NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 2, 2011

Meeker and other critics of the Republican board members have on more than one occasion accused them of being outsiders and made fun of three of them having lived in New Jersey.

N&O - October 9, 2010

Wonder what Meeker thinks about all those "outsiders" from New Jersey spending millions at hockey games.

UNITY DAY 2011

Mayor Meeker's final "Unity" Day will take place tomorrow at the Raleigh Convention Center. Raleigh's Human Relations Commission will present and discuss the recommendations and responses resulting from the 2010 Community Dialogues Report - "Many Faces, One Community."

The report is based on suggestions from 100 people of whom only 61% say they always vote in municipal elections.

In Part III, Section F, of Recommendations, it states:

1. Develop diversity training for its employees, including officers of the Raleigh Police Department.

3. Embrace and accept the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Participants recommended that the City of Raleigh become more involved with LGBT issues and develop collaborative partnerships through the LGBT Center of Raleigh and the Center at N.C. State University. Adding gender identity and expression to the City’s nondiscrimination policy and providing domestic partner benefits to City of Raleigh employees would show a commitment to this community. Participants also voiced the hope that the City will formally recognize the contributions of its LGBT community by developing initiatives, offering statements of support, sponsoring events and making appointments to boards and commissions. The LGBT community adds to the economic vitality and culture of our city, and its members are active in every part of Raleigh’s economy.

DAILY JOURNAL - DECEMBER 1, 2011

OCCUPY RALEIGH: NCSU VIDEO

RALEIGH SPENDS $1 MILLION TO TEAR DOWN EIGHT HOMES?

OCCUPY RALEIGH DISRUPTS FREE SPEECH

PATRICK O'NEILL: GETTING ARRESTED ON BLACK FRIDAY

FACEBOOK: OCCUPY RALEIGH

DAILY JOURNAL - NOVEMBER 30, 2011

DID BURNING COAL BURN THROUGH RALEIGH TAXPAYER WALLETS TO THANK MEEKER?

AND FROM DATA DRIVEN KEVIN HILL

UNITY DAY DOCUMENT FORMULATED BY GROUP WHERE ONLY 61% VOTE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

RALEIGH "TEMPORARY" PUBLIC ART COORDINATOR POSITION - 2012

Raleigh Budget - 2012

RALEIGH "TEMPORARY" PUBLIC ART COORDINATOR POSITION - 2009

Public Art Coordinator

MEEKER'S PAYOFF TO NAACP?

City Council Agenda

UNITY DAY 2011

DAILY JOURNAL - OCTOBER 24, 2011

TRAIN STATION MOVES FORWARD: MILLIONS MORE FOR DOWNTOWN MONEY DUMP

MAGNET PLAN DOESN'T HELP BLACK STUDENTS: NEW PLAN SAME AS THE OLD PLAN

RALEIGH TRANSPORTATION BOND - A PRIMER

Bond 2011 -

AND MITCH SILVER, KING CHARLES?

So Meeker, want to play the carpetbagger card? Mitch's been on a tear to change every square inch of Raleigh, dump millions into downtown Raleigh wasteful projects and put trains all over the place.

How long has he lived here? Does he really know Raleigh? Did he go to school here?

Did you?

One other thing King Charles, in your quest to dump millions into downtown Raleigh the African American community seems to have missed out. Seems like all the money has been spent on Fayetteville Street where white intellectuals like yourself can sit around and drink expensive coffees and talk about how much you care about black folks and have black friends and maybe even a favorite professional black basketball player.


Mitch Silver Bio
Mitchell J. Silver, AICP

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Director,

Raleigh, NC, Department of City Planning, July 2005 to present

Hired as Raleigh’s fourth planning director in 2005 to create a vibrant 21st century city. Led the effort to transition Raleigh from a mid-size city to a central city in a fast growing metropolitan region. Responsible for guiding current and long range planning, neighborhood and strategic planning, historic preservation, and the City’s data and urban design center. Within the first year, introduced a new planning and development philosophy, spearheaded zoning changes to allow more residential density downtown, acquainted the city to public realm and streamlined the planning review process to provide greater predictability. Helped reach consensus on key projects including the new Downtown Marriott Hotel, the Hillsborough Street Revitalization plan and the RBC Plaza tower. Led the comprehensive plan update with an emphasis on regional cooperation, innovation and creativity, environmental stewardship and mass transit. Serves as the department’s spokesperson and media contact. In 2007, named one of the 24 most influential people in Downtown Raleigh. In 2008, named “Distinguished Leader of the Year” by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Class.

GOT AN IDEA ON HOW TO WASTE MORE MONEY IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH?

Got a great idea for Moore Square Park?
What do you like about the Park today?
What would you like to see in the future?

Bring your big – and not so big – ideas to the Moore Square Park Community

Open Call for Ideas

Wednesday, June 17, 20094:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. drop in anytime
Marbles Kids Museum 201 E. Hargett Street
Refreshments will be served

Saturday, June 27, 200912:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. drop in anytime
Chavis Community Center 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Light lunch will be served

Same meeting, different locations for your convenience

There will be activities and displays for all ages and perspectives:
Presentation to kick off the day on the Open Call Process and Moore Square Park Historic and current large-scale maps and images of the Park

Write a post card from the year 2030 about your visit to the Park
Participate in a tour of the Park
Work at tables with facilitators and drafters to translate your ideas onto Park site plans (participants also have the option to work on their ideas off site and bring them to one of the Open Calls)
Discuss your ideas with the City of Raleigh Planning and Parks & Recreation staff
Raleigh’s first-ever design competition starts with you!

Join us for the Open Call for Ideas.

Your ideas will help competitors design a Park that meets the needs and dreams of the community.To register (not required, but helps with planning), for more information or to post your comments: www.raleighnc.gov/greatplacesMooreSquare or call 919-807-8480

Future planned web developments: Community big – and not so big – ideas on Facebook and Flickr.

Check back often!

RALEIGH'S ARTS PROGRAM - WHAT THE MEDIA IS NOT TELLING YOU

Raleigh's City Council passed a monstrous abuse of taxpayer dollars in the form of the arts program at yesterday's City Council meeting (2-17-09).

Some things to note that are in Resolution 2009 that created the program and some things that are not.

1. Art "creates a dynamic and creative urban life." Read more money for downtown Raleigh to be wasted. Urban = Downtown.

2. Art "enhances the reputation of Raleigh and promotes attracting business and increasing tourism;" Do you know what also helps that out? Paying for more police protection and keeping the murder rate below the almost 50% increase it experienced last year.

3. It's not exactly one half one percent. "It is recognized that the permanent program may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to the creation of a fund into which the one-half percent allocations may be allowed to accumulate if some projects may not be ideal for the incorporation of public art." Read - they'll have a huge piggy bank of your tax dollars to spend. They'll milk every project possible for money to put in the piggy bank. Then they'll spend those dollars elsewhere.

• "The need to have a pool because not all projects would necessarily have an art component but the one-half of 1 percent of the construction cost could go into a pool and that money could be used to put art in areas that do not have a specific project." (Minutes - Raleigh Budget and Economic Development Committee, 1-13-09)

5. They are going to find the highest level of hard construction costs from which to determine the one half of one percent. "If the actual construction bids are higher than the City's pre-bid estimate the percentage shall be accordingly adjusted upward." (Resolution No. 2009)

6. In a time when Raleigh has a hiring freeze, they are discussing hiring yet another bureaucrat for arts. "Commission Chair Starky pointing out they have a current budget and the funding could come from the current budget." (Minutes - Raleigh Budget and Economic Development Committee, 1-13-09) They'll actually be taking money from arts instead of putting money into it.

7. Finally City Manager Russell Allen stated recently that Raleigh has a hiring freeze and is delaying some capital projects. So why in the world in this condition would someone drive up the cost on some capital projects even further?

This isn't over yet.

8. "the final budget for staffing and operation of the program will be established by the City Council as a part of its 2009-2010 annual budget deliberations."

Contact your Raleigh City Council member now and tell them to stop this ridiculous waste of taxpayer dollars. You can reach them here.

HERE COMES THE NEXT BUDGET BUSTER FOR DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

An Amphitheater down by the convention center.

Related link.

MEEKER - THE FISCAL CONSERVATIVE

"It is one of those things you probably wouldn't do even if you had the extra money.”

Mayor Charles Meeker, WRAL - February 17, 2009

Yes, Mayor Meeker, I agree that extending Crabtree Valley Avenue at a cost of $30 million is a crazy idea.

So what does Meeker do when you don't have any money?

Spend what will inevitably be millions of dollars on public art while you neglect essential police services.

Now, that's fiscal insanity.

RALEIGH PUBLIC ART - THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Cue the music.

In the immortal words of James Brown ......

Please, Please, Please

Raleigh appears bent on moving forward with yet another taxpayer funded boondoggle to spend millions on public art.

In today's N&O, Raleigh City Clerk Gail Smith is quoted as saying:

"Yes, we like the concept, and yes, we want to move forward ...."

What a tasty election morsel. Maybe folks like Rodger "I phone in my votes" Koopman, Mary Ann Baldwin, Russell Stephenson or Nancy McFarlane in potential swing districts can tell their constituents how they raised their property taxes and water and sewer fees to put more Light + Time landmarks all over Raleigh.

Or better yet, Mayor Charles "unlivable streets" Meeker can explain to people on the brink of losing their homes how he needed to raise property taxes to pay for this.

And just think, each time a new Raleigh capital project goes up, the issue magically arises from the grave.

So,

Please, Please, Please .....

Vote for this.

Opposition candidates are salivating.

RALEIGH ARTS COMMISSION WANTS TO SPEND AT LEAST $1.13 MILLION FOR PUBLIC ART AT NEW CLARENCE LIGHTNER PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER ..... FOR STARTERS

The economy's in the tank. Raleigh has just significantly raised taxes and fees on Raleigh residents with Mayor Meeker seeking further increases, crime is soaring and basic police protection services remain underfunded.

So what do you do?

Well of course, blow more money on sprucing up downtown Raleigh.

Raleigh's Arts Commission has proposed that "half of one percent of expenditures of capital improvement municipal projects (involving public buildings, parks and streetscapes) to the creation and development of public art.

The additional millions required to meet this proposal is staggering.

Just think how many more Light + Time Towers could "grace" Raleigh under this proposal.

For the new (not voted on) Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center new art would run $1.13 million under this proposal.

Maybe if their lucky, the residents on Bragg Street and Tarboro Road can get the nets changed on their basketball courts.

Raleigh's Budget and Economic Development Committee was scheduled to meet this morning to discuss this proposal. Let's hope this idea was properly flushed.

Of course I would not be surprised if they don't find a way to blame the homebuilders for lacking the funds to put more beautiful art like Light + Time around Raleigh.

CRITICAL? THESE ARE A FEW OF MAYOR MEEKER'S FAVORITE THINGS.

Cue the music.

If Raleigh was putting forward a bond package for this spring, would any of this make the list? Of course Mayor Meeker could put the Public Safety Center up for a vote, but that would be out of fashion for him. Meeks is at least smart enough to know that City Plazas, Convention Centers and Fayetteville Street makeovers would all be resoundingly rejected in light of real needs for Raleigh.

Go ahead and throw the Ferris Wheel in as well. It's all a waste of money.

__________________________________

Prepared by and for more information: Jayne Kirkpatrick, Director, Public Affairs Department, 996-3000

December 16, 2008

RALEIGH IDENTIFIES PROJECTS
FIT FOR FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDING

The City of Raleigh has real projects that could be addressed immediately to create jobs with aid from the financial stimulus plan being crafted by President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team.

At a press conference today in City Hall, Mayor Charles Meeker said that the City of Raleigh is actively seeking its share of the stimulus package to improve its infrastructure, environment and economy. He said that 44 projects have been identified as designed, permitted and ready to implement in six to 12 months.

While the Mayor said the amount of the new administration’s proposed stimulus package has not been announced, it must be significant if it is to improve the severe economic situation. “Raleigh has one-tenth of one percent of the nation’s population,” he said. “Given that, our portion of the stimulus package should be significant.”

What is known is that the Obama transition team is seeking to mold a package that tracks the incoming administration’s policy ideas, puts people to work immediately, enhances sustainability and includes long-term benefits to the nation.

Mayor Meeker pointed out that, not only will these projects bring immediate economic stimulus and benefit to the residents, they fill the Obama Administration’s priorities.

Mayor Meeker featured four sustainability projects plus the $226 million Clarence E. Lightner Public Safety Center project that is being designed for LEED gold certification. The energy savings designed into the 16-story, 305,000- square-foot facility come to 15 percent or $600,000 annually. The facility will be designed in the fall of 2009.

The four sustainability projects total $4,725,179. A solar LED lighting project would upgrade the illumination in seven City facilities, including the Avery Upchurch Government Complex Parking Deck and perimeter, the Performing Arts Center Deck and perimeter, Cedar Hills Park, Lions Park, Walnut Creek Softball Complex, Millbrook Exchange Park and Marsh Creek lower lot. The project can be implemented in the next six to 12 months at a total cost $1,258,300.

Another of the sustainability initiatives would put solar thermal water heating into 11 City facilities at a cost of $466,879. The project could be started in the first quarter of 2009 and completed within four to six months.

The third sustainable offering is the Photo Voltaic Solar Array Project at the Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant that would generate renewable energy at a cost of $2.5 million. The City is evaluating three separate proposals from private developers that have been submitted to Progress Energy and the City for renewable energy. The project would produce from one to three megawatts of renewable energy. It would be located on City-owned land at the wastewater treatment plant and would be in support of Progress Energy’s efforts to meet its Renewable Energy and Efficiency Portfolio requirements through a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement.

The fourth sustainable project featured by Mayor Meeker was a green house gases inventory and emissions reduction strategy for a cost of up to $500,000.

Mayor Meeker said that the City of Raleigh has been placing the highest priority on sustainability for the past several years and these projects would further its effort to be the South’s most sustainable city. The Mayor referred to being the world’s first LED city, silver LEED certification for the training building at the Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Raleigh Convention Center, and the conversion of the City’s fleet to hybrids, plug-ins or alternative fuel vehicles as but a few examples of Raleigh’s abiding commitment to sustainability.

The 39 other projects listed are more traditional such as the construction of facilities, greenway extensions, and park, transportation, sewer, stormwater and technology improvements.

For a listing and descriptions of all of the proposed projects, visit the City of Raleigh website at www.raleighnc.gov.

IS RALEIGH'S MILLION DOLLAR MINT GOING UNDER?

It would appear there's something to the rumors.

VarmintBites reports the chef, pastry chef and operations director have left or will be leaving soon.

Who's going to pay back Raleigh? Related Story (See Page 16)