Don’s Blog: Don Frantz Cary Town Council Reelection Announcement
Cary, NC – I am excited to announce that I am running for reelection to the Cary Town Council, District B!
We are truly blessed to live in one of the greatest communities in America. I am running for re-election to continue to work to make Cary an even better place to live, work and play, and to give back to the community that has provided so much for me and my family.
My record on the Council is one of collaboration to address key issues in our community. I have earned a reputation as a no-nonsense pragmatic leader. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I strive to keep citizens informed both through my blog and social media. Council members must be held accountable and that begins with an informed citizenry. You will always know where I stand.
Over the last four years I have worked hard to provide the high levels of service that our citizens demand at the lowest possible cost to you, the taxpayer, and to create an environment that encourages business growth and creates jobs. I championed our successful downtown revitalization efforts and I support sustainable smart growth policies that help us grow better, not just bigger. I have a proven record of supporting initiatives that further protect our environment and improves water quality, and I worked to bring additional senior housing and assisted living facilities to Cary so that as our parents and grandparents age, they have more opportunities to stay in town and remain close to family.
Cary is one of the safest cities to live in America, our parks and recreation amenities are second to none and we are consistently ranked one of the best cities to raise a family.
We have accomplished a lot, but we still have work to do. Today’s ever-changing world presents new challenges. Keeping Cary great means staying ahead of the curve on issues ranging from infrastructure and infill development to housing affordability and technology. Working together we can continue to address complex problems with common sense, data-driven solutions. I am excited about what the future holds for Cary.
Thank you for your faith and trust in me to serve as your voice in town government. I hope that through my efforts I have earned your support for another term. I humbly ask for your vote for reelection on October 8th.
In your service,
Don Frantz
From the blog of Cary Council Member Don Frantz. Photos courtesy of Don Frantz.
“Ron Snyder” wants to vote for Don, but as nearly as I can tell, there’s no variation of “Ron Snyder” registered to vote in Wake County. It’s as if “Ron Snyder” is a troll.
@Ron not sure where you’re getting your erroneous information , but it’s time to turn off Fox News and join the non-delusional real world.
This is science , not politics, and I care about the world I’m leaving my kids and grandkids . Do you? Or do you rather spout inane talking points, notably including demonstrably false assertions and political aspersions?
It’s sad that you believe propaganda instead of reality.
“the great thing about science is that it’s true whether you believe it or not” -/ Neil DeGrasse Tyson
This perhaps not a topic for the Town of Cary to address, but every bit as important as Climate Change. Trees and deforestration are major issues in Climate Change, but I am concerned about the fact that our food supply is being contaminated by pesticides and nature’s processing systems are being threatened. The Environmental Working Group publishes a list of The Clean Fifteen and The Dirty Dozen produce items.. Strawberries top the list of the Dirty Dozen and spinach and kale, those deep green veggies we are supposed to eat to make us healthy are also on that list. 250 pesticides are in use in agriculture. Glyphosate (Roundup) is a real threat to human health, soil fertility, and the small organisms that decompose waste organic material to nourish our soil and, help us digest our food, pollinate our crops, provide food for reptiles, amphibians and birds. A recent UN Report on Extinction indicates that the Planet is going through what is labeled “The Sixth Extinction”. Insects and other little creatures are going extinct at 8 times the speed of large mammals. If we survive climate change the Planet’s ecosystems may not survive. Synthetic chemicals used in fertilizers, pesticides, fracking operations and on a more personal level in our cosmetics, cleaning products and convenience foods have serious consequences on human health and also on the ecosystems that sustain us. This is the elephant in the room that gets almost no attention from the media, the nation’s leadership, or the voters. Several of the pesticides are neurotoxins which can affect the human brain, yet currently the Agricultural Research Service under the US Dept. of Agriculture is being gutted, the research is being repressed, and pesticides deregulated. At the Environmental Protection Agency funds are cut, research is removed from the internet, and regulations on suspect chemicals are being revoked. The Food and Drug Administration has not even researched some of these chemicals, especially the ones used in fracking. Fracking is done mostly in shale regions and shale is layered and water runs through these layers. How far from the fracking sites will the water be contaminated? Industrial waste also moves through the moving waters. In our rush to embrace growth we may be poisoning the planet. I am going out to Good Hope Farm and the Morrisville Farmers Market today to see if they have more organic produce than the State Farmers Market.
@Brent – My problem with the Town Council is not that they are not doing enough to do our Town’s small part in the fight against climate change, it’s that they are not doing what I [and more importantly, what the TAC of the EAB and Keep the Canopy-Cary and every reputable climate scientist in the world] suggest fast enough. I’ve no doubt the Council will implement the suggestions, but only after principled deliberation, and only after investigating even more productive or efficient methods of accomplishing the goals.
I’ve had the pleasure and displeasure of discussions with almost every member of the current Council. In those I’ve never detected even a hint of deception or casuistry – what I would deem lack of spine. Each states his or her position with conviction and defends it with reason. Agree or disagree, I’d confidently share a foxhole with each of them.
In fact I ought to go further. Those who volunteer to serve the Town as council members set themselves up for insult and affront, from both frontal assaults by named attackers and from bushwhackers. In my unsuccessful run I was subject to a tiny fraction of that cowardly abuse, and even with what I thought was alligator-thick skin, found it disconcerting and deflating. So they, and those who challenge them in the upcoming election, have my respect and support. I’d hate to think that the least self-aware among us would be the only ones to stand for office.
And labeling the three 2019 challengers as “tokens” sets up some interesting wagering propositions. I look forward to the debate, and believe the Town will be the better for it.
@George Two of the four candidates for election this fall are unopposed and a third has token opposition . Don’t expect any of them to grow a spine and heed you or the EAB. They’re far too comfortable and cozy with the status quo.
Wow, Brent, that’s pretty low.
As you know having been on boards and commissions, and currently serving on one, we have a process that we use for recommendations that come from our boards and commissions. I applaud the work that the EAB has done, in the past, and continues to do to make Cary one that not only talks about Environmental stewardship, we do it. The EAB has been instrumental in suggesting NO WASTE town events, communications improvements to help conservation, and made many recommendations to Council and Staff that have been adopted over the years.
The Tree Committee that was formed, was in part formed because of citizen’s, like @George, who have been working closely with Councilmembers and EAB members to get a more focused review of our ordinances. George’s engagement has helped our Public Works folks understand the danger of “volcano mulching” and we have worked hard to communicate with developers and owners when we see that type of landscaping in the area. As you know, governing is process oriented, takes time to ensure that many are engaged and are heard.
The EAB recommendation list was discussed at the EAB meeting in June. I’ve recently read the 14 page report, and it has a number of excellent ideas and proposals. Normally, these types of reports are then formally presented to council so that we may engage and consider next steps. That has not yet occurred and I have reached out to staff regarding the next step.
Currently spine-ful and not cozy,
Lori
Well said, Lori.
And Thank you to Bob, Gina, Ron, George and Khara for the kind words – I really appreciate it.
Khara – I would be happy to discuss the EAB report and recommendations with you and other EAB board members. If you would like to schedule a meeting please send me an email at don.frantz@townofcary.org
And still no Council member offers to be the champion for climate change. Lots and LOTS of words, but really just crickets.
Sad
Wow, sour grapes there Brent? Ran and lost. “…every reputable climate scientist in the world…”- would that be those that agree with your bias? Climate change has been with us since day one, what is NOT agreed to by Professional Subject Matter Experts are the causes and what can be done by Man to effect change. Sadly even Scientists have allowed themselves to become politicized, especially Leftist ones. Hubris to think we know the details on Climate change when we cannot accurately predict what the weather will be like tomorrow. Taking personal shots at those that serve is indicative of character, or the lack of.
Don you deserve to be re-elected. You have served well.
Wish I lived in Cary so I could vote for you! Good Luck to you.
Don, if I lived in your District you would have my vote. Best of luck! v/r
Got my vote! Good guy, good council member.
Thank you for your great service to the Town of Cary! I think you’re doing a great job, and also encourage you to take a strong leadership role in dealing with the climate crisis. The science is now providing overwhelming evidence that we need strong action very soon. (Happy to discuss more also via EAB!)
Hear, hear!
The Cary Town Council desperately needs someone with the political courage to take a stand on climate change.
@Brent – The Town has instituted many programs designed to slow the rate of increase of current and future air, land, and water pollution. This is an excellent start. However, by themselves, these programs merely kick the can down the road, and leave the second prong on the equation [the cleansing of land, air, and water of existing pollution and the pollution that will still be generated in future] to coming generations.
The air we have now has never been breathed before by the human race. It contains 415.7 ppm of carbon dioxide. The concentration is rising, inexorably. The particulate pollution as I type this today is 88 ppm, considered “moderate” pollution. The ozone is 72 ppm, also considered “moderate” pollution. This in a town with no heavy industry whatever, only the addition of five cars per day, every day, to its roadways.
I respectfully suggest we don’t need leaders to take a stand, we need leadership – here and everywhere – to DO something – and do it NOW. That something is to plant trees. Trees are essentially the only things that drawdown pollution from the air, and they also prevent much pollution from flowing into streams and rivers, and break down harmful pollutants that settle into our soil. As side benefits, trees produce the oxygen we need to breathe, reduce the area of floodplains across all categories of storms, and prevent or reduce the effects of the thousands of heat islands we have all across Cary. Trees also make a town beautiful.
Even if every program Cary has is 100% successful [an impossibility, but used for effect], we still have the existing pollution. It does not magically disappear.
Cary NEEDS a million new trees, properly planted and nurtured, in the next decade. We are one of the wealthiest and best educated jurisdictions in the world. We should harness our blessings in service to ourselves, to those that follow us here, and to those in other jurisdictions.
George , you’ve been saying this for some time . Yet no Council member has supported your proposal .
Don’t you think we need someone on Council to take a stand ?
@Brent – I thought we needed a tree advocate on Council, but the voters didn’t – and handed me my head on a platter. But that was back in 2017, in those happy-go-lucky days when the CO2 count was only 407 ppm and Cary’s air quality was usually “good” instead of “moderately” polluted. That was back when Cary had 6,000 fewer people, and 3,000 fewer cars. That was back in the time before the United Nations Secretary General warned that we are in the midst of an existential crisis, and have but little time to act before the rate of environmental degradation exceeds our technological ability to reverse it.
To answer your question [Do we need a Council member to take a stand?], Yes. Of course we do. And the sooner the better. But a “stand” is meaningless without action. Condemning President Trump for his failure to act on climate change is but mere show-boating unless followed by action.
The Tree Advisory Committee of the Environmental Advisory Board recommends that the reduction in Town tree cover – now down below 44% – be halted, and that Council begin immediate steps to raise it up to 56%. Perhaps the candidates for office in the upcoming election will discuss this issue in more than superficial detail.