sent email messages and attended Town Council meetings regarding the LUTP. Your voice was heard! Thank you.

Another "Special Exception" for Park West?

The Town of Morrisville has regulations that all businesses have to follow. Right? Well, there some scuttlebutt that the yet to be constructed Park West Village may get yet another exception to the rules. The Town’s sign ordinance clearly states that “Off-premises signs are not permitted.” The regulation makes sense. Otherwise retailers could have its signs on other properties they own, or rent space from other land owners. But it is understood that Park West wants an exception.

The Moondog has heard that a potential tenant (Target) seeks a sign on Morrisville Parkway. However, Park West Village is not located on this road. Rather than combine the land parcel where the sign would be with its development, it is said that Park West would rather the Town "just allow it" to have the off-premises sign. Combining the land parcels would require a zoning change and public hearing. It would be easier to avoid all that and have the Town simply authorize the “unauthorized sign” on Morrisville Parkway.

The problem would be that all other retailers have to follow the same rules. Remember the small statue that “Morrisville Pizzeria” had on its sidewalk a few years ago? It violated Morrisville’s off-premises sign ordinance. The Town was unforgiving in its enforcement of the regulations. A daily summons and fine was imposed on the small business. What about Park West? Well let’s see what happens.

This news originally reported on the website: ‘Tis About Morrisvlle

Budget Public Input Session

A special Public Session will be held at Town Hall at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, December 2nd for citizen input on the future needs of Morrisville. Participants will discuss the Long Range Financial Plan and Community Investment Projects. This will be an informal occasion for residents to speak with Town Council Members and identify community needs. At the end of the Public Input portion of the meeting, the Council will conduct a Work Session to discuss the suggestions, capital spending and the Town's budget direction. Based on the information gathered during the public session, a survey will be designed for residents to rank the options discussed. The survey will be available on the Town's website (http://www.ci.morrisville.nc.us/) from December 5 to 31 for citizens to complete. For more information email jhooks@ci.morrisville.nc.us.