Rowan County commissioners want to see a land-use study sooner than later.
Commissioners expressed frustration Monday evening that the process to do a study for the western end of the county is taking longer than anticipated.
Some implied that the committee may want to delay a vote on a land-use plan until after the November election.
Chairman Arnold Chamberlain said commissioners will not tolerate "any perceived or actual delaying tactics."
Commissioners made it clear they want the Land Use Steering Committee to complete its work quickly and get the plan to the Planning Board.
Chamberlain expressed confidence that the "Planning Board will do an excellent job" in dealing the committee's recommendation.
Commissioner Jim Sides said it appears the committee "has somewhat strayed from what was planned."
Sides went on to wonder aloud if the committee will get its work completed before the next three elections.
An opponent of property rights restrictions, Sides added, "I want them to get their work done so I can vote against it.""We will take the vote on (this plan)," said Chamberlain, echoing the sentiments of other commissioners.
"I would like to see it before this board," said Vice Chairman Chad Mitchell.
Chamberlain, who opted not to seek re-election, will leave the board in December. Sides is seeking re-election.
Commissioners Tina Hall and Jon Barber had concerns.
"Are we in budget?" asked Barber.
Planning Director Ed Muire said the process has taken longer than expected. He estimated $5,000 remains in the contract with Benchmark, the Kannapolis planning firm hired to do the land-use study.
Muire said they may have to cut back on the number or quality of printing of the final plans. The final plan will be available on the county Web site.
Hall questioned the time the study has taken. The panel formed in August 2007.
"I didn't anticipate it would take this long," said Muire.
He assured commissioners that he will send an e-mail to the committee members pointing out the commissioners have drawn a line in the sand and want the process to move forward.
Muire praised the work of the 11- member committee. He noted that only one member of the committee has dropped out, while the prior land use effort more than two years ago had a high attrition rate.
Drawing another comparison, Muire said that nine months into the previous land use effort, the committee had no idea what it was doing.
He said this committee bought into the process and has taken ownership.
Muire also urged the public to attend two upcoming information workshops on the draft study.
The first workshop is Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the West Rowan High School cafeteria.
The second will be on July 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the South Rowan High School cafeteria.
Negative Comments (Reprise) : Friday, July 18, 2008 6:58 AM
I believe "For Private Property Rights" has the right idea in that they're engaging in substantive debate on the issue, I applaud them and don't disagree with anyone at all on thoughtful debate, no matter what you think. I was speaking to the nutty, nasty comments and comparisons to King George, Stalin, Hitler and others that I've heard on property rights issues. We might want to remember that the ultimate "truth" on the property rights issue is 1) subjective based on every person's unique vantage point, and 2) a far cry from the aforementioned sensationalist statements that have come from some supporters of the Jim/Tina camp. Eventually people of differing views are going to have to work together to resolve this. You can tell me I'm being negative also, I guess, but there's a marked difference between disagreeing on a substantive point and being wantonly negative out of spite. I am not out to "smear" anyone and I don't live in the city, though I don't feel well represented by the county commissioners who would rather extend a shaking fist instead of a handshake. Threatening and grandstanding makes for good headlines, but its not going to help anyone, except maybe to sell a few more papers for the Post.
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For Private Property Rights
To Negative Comments and company : Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:06 PM
It seems you don't like to hear the truth. Since when does it divide the county if one tells the truth about those of would unethically take what they should leave alone? The land use plan is really not needed in its present form. It takes away far too many private property rights The refusal of the city council to work with the County Commissioners certainly does divide the county doesn't it? Why don't you talk to the city council about getting along with the rest of the county? That would be a good place to start.
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: Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:34 PM
Coordinated effort? How about the chance of their being a wide-spread dissatisfaction with the quality of the service show by several of our commissioners. Think about it. You can only attack and threaten so many groups, volunteers, and individuals until there is no one left to insult. Small county.
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Back So Soon? : Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:11 PM
I thought the "Grim Reaper" was taking a break from Rowan politics... why doesn't he at least humor us and post his nonsense under one of his other pseudonyms? Yawn.
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To "Negative Comments Divide the County" : Thursday, July 17, 2008 1:31 PM
Your comments are equally negative. But anonymity apparently allows the broadest stretch of imagination without accountability to reality-based accuracy. And the "response to negative comments divide" is equally reality-challenged for finding the commentary "reasonable." It is simply "spin." There is an apparent coordinated effort to launch a smear campaign against Jim Sides and Tina Hall and anyone who supports them.
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: Thursday, July 17, 2008 12:14 PM
To Grim Reaper: Thanks for telling everyone what should be done. I love how the "personification of death" is telling everyone the land-use plan should go to the commission where it will be promptly killed. Your instruction is appropriately ironic. It makes me "Grin Deeper."
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Grim Reaper
Send the land use plan to the commission NOW!!! : Thursday, July 17, 2008 11:53 AM
This land use plan should have been reviewed and submitted within 90 days from start to finish. The mistake of the county commissioners going in was not to set a deadline and stick to it. It is common knowledge that Mr. Knox and Mr. Rollins are dragging this process out for their own benefit. They want to squeeze out more tax money from other citizens and their neighbors for themselves. These people need to be stopped and the process needs to move on to the county commission, PERIOD. And Adele Goodman needs to get a life. The Grim Reaper was watching and listening at the last two public hearings.
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To "Negative comments..." : Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:50 AM
Thank you for your reasonable assessment of the situation. Most people in our area are also reasonable and want meaningful employment and a good future for their children. Salisbury is an asset to the county and the surrounding lands of the county are an asset to Salisbury. With careful planning, both can provide the reasonable people here with what they need.
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Negative Comments Divide the County : Thursday, July 17, 2008 6:44 AM
It is the sensationalist, sarcastic comments like "For Freedom's" that truly divide the county, not thoughful debate over a land use plan. This is the 21st century and everyone, county and city, seems to be working under the existing laws to do what is in their respective best interests, and they likewise are working to change the existing laws that don't meet their needs. If your interests differ from theirs, fine, voice your opinion, but in the absence of making a logical point don't revert to the Jim and Tina "smash and burn" mentality and start comparing the City to "the iron rule of King George". Watch less Mel Gibson movies, and read more newspapers. While negative comments may give their authors some personal satisfaction, it is making life that much harder for the good people in the county who want to make sure we don't keep falling behind our surrounding county neighbors.
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For Freedom
some planning is bad. : Thursday, July 17, 2008 4:50 AM
Salisbury has a plan. It is called the 20/20 Plan. It shows how much of the county the City Council intends to invade and conquer and force the residents to pay tribute (taxes) to Queen Susan. Of course Salisbury is offering some great benefits in their plan. You get to help them pay for all of their grandiose plans. You get to live under their onerous city laws. You get to duplicate your existing water and sewage disposal at the cost of many thousands of your heard earned money. You get to experience what it was like to be a colonist living under the iron rule of King George and his henchmen.
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Jack Sanger
plan : Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:05 AM
nothing wrong with planning,but when you start planning what to do with my land then it is no longer a plan it's a manifesto, communist that is
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: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 6:09 PM
Amen!
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That's why they call it a plan... : Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:00 PM
It's not a mandate. It's not an act of socialism. It's simply an opportunity to show people a clear vision of where we need to go in the future. Don't you "plan" your retirement?
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Terry Stevens
From a concerned property owner in West Rowan : Wednesday, July 16, 2008 2:36 PM
We have lived here 20 years and are concerned that the same old issues keep surfacing. What we need is County Commissioners with forward vision and a sincere concern for the land. Many people here are life-long residents and have never witnessed zoning (good or bad). We personally witnessed zoning in northwest Connecticut: one town, New Milford, had virtually no zoning for years and was developed haphazardly without concern for the citizens and infrastructure. The result was (is) a town that is struggling with traffic and lowered property values. The towns surrounding New Milford enacted and enforced strict zoning regulations in the early eighties that have resulted in the property values (and tax income) soaring in those towns. The general populace is the direct beneficiary of better schools, roads, and homes. As a property owner who is sick and tired of the bickering that goes on in the politics of this region, I say to the County Commissioners: Get some courage and vote to enact strict zoning and enforcement!
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Adele Goodman, The Cheerleader
To the loyalist to Colonel Sanders, I mean, "King Arnold" : Thursday, July 10, 2008 1:43 PM
Why are you people always so afraid to write your names? Seriously. BTW, the SAME recommendations came out of the Urban Institute's plan - the same support for farming & preservation, the same requests to protect our rural character. Basically, pretty much the same comments the Benchmark study is receiving now. But it was squashed before it was finalized because they KNEW what it contained so they blamed it on a biased study & blah blah blah here we are today doing the same exact thing. As long as 3 out of 5 commissioners still don't like what they're hearing, it's a moot point. They will vote this one down after wasting money, tax payer's time & energy even though they wanted to hear from the people who lived in these areas (Colonel Chamberlaid said (and I quote), "I want to hear from the people who live in these areas!" So by golly, they did & the recommendations from THEIR very own hand picked committee is that people STILL value farming & farmland preservation. That's what the committee has gathered thus far -they are TRYING to finish the job they were picked to do. But some of the commissioners still don't want to hear it because they didn't get the results they wanted - again. Now they blame poor Ed Muire, the planning board & the committe for dragging their feet. Way to try to get attention off themselves---too bad it's not working. Call me a cheerleader all you want - I prefer it to your title. Chicken. ;0)
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County Taxpayer
Re: Bruce Re: Bruce : Thursday, July 10, 2008 1:16 PM
The government does not own all of the land. Out west they do own much of the land, and it is often leased to ranchers for grazing their herds. The rancher does not hold title to the land. He has a lease agreement only. He can not sell the land. That is not it is done here. You might even remember from your history class that king George gave land to some of his friends here and they owned the land. There is no lease agreement. People bought land from the government. The land is theirs and they have a deed showing ownership. A deed is not a leasing agreement. The land my house is on is mine (and my wife's). Do you own your car (assuming it is paid for)? Yes you do. However, if you don't pay taxes on it, the government can put a lien on it and force its sale or sieze it for nonpayment of taxes. Having a lien on it does not mean the government owns it. The same is true of land. "The lease's only guarantee is that you can continue to pay taxes on it." There is no lease. I can not only pay taxes on my land, but can also sell it. If I lease a farm, I can use the farm, but can not sell it. So no, I am not leasing my land from the government. I own the land. Private ownership of land is one of the differences between comunist countries like Cuba, North Korea and a few others. Some in our country, (you perhaps ?) would like to have the government own and control everything. Not me.
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: Thursday, July 10, 2008 11:51 AM
In response to "County Taxpayer": I'm pretty sure you meant to write, "Those WHO are unhappy with the current commissioners have every right to run for the office. File for office instead of GRIPING and complaining." Beyond that, I thought we lived in a country, whose freedom we celebrated last week, where citizens were welcome to complain about or to criticize political decisions. It seems some would rather we (how was it phrased?) drink the "Kool Aid" offered by our elected officials. No questions, no complaints, no criticsm. I've observed that most politicians don't mind criticism when they have valid reasons to defend the position they've taken. They tend to resort to defensiveness and anger when those valid reasons are absent.
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V
Who really owns your land.... : Thursday, July 10, 2008 9:54 AM
Say what you will... but all socialists understand that its not the government who owns your land, its Chuck Norris that owns all land..
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Bruce
You don't own the land! : Thursday, July 10, 2008 4:30 AM
The government owns it! You may have a deed, but if you don't pay the tax it's foreclosed upon! The deed is nothing more than a lease to the land. The lease's only guarantee is that you can continue to pay taxes on it.
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County Taxpayer
It's only Fair : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 6:53 PM
The County Commission started the process, so it is only fair that they see it thru and approve or disapprove of the plan. Those that are unhappy with the current commissioners have every right to run for the office. File for office instead of gripping and complaining.
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Concerned Taxpayer
Re: Who's land is it? Re: Who's land is it? Re: Who's land is it? : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 6:49 PM
You are right on. Socialists think the land belongs to everyone. They seek to eliminate private property rights. Land use planning is a big step further towards socialims.
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Gene
re: No Disciple : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 6:45 PM
First you say that "A land use plan doesn't tell property owners what they can or can't do with their land". Then you say "you have a plan that helps predict growth, possibly directs development away from environmentally sensitive areas and possibly squashes a nuisance land use". You just contradicted yourself. The "squashing" and "directing" just contradicted your previous statement. When you argue against your self with contradictions like this, you only show your own confusion and lack of understanding of the issue and the facts. Perhaps you should study this issue a great deal more and avoid contradicting yourself in the future. In fact, land use planning is non owners telling the land owner what he may or not do with his property. Buy it if you want to control it. Is that hard to understand?
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A Willing Subject of King Arnold
Adele's power? : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 6:35 PM
I didn't see the anonymous author's criticism of Adele Goodman to imply that she had any power & authority at all. She was merely a strident cheerleader for the liberals who shot themselves in the foot with an over-reaching, big-government plan in 2004. And the status of being just another WANNABE holds neither power nor authority.
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TRY TO PLAN FOR EVERYTHING IS BEING PRUDENT
Women do it better! We are natural born planners and we do stop for direction when lost! : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 3:53 PM
We are the only county in our area that does not have some kind of forward thinking land use plan. I don't know about you but I tried planning for my children, for meals, for next year's garden, for a new home, for a rainy day fund, for my children's college, for cars, for trips, the grocery store, and hopefully for my retirement. To save gas I plan every stop I make! Maybe women just plan better. Planning is our nature and it just doesn't worry us but not having plan or asking for direction does. Failure to plan is just plain failure in my book.
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: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 7:16 AM
If the chairman of the land use plan is going to doll out a Blount lashing extremely long comment and defense, he could at least sign his post.
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Adele Goodman, Western Rowan
MY Personal Agenda? : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 6:36 AM
In response to the coward who wouldn't write their name...come on! To think that I have the power & authority to squash the former landuse plan is ridiculous. If you want to quote history (the correct version), it was squashed by the commissioners who despised the Urban Institute who did the last study simply because Leda Belk was associated with it. Period. This was once again, THEIR personal agendas which had nothing to do with a landuse plan. MY agenda is to protect farming & farmers to make sure we have land to grow our food for generations to come; to protect our air & water quality (our air quality remains horrendous); to protect the environment & all of our natural resources. If this makes me a horrible person with a horrible agenda, I'm pretty sure I can live with that. At least I don't have greed, personal hatred or selfish reasons at the heart of "my" agenda. Based on the other players noted in your comment, it's easy to figure out who wrote it. YOUR agenda is personal - plain & simple - you can mask it all you want with your smoke & mirror campaign for property rights but those of us smart enough to see through it know exactly how personal this is & it has NOTHING to do with the landuse plan. In trying to protect farmers & farming which is Rowan's #1 revenue, the disrespect that YOUR minions show is a disgrace. I think we've put up with this disrespect & lack of wisdom long enough. And next time, have the courage to sign your name as you twist the facts so eloquently - too bad anybody with a brain isn't buying it.
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No disciple of Jim's
Uhh, no. : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 6:24 AM
Sorry Gene, you've been drinking the Jim Sides' Kool Aid. A land use plan doesn't tell property owners what they can or can't do with their land anymore than the State Senate takes orders from Andrew Brock - it just doesn't work that way. A land use plan is simply an inventory of environmental conditions, both natural and man-made, coupled with policies that help anticipate future public infrastructure (transportation facilities and schools, mainly) in an orderly fashion that doesn't compromise the health, saftey and welfare of a community. Throw in some economic and population forecasts and you have a plan that helps predict growth, possibly directs development away from environmentally sensitive areas and possibly squashes a nuisance land use - say a nuclear waste facility, for example. Everybody supports "private property rights" until their neighbor wants to build a hog farm next door. If you were buying a piece property, wouldn't you want to have some idea of what was likely to develop in the surrounding area? On the other hand, if you subscrtibe to the notion that Rowan County should be free range for trailer parks, asphalt plants and para-military training facilities (like Jim and Tina), then land use planning is not such a good idea.
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Who's land is it? : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 5:40 AM
My land. You (government and non land owners in the county)want to determine its use? Then get out your checkbook and buy it from me. After the purchase you can do whatever you like. Until then this is nothing more than a vieled attempt at government taking (devaluing) of my private assets.
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Gene
Re: Land Use Act : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 4:35 AM
Basically a land use plan tells land owners what they can do and what they can NOT do with the land that they own. For example, one item that I believe has been discussed, but not necessarily adopted, is that land owners should make their land available to the general public for walking, bycycle riding etc. Some feel that the land belongs to all of us and not exclusivley to the owner who paid for the land. Others can probably greatly expand on what land use planning is.
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citizen
get it done nd get out : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 3:41 AM
yeah, I want Mr. Sides to he get his work done and then I will vote against HIM in November. Can't wait!
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Personal agendas doomed the 2004 land use plan : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 6:32 PM
Adele Goodman makes a good point about preconceived opinions. There are local leaders whose minds are already made up, certainly. But in the 2004 Blount Land Use Plan, the personal agendas were mainly from out of county. Those in the county who condemned that plan to a slow death included Ms. Goodman, who used scare tactics in a 11-18-2004 guest editorial column that even included the notion that only more government regulation would protect us "If a farmer wants to put a McDonald's in the middle of a field." Of course, property rights proponents know that MARKET FORCES, not more government, already protect us from that unlikely event. Many of the "big government" proponents who want a highly restrictive land use plan, including Ms. Goodman, see growth and development as a "cancer." They view heavy-handed government as the "cure," particularly when it cloaks itself in "regionalism." We rejected that view of local government in 2004 with the ouster of Leda Belk for her service as the President of the Centralina Council of Governments. Rowan County needs less government, not more, in order to achieve its potential. Personal agendas like Ms. Goodman ruined that plan in 2004, and the similar personal agendas of land use board members in 2008 will bring it down, too. Of the four county commission candidates, only one, Raymond Coltrain, has promised to "positive and proactive in managing all areas of current and future growth." (source: www.raymondcoltrain.com) He further promises to "Work with city, state, federal and private groups to develop and manage resources." How that may effect responding to the demands of Salisbury is not explained. Nor is it explained why he would seek to "manage" privately-owned "resources," which are questions worth asking just the same.
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What An Embarrassment : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 5:05 PM
These narrow-minded, power happy morons are an embarassment to our county. I encourage everyone to contribute generously to their opponents - I know I will. These people have GOT to go for the sake of our county's future!
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Name withheld for Obvious Reasons: RETRIBUTION!
Speaking of degrading volunteers.......... : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 4:44 PM
My husband was on the first land use committee and he DID have an "idea" as what was going on. The problem was it was not same "idea" that the chairman and Mr. Muire wanted him to have. I guess what they needed to do was get "their" people on the committee so that they would have the same "idea" of what the land use plan should be. A Big Fat Nothing!!!
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EMBARASSMENT : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 3:30 PM
Jim Sides is a knucklehead and as many have said...an embarassment to Rowan County. He wants the land use steering committee to hurry up and complete their study and present it to the Planning Board, so the Planning Board can hurry up and present their recommendations to the Commisioners, so he can hurry up and vote against it. He doen't know what those recommendations will be...but he knows he'll vote against it. That's ok...he'll be outta there in November.
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It doesn't take an army : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 2:23 PM
It only takes the silent majority. 'Nuf said.
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A year should be plenty of time : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 2:22 PM
If the committee continues going astray from the original mission, there will be no money left to publish the plan to the public! Even Commissioner Barber seems to think that this plan has languished long enough. "Get 'er done," for cryin' out loud!
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Theocracy in Action : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 1:55 PM
Don't you just love it when elected officials make up their minds in advance of hearing the facts? Isn't it great when politicians impose their narrow religious views through governmental authority? In Afghanistan, these folks are called the Taliban. Around here they're called the County Commission. Hang on, November's not that far away!
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Land Use ACT : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 1:54 PM
Idon't understand exactly what the land use act is.Could someone explain it to me in laymans terms
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: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 12:21 PM
Sides has already made up his mind, even before the Planning Board could get it and make it more acceptable to him - WOW - what an open-minded commissioner. Wonderful way to DEGRADE all the HARD WORK these volunteers have put into the plan, and all the citizen input that went into the plan at the meetings. What an insulting commissioner.
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Adele Goodman, Western Rowan
Personal Agendas Still Rule : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 11:37 AM
I just love Commissioner Sides comment that "I want them to get their work done so I can vote against it," proving that he has made up his mind even before seeing the final recommendations from a committee HE helped to choose. Personal Agendas still rule in Rowan - too bad our elected officials aren't open minded enough to listen to what the citizens want before forming their opinions. I'll also be brave enough to add my name so Mr. Sides army of minions can now take up for him. ;0)
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Save Time and Money : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 10:35 AM
The county could have saved a lot of time and money by just letting King Arnold and his minions write the land use plan they wanted to adopt and then skipped all of the political posturing where they made it seem that they cared a whit about what the public or their own committee wanted. They will now let their hand picked hatchet men on the planning board cut out the parts they find offensive and claim victory (visualize King Arnold, ah la Bush claiming victory in Iraq) when they adopt some usless skeleton of a plan over Pope Jim's objection. Luckily what they do can quickly be undone by the new board majority in December after the King goes home to sulk and the Pope gets the boot from the public.
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Very concerned citizen
IRRESPONSIBLE COMMISsION : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 10:22 AM
It is just plain irresponsible not to have a land use plan. And for this commission to drag politics into it is absurd - or par for the course for them. They have done a horrible job for this county and I'll be so glad when they're voted out like the rest of the Republicans - from the federal administration on down to the county level. We deserve better.
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PEOPLE of the county want this right! : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 8:48 AM
The people of Rowan County want this job done right. Sides wants the job done quickly so he can vote it down, his mind is made up no matter what (the job isn't even finished yet Jim). Of course this board want's to vote on it, they are afraid they may be voted out of office and not get a say...just like a regular citizen will not get a say! I sure hope our new county manager can controll this board until a new one can be voted in!
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No Short Cuts : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 7:55 AM
The land use plan is for the people, not the politicians. The land use committee is trying to do a thorough job. What's the hurry, election time looming?
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Too much politics, foot-dragging : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 4:22 AM
The committee had a plan ready in early May, and staff was ready to move it forward. Then the committee veered from its mission and has sought to expand beyond a basic land use plan. Deadlines need to be set, so the Planning Board can get a whack at it before the commissioners approve the finish product.
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McCain picks Alaska governor as running mate
