Marilyn Carter is a Democrat running for District 1 County Commissioner. (There are two seats available in District 1 and two people are running – You can read our interview with incumbent commissioner Jean Hamilton here.)
Carter is a member of the Orange County Planning Board and has served as Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party and President of the Democratic Women of Orange County. She was appointed by Governor Cooper to the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services.
We interviewed Carter over email, and her answers are published in full, below.
The only population increasing in Orange County is 65+, both due to Baby Boomers aging in place and housing prices remaining high. What does this mean for the future of our school systems?
Orange County has high housing prices that have risen significantly in recent years. Many of our residents are struggling to make ends meet, including students, our elders, young families and those who take care of us – our teachers, staff in our public schools, emergency services personnel and health care workers.
If we are to be a healthy community with healthy public schools that provide an equitable education, we need to continue to develop solutions so that people of all ages and income levels have housing options they can afford, and we need to invest in our schools’ infrastructure. This will enable us to continue to attract teachers, staff members and families to live here in Orange County,
Our school systems have aging and deteriorating facilities. My candidate colleague, Jean Hamilton (all Orange County voters can vote for us both, as there are two open seats), initiated a motion that called for a detailed study to assess the facility needs for our schools. The Commissioners subsequently approved a school bond referendum based on that study that is on the ballot this fall. This bond will provide funding at the best possible financing rates to enable infrastructure improvements and new facilities in both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system and Orange County schools.
I support the School Bond and the work of the Commissioners to bring it to the voters. I encourage voters to approve it.
How will you balance the needs of the schools with all of the non-school needs across the county? Can you share your top three spending priorities?
County Government funds basic services that touch our lives every single day, including public safety, the county health department, animal control, waste management, programs in the Department of Aging and beyond.
To balance across so many needs and provide guidance for decision-making, the Commissioners passed a Strategic Plan last year. This plan was formulated with broad-based feedback from across our Orange County community.
In addition to supporting our public schools and basic services, my top priorities include housing, growing a vibrant local economy and climate resiliency. I also believe that a healthy community is underpinned by strong support for the arts, our parks and libraries.
The shortage of affordable housing is a local, statewide and nationwide crisis, with a role for each part of government to play. Here in Orange County, there are numerous initiatives that provide short-term housing assistance for urgent needs. For example, the Commissioners recently increased funding for emergency tenant assistance. There is a program providing property tax assistance for long-time residents, which is currently accepting applications. For folks in transition from homelessness and institutions, there is bridge housing like the Wonderful House, whose ribbon cutting I recently attended.
For the longer term, the Land Use Plan 2050 will describe where and how land in unincorporated areas of the county can be used for residential, agricultural, and industrial purposes for the next 25 years. It has the potential to affect development options for more housing, where we can grow our local economy and jobs, and how we conserve land for food production, watershed protection and climate resilience.
Do you think Orange County is growing too fast, too slowly, or about right? Why?
Orange County is growing at a rate that has been shaped by our Land Use Plans of the past. The last Comprehensive Land Use Plan was approved approximately 20 years ago, and much has changed in North Carolina over that time.
We have become the 9th most populous state in the nation, and among the best states for doing business. Orange County has been ranked the #2 County to live in North Carolina and the #23 County to live in the nation. Companies like Medline, Stihl and Morinaga have chosen to locate operations here. And yet workers and recent graduates from UNC Chapel Hill are still finding it challenging to live and work in Orange County.
As a member of the Orange County Planning Board, I have advocated for a feedback process on the Land Use Plan 2050 that engages with community members so that the Plan reflects their input on the future of housing, economic development and climate resiliency in a representative way.
The towns have often been asked to fund many county initiatives through joint agreements (while residents also pay county taxes and are the main source of property taxes to the county), yet there are few examples of county investments in the towns. How would you advocate for working with and supporting the towns as part of the county? b. Do you believe the Commissioners should focus on issues outside of the towns or begin to support housing, environment, and other joint priorities within the towns more?
There are numerous ways that Orange County invests in services and infrastructure that benefit our municipalities, including:
- Funding strong schools creates strong communities, both in the towns and outside them.
- Investing in our libraries, including the new Southern Branch Library under construction in Carrboro, expands opportunities for lifelong learning that benefits all residents.
- Housing programs like those mentioned earlier help our residents in the municipalities.
- The Seymour Center in Chapel HIll and Passmore Center in Hillsborough are among the reasons people rank Orange County as a great place to live.
- Our public parks provide recreation and green space for all.
- Waste management and recycling services are available to residents across the county.
- The Orange County Arts Center in Carrboro and Eno River Mill in Hillsborough receive support from the County.
- Emergency services support residents in the municipalities.
I also support efforts like the collaboration between Orange County and the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro to define the future of the Greene Tract.
Do you support the municipalities’ strategy for dense development to ease housing shortage within town limits and what will you do as commissioners to further this goal?
Orange County and the municipalities of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Mebane have generally supported a smart growth approach to planning, which concentrates development in areas where it can use existing infrastructure and services. Smart growth also can reduce climate impacts by reducing the need for vehicles and maximizing the use of public transit, walkways and bike lanes. In recent years, we have seen significant expansion of housing options in the municipalities. In the short term, construction can disrupt; while over time, it can help alleviate housing shortages.
The success of a smart growth approach also requires ongoing focus on policies that anticipate long-term needs for new or expanded infrastructure and that promote sustainable development, green spaces and community engagement in planning processes.
As a Commissioner, my approach to considering future development will be informed by the Strategic Plan goals and representative feedback collected as the Land Use Plan 2050 is defined.
How should we respond to the increase in housing prices and the increase in demand for housing here?
We can respond to the increase in housing prices by continuing to consider innovative approaches to increasing housing stock and taking reasonable steps to decrease the complexity developers face while not trading off protection of our environment. The Orange County Planning Board on which I serve recently approved, for the first time, two developments that follow a “conservation cluster” approach. This allows denser development on part of a parcel when a significant portion of the same parcel is conserved and undeveloped. It also provides for a more streamlined planning process.
Furthermore, we can seek opportunities to support development like the Greene Tract, in which Orange County, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and residents are working together. I have attended the 3 recent Greene Tract Community engagement sessions. It is an example of how community engagement can guide decision-making toward more equitable solutions for providing increased housing options.
Can you name one service or department that we spend too much money on, and one that we should fund more robustly?
In the County budget process, the needs always exceed the dollars available. The experts on Orange County staff bring their recommendations for spending to the Commissioners and the public, who provide feedback through an interactive process.
This process serves us well, because both Orange County staff and the Commissioners are committed to and highly engaged in serving the public with fiscal responsibility. For that reason, I believe they made sound decisions in this year’s budget process.
Looking ahead, I would like to look more closely at how we can expand support for the Arts.
If you could design a pair of Crocs for yourself, what would they look like?
Crocs are fun – though since I’ve been canvassing and talking to voters across Orange County with Commissioner Portie-Ascott almost every weekend since mid-July, how about these chucks used on the campaign trail, decorated with grass clippings, asphalt stains and (ouch) chiggers?.
I’d also add “VOTE THE WHOLE BALLOT” across the toe box.
Questions for county commissioners were compiled by Melody Kramer, Stephen Whitlow, Martin Johnson, Lou Rivers III, and Geoff Green.