macca wrote: So, who are the "right folks" to ask?
A good start would simply be to walk down Main Street from stop light to stop light and talk to the business and property owners. Pick out the 5 or 10 largest land owners within 2 or 3 miles of town hall and go talk with them as well.
The records at Town Hall would provide you with a complete and full history of town rezonings since Stokesdale was incorporated, and that wouldn't be a bad place to start looking either. It wouldn't hurt if you ask yourself and understand deep enough to know, why any (and each) particular council member voted for or voted against that particular rezoning.
Those zoning records will begin to provide you with the roadmap to understanding the reward/punishment patterns of which property owners and/or developers get what they want and which don't. Compare council zoning votes with the comprehensive land use plan and with the planning board recommendations and votes if you want an eye opener. Find out which developers are riding around with which town council members and see if any answers fall into your lap. I suggest they will.
Finally, find someone in Stokesdale who is at least third generation, to translate and interpret for you the deeper family or marriage or social or business relationships that exist between petitioner parties and members of town council and their extended families and you will begin to see the answer to questions similar to what FF12 was originally asking.
I think if you do those things, you will uncover some pretty interesting stories.
Obviously, the 'wrong folks to ask' would be someone who just moved here AND who has not interfaced either directly or indirectly with town government, or not been the recipient of either their blessings or curse. Or those willing to accept the surface viewpoint without the willingness to dig deeper than the first inch or so to discover what is really going on and why.
Last edited on Jan 23rd, 2007 02:21 am by Jim Flynt
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"Take no prisoners"
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