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dmauser
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| Joined: | Oct 14th, 2005 |
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 12:31 pm |
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Mr Peterson,
If you had no knowledge of your flyer being distributed in the latest mailing, how did they get your flyers? By my count that would be thousands of flyers. If your publisher or printer handed them out without your permission, then I would suggest that there might be a legal issue involved. You should ask them to repay you for those copies-- you might even sue them for damage to your reputation.
I can assure you that the inclusion of your flyer groups you with the CC whether that is your intention or not. Could it be that the CC would do something unethical? Are they trying to legitimize their campaigns by associated with you? I see some real issues here!
As far as the water issue, I did not realize that any decisions about water had been made. I thought we(Town of Summerfield) were still having discussions with the public. I do think that the current council made some mistakes with the town hall issue, but the town still owns the land and might use it later. As far as the park is concerned, maybe the amphitheather will be used for concerts, and perhaps a drama club will form; at least the opportunity will be there. I would love to see a 'theater in the park' concept. I can invision a Sunday afternoon enjoying music, good food and neighbors.
I also agree that I hope our council will ask hard questions, and make informed decisions. Too much of their time is wasted with interuptions from out bursts from the CC group. I have never been to any other public gathering where their behavior would be tolerated. I hope that either you or Mr Brown will make sure that they end their tirads even if it involves have the sheriff escort them out of the meetings.
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FatPappy
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| Joined: | Oct 25th, 2005 |
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 01:01 pm |
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Mr Peterson--Glad to see you in the forum. You said, "I did not know they were going to mail my brochure with theirs until it was done." Uh, oh! That sounds like one of those costly mistakes you were talking about!
But seriously, we all know mistakes have been made. Not as costly as some would claim. I also think lessons have been learned.
What about the hidden costs of the hateful, divisive and intentionally disruptive discourse from the Concerned Citizens? Have any lessons been learned there? Those costs aren't necessarily measured in almighty dollars but the town still pays a price. That price is more than we can afford!Last edited on Nov 6th, 2005 01:04 pm by FatPappy
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How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
--Abraham Lincoln
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Bill Peterson
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 02:34 pm |
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FatPappy and dmauser
I wish I knew who I was addressing so I would have the benefit of being able to call you by name and knowing if we know each other or not.
I wrote my brochure. Someone else (who is not a member of Concerned Citizens) had them printed. Contributions made directly to me paid for them. Because Donna and were out of town most of Friday and all day yesterday, I do not have all the facts yet as to how they came to be in this mailing. What I know is he gave them to someone and they were mailed together with the other information. I knew he planed to have my brochure mailed but I did not know they would be a in group. He did not know either and called me last night when he returned to town to discuss it. I relied on him and, like him, thought they were going out individually. Yes. I know that might be nick-picked and parsed to say I should have known. But, as you know we don't have control over what other folk do. We can tell them what to do and what not to do but we end up living with what actually happens.
Since I signed up to run as mayor, every non-incumbent candidate has either directly, or through a representative, asked me to run a joint campaign of one type or another. I have tried to be as polite as I could while refusing. I am not a member of the CC group. I have tried to run on my own experience, qualifications, and track record. If you came to meetings while I was on the council, I am sure you saw that I am independent and make up my own mind.
If you know me, you know I am quick to own up to mistakes (yes, I know I make them too) and to apologize if needed. You also know in my role as mayor or councilmember, I never intentionally lied, made a promise I did not do my best to keep, or withheld public information. I have worked with Summerfield as a way to volunteer and return something to my community. I do not have political aspirations and will probably never run for another office. You can bet the farm that I am not about to sell my integrity for this election.
I am reminded of the famous quote by Ursula Le Guin: "It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end." I too, wish the CC message was delivered differently. I have seen the council so frustrated one member took the mayor's gavel and banged it angrily on the table screaming the speakers time was up. In another instance everyone's time was wasted by arguments against an issued closed out long before. It is my sincere wish that we can return to the sprit of co-operation we enjoyed when I was mayor. Somewhere there is a balance. We will find it again! I am willing to work towards that goal and have proposed public meetings with town officials to re-establish the communication lines. In the meantime, I keep reminding myself that King George and the Loyalists probably had many similar things to say about the revolutionary punks messing with the status quo.
Bill
wepete2@bellsouth.net
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Cracker Jax
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 02:46 pm |
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bill - I am sorry that you have missed the past 3 issues of the Northwest Observer in which they have made mention of this forum, twice in the form of very large ads. If you aren't getting the paper in your mailbox, it is available in most area stores. We find it quite useful in keeping informed of what is going on in our area.
At the 11/5 town council meeting I noticed your flyer laying on the back table beside Becky Strickland's flyer. I personally have seen you "huddled" with Strickland, Crawford and Flowers on several occasions. Perhaps you do not consider yourself to be a member of the CC group but as your mom probably told you - you are judged by the company you keep - and the fact that you share their philosophies puts you right in the middle of that group in my eyes. Pretty smart getting them to pay for your campaign mailings though.... kudos.
It is no secret that you have never supported the Park. You did not want it when you were mayor and you do not want it now. In fact, you do not want anything that was not originally your idea. I am offended when you say that we have no performing arts in this area. We have a multitude of talent in this town. Perhaps because there is no venue for performing arts in Summerfield, you are not aware of the talent available.
Perhaps if we had a venue, such as an amphitheater, and all of our local talent was busy elsewhere, we could even draw performing arts from as far away as say, UNC-G to perform for us. Perhaps our schools could use this same venue as a means of holding large gatherings since none of the buildings on the campuses can house all grade levels at once..... Just think outside the box.
I was thrilled to read your kind words pertaining to the current council members. Hopefully most also read into those compliments the backhanded slap you also delivered to them.
I know you have stated why they support you as mayor... you are not the incumbent. What I want to know is.... Do you support Crawford and Strickland in the current race for Town Council Seats?
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Opinions in this post are mine. Do not copy, distribute, mass mail or quote out of context without my consent.
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SaltyDog
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| Joined: | Oct 24th, 2005 |
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 02:54 pm |
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Mr. Peterson
Welcome to the forum. It is to your credit that you have chosen to explain and defend you positions in a public forum, unlike some other candidates in this election.
I take you at your word that you did not know of the existence of this forum until this morning but it does concern me that as a candidate, who is supposed to have your finger on the pulse of the town, that you missed out on this one.
Also it concerns me that you seem to be unaware of how your name is being used by and associated with the Concerned Citizens. If you are an astute businessman capable of runnning a multi-million dollar company (or municipality) then why aren't you more in control of the use of your own name?
You seem to be on the fence about the concerned citizens - you support their positions but not their methods. OK, but when voters step into the booth to cast their ballots they cannot be on the fence they must take a stand.
So Bill, are you endorsing the candidacies of Concerned Citizens Strickland and Crawford or not?
How do you feel about the potential of presiding over a council that includes individuals who employ tactics and exhibit the behavior of the Concerned Citizens?
Bill, your statements about the water system are misleading. On the one hand you criticize the council for not doing due diligence but then when they did due diligence on building a water system, which they then rejected because of cost, you fail to mention that and hammer them with statistics about a $20,000,000 water system that they do not intend to build. You also conveniently failed to mention that the council is currently doing "due diligence" with a private water system company, Aqua America. As I understand it, the basic thrust of the Aqua proposal is that Aqua will build the municipal water system, at no cost to the town, existing homes and businesses will have the option the hook up to the water system but new development will be required to use the water system. Rates would be controlled by the Utilitilities Commission. The Town of Oak Ridge recently signed an agreement with Aqua to provide water to their community. So please explain what you would do differently in the investigation of options for a municipal water system?
I agree that the entire saga of the Town Hall and Sheriff's sub-station was mishandled by the council. Mistakes were made and poor judgement was used, plain and simple. With that being said, I think it is misleading to quote statistics ($115/citizen was wasted) as if the land purchased by the town has zero value.
Yes, assumptions can be dangerous and wrong, so please be clear about your endorsement or non-endorsement of Concerned Citizens.
Last edited on Nov 6th, 2005 02:56 pm by SaltyDog
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FatPappy
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| Joined: | Oct 25th, 2005 |
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 04:00 pm |
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Mr Peterson--You know very well the way you mentioned the water situation was intentionally meant to mislead. We deserve better!
You want to know true identities? The words we speak are who we are. Mine are me and yours are you.
dmauser, Cracker, and Salty--Well said!
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How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
--Abraham Lincoln
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Starcatchr
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| Joined: | Nov 3rd, 2005 |
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 06:29 pm |
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Mr P
Most of us remember when we were young and carefree and were happy to tiptoe through the tulips. Well, time and circumstance changed us - or at least most of us - and we
matured out of necessity. Our town is no longer a tiny suburb of Greensboro. We have grown, not only in population, but, in responsibilities. Who in this town would not like to see the same rural community that many of us enjoyed 20 years ago? Sorry, but that's not possible. If we are going to enjoy the adult status of being a town, we cannot sit idly by and wait for someone to pick up our pieces. We need a plan for water services and a plan for cultural and recreational venues. We also need a plan for a municipal building, a permanent place to hold town meetings and to house town administrative offices. This is not to say that all our needs must be met at once, but negativity does not serve our future.
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Bill Peterson
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 06:46 pm |
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Cracker Jax says I never supported the park. Wrong! If you think back to the beginning of my second term, the council established a park planning committee at my request. I nominated the first chairperson and asked the committee to look into parks on three different sites.. In my third term, I met with members of the County Commissioners, Roger Cotton, and a few other county representatives to request they donate the land for our large park. They agreed to my request and I help negotiate the terms. While the park was a passive park, I whole heartedly supported it. When it grew into a multimillion dollar project and folk started trying to hide the fully funded cost and the fact it would require a full time maintenance staff and taxes I began to pull back and look for alternatives.. It was when it became a burden to the town and no alternative would even be considered I withdrew my support.
Bill
wepete2@bellsouth.net
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Starcatchr
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 06:47 pm |
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Mr. P.
With your business acumen, surely you did not leave loose ends untied on your mailings! Oh, my, a worker in a multi-million dollar business could be pink-slipped for such an error.
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Bill Peterson
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 06:49 pm |
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One thing I have learned over the years is no matter how good the intention, or how hard you work to say just what you mean, there are folks who will parse what you say and use it to attack. I've read some bad things here about the CC. If you have failed to notice, the attacks written here are very similar to some of the attacks being complained about. The most noticeable difference is some stand in the open known to all and some do not.
I assure you that if I am elected or not I will continue listen to the comments and concerns of everyone in the town... not just the folk I agree with 100%. Yes, you have seen me "huddled" with Bob Flowers. I have known him for a lot of years. I once volunteered with a wildlife conservation group he supported. We have more to talk about than Summerfield politics. You have also seen me "huddled" with Sandra Smith, Michael Brant, Bill Trevorrow, Diane Laughlin, Bill Bruce, Robin Smith, every member of the town council, and lots of other folk., maybe even you I'll not justify talking with anyone but if I am guilty by association of being like all of them.... good for me!
Bill Peterson
wepete2@bellsouth.net
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Bill Peterson
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 07:02 pm |
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| Not sure how you missed the reply but it was not my mailing
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Edalkarp
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 09:22 pm |
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Mr. Peterson, It is confusing to me why you would continue to run for mayor when you will not be able to fulfill your term. It states in the NWObserver your stay will be determined by the sell of your home, because you are relocating to another town. Summerfield’s next election is schedules for 2007, why would you put this “burden" on the town? Can you please elaborate?
Last edited on Nov 6th, 2005 10:58 pm by Edalkarp
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EditorPS
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| Joined: | Oct 2nd, 2005 |
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 09:27 pm |
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Hi Everyone,
This afternoon I was asked if it's true that a candidate for town council is the Moderator for this Topic. I have no idea where that rumor started, but let me quickly set the record straight and assure you that the answer is NO! I have been, am, and will be the only Moderator for this Topic. Had I assigned the job of Moderator for this Topic to someone else, under no circumstances would I have asked a candidate to do so. The Moderator is identified at the top left-hand page of the first page of comments -- see "EditorPS" for this topic, and all other topics thus far on the online forum. It hadn't occurred to me that EditorPS might be confused with a town council candidate (yikes!) but just in case there's any doubt in anyone else's mind, EditorPS is me, Patti Stokes. In no way was I trying to be deceptive when I chose that name -- the "Editor" is my job title, and the "PS" are my initials. My picture is also posted on the forum. Moderators will always be identified by name and photo, by the way.
As the moderator, I am on duty throughout the day, seven days a week, and am reading your comments to make sure this forum remains a civil, open, and productive place to exchange dialogue. Thanks to all of you who are participating!
As one more point of information - my partner, Sandra Smith, personally e-mailed the candidates for town council on Oct. 23 and invited them to participate in this online forum. As you can see, some have chosen not to. I do want to thank Bill Peterson, the latest candidate to join us, for his participation as of this morning. Thus far in Summerfield, Becky Strickland, Mark Brown and Dwayne Crawford have not visited with us (or at least if they have, they have not identified themselves by name), but we are still hoping that they will consider doing so.
Thanks! Patti Stokes, "EditorPS"
Last edited on Nov 7th, 2005 01:36 am by EditorPS
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lucy
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 09:48 pm |
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| Bill P. Not sure that "huddling" with Robert Flowers is a good thing since his most recent mailing used permit #34 Seems like everyone in town is using this permit. Oh and BTW several people have asked, I am not Lucy Smith, but if she were running for council I would certainly vote for her. Last edited on Nov 6th, 2005 09:53 pm by lucy
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SaltyDog
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Posted: Nov 6th, 2005 09:58 pm |
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Bill a common political strategy - If you don't want to answer the question then attack the motives of the questioner. You are running for public office and asking for our votes, not me. Why does it matter if the questions are asked by someone with an anonymous screen name? If the question is legitimate, then answer it. If not, then explain why.
Do you or do you not endorse Concerned Citizen's candidates Strickland and Crawford in this election?
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SaltyDog - Alive and Posting
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