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Cary Mayor

Harold’s Blog: New Library, Town Council and More

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Cary, NC – This week included several important events and a council meeting.

Monday – Planning for the Week

Monday I attempted to contact council members to hear of concerns or questions they may have had about the agenda. I was able to contact all but two and there were no concerns. Later in the day I met with management and directors along with Mayor Pro-Tem Bush and council member Frantz. We went over the agenda items and provided feedback. Our meeting lasted about half an hour. Read more

Cary Mayor

Harold’s Blog: Transit Plan, General Assembly and More

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Cary, NC – The week was much slower than last week and is typical as we approach the summer.

Monday – Wake County Mayors

Monday I joined Wake County Commissioner and CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) vice chair and staff in a review of the agenda for Wednesday’s monthly meeting.

Monday afternoon I was scheduled to meet with the town manager for our weekly one-on-one but he had a scheduling conflict. So he sent an information summary on topics that included a Fortune 500 company, downtown park consultants, and status on feedback about the budget. We will meet next Monday as scheduled.

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Cary Mayor

Harold’s Blog: Graduations, Town Council Meeting and More

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Cary, NC – This week was a busy week with graduations and a council meeting.

Monday – Cary High Graduation

Monday I joined Mayor Pro-Tem Bush, council member Frantz, and council member George for the graduation ceremony for Cary High School. There were 541 graduates getting their diplomas. It was a privilege to sit on stage and watch the faces of the graduates as they walked by.

Cary Mayor

Later Monday I attempted to contact council members to hear of questions and concerns they might have had about Thursday’s agenda. Though Thursday’s agenda was long there were no questions. Later Monday I met with Management and Directors and went over the agenda items. We anticipated the meeting would last between two and two hours thirty minutes. Read more

Cary Mayor

Harold’s Blog: Kildaire Gas Station, Smart Cities and More

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Cary, NC – This week was busier than last week and included a budget work session and several events.

Monday – Gas Station Meeting

Monday I met with the town manager for about half an hour. Our topics included a business that has crime issues, the Cary Town Center site, the Fenton site, and interactions with other governing agencies.

Monday night I attended a meeting of staff, developers, and citizens on the gas station proposed at Kildaire Farm Road and Penny Road. I stayed in the back so that I could hear the conversation and watch the interaction between the citizens, the developers, and staff. Read more

Downtown Cary

Harold’s Blog: Transportation Priorities, Human Trafficking and More

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Cary, NC – This week was a holiday week and the first week back from vacation.

Tuesday – Human Trafficking

Tuesday I joined the police chief in a meeting with Mayor Olive of Apex and the director and founder of Shield North Carolina (https://shieldnc.org/human-trafficking-1). Their purpose is to stop human trafficking. In the meeting they asked us partner with them on private events to promote awareness which of course we agreed to do. Moving forward the director and founder of Shield North Carolina will be working with the police chief and possibly other departments to create a strategy for awareness events. Read more

Harold’s Blog: GoCary Bus System, Local Teachers and More

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Cary, NC – This was my last week before vacation so it was a little slower than normal.

Monday – Honor A Teacher

Monday I joined council members Frantz and Smith at the Cary Chamber’s Honor a Teacher Awards Ceremony. This event is to recognize teachers that go above and beyond the call of duty. I had the privilege of giving a few remarks and thanking the teachers before the awards were presented.

There were over 160 nominees and 32 awards in all including one sponsored by the Town of Cary. The awards included a nice glass plaque and a $1000 check. Cary’s award was for civic education and was given to Carolynn Angilello of Turner Creek Elementary.  We congratulated our winner and had our picture made with her. The ceremony lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. Read more

Cary Mayor

Harold’s Blog: Quarterly Meeting, Parks and Recreation and More

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Cary, NC – This week’s main focus was on the quarterly meeting.

Monday – Planning for the Week

Monday I met with the town manager for our weekly one-on-one. We discussed the quarterly meeting, some budget items, and business proposals that may or may not come to fruition. Our meeting lasted about half an hour. Read more

Cary Mayor

Harold’s Blog: Cary Town Council, Elected Officials and More

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Cary, NC – This was a typical spring week with a regularly scheduled council meeting and several events.

Monday – Budget Preview

Monday I contacted council members to hear of questions and concerns they may have had about the agenda for Thursday’s meeting. Later in the day I met key staff members and went over the agenda.

After the agenda meeting I met with staff to hear about a legal issue and to get a preview of the budget. The staff will present the budget on May 10th to the council at our quarterly meeting. That discussion will include what to do about the increasing costs of recycling, the need for more sidewalks, and the need for more road improvements. Property taxes will probably remain the same in this year’s budget but that will be a council decision. After the May 10th work session other scheduled work sessions include June 7th, June 14th, and June 28th. It is likely that we will not need all of those work sessions. Read more

Cary Mayor

Harold’s Blog: Sister Cities, Chamber of Commerce and More

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Cary, NC – This week was slower than expected with a few cancelled meetings.

Tuesday – Cary Chamber of Commerce

Monday’s meeting with the town manager was cancelled since we had no new information to share.

Tuesday I spoke to the Cary Chamber Leadership group about the council, our role, my role, and the importance of intergovernmental and inner governmental relationships. My talk with questions lasted about 15 to 20 minutes.

Tuesday evening I attended the expansion opening celebration of Pacific Nails in the shopping center at Walnut Street and Tryon Road. I congratulated the owners and took a few pictures with them. Read more

Harold’s Blog: State Legislature, Transportation and More

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Cary, NC – This week included a lot of meetings and events.

Monday – Wake County Mayors and Local Student

Monday morning I talked with the Executive Director of CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) and the Vice Chair about Wednesday’s agenda. We agreed that the agenda was straight forward and based on the presentations we believed the meeting would take an hour to an hour and a half.

Monday afternoon I met with a high school senior and her parent for an interview about local government. Her questions focused on the impact of growth, governmental relationships, and future changes. We talked about half an hour before I gave her a tour of town hall. Read more