Posts by Carter Wrenn
The ACLU Speaks Out on Foot Tapping and Hand Gestures
A few years ago, I made an issues ad criticizing then State Representative Richard Morgan. Of course, Richard didn’t like being criticized any more than anyone else – so he filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections claiming the group airing the ad was violating state elections law and to make a long…
Read MoreBush’s Shadow
The Supreme Commander of the U.S. Army in Iraq – from June 2003 through June 2004 – said last week President Bush’s handing of the war has been “incompetent.” Not mistaken. Or flawed. Incompetent. The spinmeisters went to work overnight saying General Ricardo Sanchez’s has a case of sour grapes because he didn’t get a…
Read MoreMr. Peepers Gets Gored
As if Robert Escamilla – the ‘Mr. Peepers’ of Enloe High School – didn’t have enough problems after being demoted and publicly tarred and feathered by School Superintendent Del Burns, now, School Board Chairman Rosa Gill, lowering her head, has charged right over him too. Mrs. Gill feels that the students and parents questioning Superintendent…
Read MoreMr. Peepers in the Soup
Robert Escamilla is a 21st Century version of ‘Mr. Peepers.’ A bit shy. Awkward. Eccentric. And for eighteen years a diligent social studies teacher who received glowing reports from his superiors at Enloe High School. Until a few months ago, he had only one ripple on his resume with the potential to rock the waters…
Read MoreGrowth
Just about everything people read and hear about growth in Raleigh is bad: The School Board can’t cope with growth, the Water Company can’t cope with growth, the streets are clogged, the politicians say they have to keep raising taxes and borrowing money to pay for growth. Growth has caused such a myriad of problems…
Read MoreA Word to Republicans
Republicans, a few years ago, were a force in City politics. But no more. Today, Democrats hold six City Council seats, one is held by an Independent who might as well be a Democrat and only one seat is held by a Republican. What happened? In the 1990’s Republicans were elected Mayor and to the…
Read MoreA Word to Developers
There’s been a debate raging in Raleigh for over three years about developers: Are they responsible citizens or greedy villains? But, so far, only one side has been debating: Mayor Meeker and his allies who say developers are villains. The developers have a story to tell: They build shops, offices, homes, provide jobs and have…
Read MoreThe Mayor and Developers
The Mayor or, rather, his allies second theme this election was that their opponents, Tommy Craven and Jessie Taliaferro, were pawns of developers. Because they voted against higher Impact Fees. Last year, Craven and Taliaferro voted to raise Impact Fees 72%. But the Mayor said at the time he wanted more and during the election…
Read MoreFour Amigos and a Senorita
Congratulations are due to Mayor Meeker and his political brain-trust-strategist Perry Woods. The Mayor or, more precisely, his allies Nancy McFarlane and Rodger Koopman won big on Election Day. Mayor Meeker was on the right side of a powerful issue: developer John Kane’s proposal that the City give North Hills a $75 million tax subsidy.…
Read MoreMike Easley Dancing the Two-Step
There is nothing quite like a newspaper headline to get a political reaction from Governor Easley. Via his minions at the Department of Transportation, the Governor hired a $2.5 million consultant to do a study of DOT, then didn’t require a written report (that way there’s no messy list of DOT foibles for the press…
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