It’s October and the midterm elections are underway. Early voting is available through October 31st. We are lucky here in Orange County that our early voting hours have not been cut and our locations remain the same as in previous years, unlike some of the other counties in NC. I cannot stress enough how important it is for every single person to come out and vote. Please vote for Democrats up and down the ballot, Sstarting at the top of the ballot with a vote for former Governor Roy Cooper for US Senate. Please also make sure you vote for Justice Anita Earls for NC Supreme Court and all three Democrats running for the Court of Appeals: Judge John Arrowood, Judge Toby Hampson, and Judge Christine Walczyk. Keep going and vote for every Orange County office.

September is my birthday month, so between that and getting my daughter resettled in Charlotte, it's already been a full one! 

I've been asked to serve on the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) General Government Steering Committee again this year. Our first meeting is September 22, and I'll keep you posted on anything that touches home.

I also just got back from the NCACC Annual Conference in Durham —  a three day event with more than 650 commissioners from across the state. Two sessions particularly stuck with me: "Property Tax Reappraisals and Budgeting" and "Tax Policy Changes and What Commissioners Need to Know." Between those sessions and the hallway conversations, one thing was clear: county governments across the state are thinking about the constitutional amendment on property taxes that will be on the ballot this fall. 

So let's talk honestly about this constitutional amendment and what it means for you.  September is my birthday month, so between that and getting my daughter resettled in Charlotte, it's already been a full one! 

I've been asked to serve on the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) General Government Steering Committee again this year. Our first meeting is September 22, and I'll keep you posted on anything that touches home.

I also just got back from the NCACC Annual Conference in Durham —  a three day event with more than 650 commissioners from across the state. Two sessions particularly stuck with me: "Property Tax Reappraisals and Budgeting" and "Tax Policy Changes and What Commissioners Need to Know." Between those sessions and the hallway conversations, one thing was clear: county governments across the state are thinking about the constitutional amendment on property taxes that will be on the ballot this fall. 

So let's talk honestly about this constitutional amendment and what it means for you.

It's been a busy summer for me - personally, professionally, and as your County Commissioner. My children are both settled in their respective “homes away from home,” my usual summer turnover at my business seems to have let up a bit, and following the tough county budget process, we then had to step up and make another substantive decision.