He's out, he's in, he's out, he's, who knows?

Herald-Sun:

Roy Taylor, who said Tuesday he planned to withdraw from the race for Durham County sheriff, said on Wednesday he's reconsidering that decision while his attorneys research the residency requirements for candidates.

Taylor said he's "weighing options to make sure what I was told is accurate" by the Durham County Board of Elections. N.C. General Statute 162-2 requires that candidates for sheriff be residents of the county for a year immediately prior to the election, according to Mike Ashe, director of the elections board. Taylor lived in Wake County for five months during the past year.

Are you with me so far?

Good.

Then maybe you can explain this part to me:

Ashe said he doesn't believe he gave Taylor incorrect information, but didn't want to offer a legal opinion on the 163-57 statute. But Ashe did say that Taylor transferred his voter registration from Durham County to Dinwiddie County, Va., on March 12, 2009, then re-registered in Durham County on Feb. 3, 2010.

Dinwiddie County, Virginia?

Virginia? How did that get thrown in the mix?

Look, i'd like to have a Sheriff Taylor to give me a ride home from the barber shop as much as anyone in Durham, but i'm pretty sure the original Sheriff Taylor had one house that he kept with his Aunt Bea for an awful long time, and didn't live this wandering vagabond life taking him to at least 3 counties in a year. What's up with that part of the story, anyway?

Continue reading He's out, he's in, he's out, he's, who knows?

Fun while it lasted

And i was so looking forward to the possibility of a Sheriff Taylor in Durham County:

Roy Taylor, Republican candidate for Durham County sheriff, has withdrawn from the race because of questions about his eligibility.

According to election rules, candidates must live in the county for at least one year. Taylor moved from Wake to Durham County in December 2009.

Oh, well. Maybe he can help stimulate the economy by hiring some of the underemployed to take down his campaign signs.

Continue reading Fun while it lasted

Updating again - sleazeball tactics

Another email from Wanda Boone, and i have to say it sounds as though she understands the first law of holes.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Mistake number 1.

I naively carried a message regarding the above as requested by the Facilitator of City-Wide PAC about a very important vote that took place several months ago.

Although information was provided to PAC 1 via Melvin Whitley about the important safety features of electronic billboards, it is obvious that PAC 1 might not have received all of the information at the disposal of others. It is also obvious that there are still silos between us as PAC members. I suggest that a larger conversation should have taken place during City-wide PAC which would have been a great use of our time.

To make sure that this happens, I would like to invite members of PAC 2 as well as Mike Woodard to attend our next PAC 1 meeting to present the information that you have.

My sincere apologies for any misunderstanding, confusion or seeming misrepresentation. It was unintential on my part. I have spent 39 years in Durham and a lifetime of building a trusted reputation in the community that I have no desire to see end on this issue.

I hope that both my apology and invitation are accepted.
Best Regards,
Wanda
Wanda Boone

Now, let's go back to Ms. Boone's earlier email and look at this quote:

3. The request for me to speak came via Harold Chestnut, City-wide PAC to voice the result of City-wide PAC's vote (period) in favor of the electronic billboard "for the safety of our Durham Community". The majority of PAC representatives voted yes during the City-wide PAC meeting in question and the process was conducted fairly, as overseen by Harold. I carried the message.

emphasis added

Jumping ahead, here's an email from the PAC 2 list today, addressed to PAC 2 co-facilitator Bill Anderson:

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think this is kind of important: as far as I've heard, PAC2 -- the organization that meets monthly at the DPS Training Center -- has not formally voted on the issue.

In the future, if a similar situation were to arise at the Citywide PAC meeting, I would suggest making a motion to table the question until the emissaries from each of the five PAC groups have received instructions from their respective memberships.

And Bill's response:

There's nothing overly "fine" about your important point. I did try to table it in that way, and every other way I could think of at the time.
The attorney representing Fairway said there wasn't enough time, so the Chair agreed to vote on it that evening. My objections barely slowed it down ten minutes.

emphasis added

So, enquiring minds want to know, what was so important about this vote, conducted, according to Wanda Boone "several months ago," that City Wide PAC Chair Harold Chestnut had to have it voted on that night, without allowing for alternative viewpoints to be presented, without allowing for the facilitators to consult with their respective groups to determine how they wished their organization to vote, and without questioning the credentials to vote of one of the 3 facilitators who voted in favor of the resolution, and who, according to the current facilitator of PAC 5, was not authorized to represent that group, and voted against that groups expressed preferences?

I don't know anything about Mr. Chestnut; don't think i've ever met him. But this information seems to indicate that he's at the center of this ill-advised decision to jump into bed with Fairway Outdoor Advertising. Would love to hear his take on this situation.

Continue reading Updating again - sleazeball tactics

Updating again - sleazeball tactics

From the comments:

Marion Lamberth does not represent PAC5, and I am insulted to learn that she presented herself as such at this meeting. The co-facilitators of PAC5 are myself and Ms. Alice Cheek. Ms. Lamberth has not attended a PAC5 meeting in the two plus years that I have been co-facilitator. She was a former co-facilitator of PAC5, incorrectly presented herself as representing PAC5 on the CCIP Advisory Board, and now I learn she is casting votes when a) she is not authorized to cast such votes; and b) she has no possible understanding of the desires of the PAC since she does not even attend our meetings.

I am dumbfounded.

PAC5 did discuss the billboard ban at one of our monthly meetings, and all in attendance supported the existing ban. Ms. Cheek, my co-facilitator, attends the City-Wide PAC meetings, and was either late or absent for the meeting in question.

Scott Harmon

Wow.

What the fuck is Fairway thinking?

Continue reading Updating again - sleazeball tactics

Updating - sleazeball tactics

Wanda Boone of Durham TRY, who claimed to speak for Partners Against Crime at Fairway's press conference yesterday, has just sent out an email to the various PAC's.

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Four very quick points:
1. Have have not been contacted by nor have I made statements to the media regarding anything that has been in print.

2. TRY received donated billboard space in late 2007 after my approaching Fairway with the request. Fairway did not at any time offer free billboard space to TRY. As you see this transaction occurred prior to any recent electronic billboard discussions.

3. The request for me to speak came via Harold Chestnut, City-wide PAC to voice the result of City-wide PAC's vote (period) in favor of the electronic billboard "for the safety of our Durham Community". The majority of PAC representatives voted yes during the City-wide PAC meeting in question and the process was conducted fairly, as overseen by Harold. I carried the message.

4. I appreciate and respect the opinions of all those who wish to voice them. TRY's mission continues to be to prevent the devastating effects of substance abuse and underage drinking. Our billboard has been a successful tool in reaching that goal which is separate and apart from the electronic billboard discussion.

Best Regards,
Wanda
Wanda Boone

A couple of questions remain. Wanda claims that "The majority of PAC representatives voted yes during the City-wide PAC meeting in question and the process was conducted fairly, as overseen by Harold." We ask, when has the City-Wide PAC, a group which consists of the facilitators of the various district PACs, ever been asked to take a position on an issue like this? What information was available to the members of that group before they made their decision? So far as we know, only a representative of Fairway addressed the group? Were any other parties invited to present their viewpoints?

Continue reading Updating - sleazeball tactics

Sleazeball tactics

So i got an email yesterday telling me about a press conference in downtown Durham on behalf of the billboard "industry" and their ongoing attempts to have Durham's current billboard ordinance overturned. For about 20 years, after several court battles upheld Durham's right to ban new billboards through zoning ordinances, seemed like everybody was OK with that status quo. Then a new technology arrived, digital billboards, essentially giant flat-screen TVs for your highways, capable of showing new images every 10 or 15 seconds or so, the industry suddenly saw massive revenue streams available, and began pushing for modifications to the ordinance. "We just want to be able to replace a handful of our existing, rundown billboards with some of these new ones," they said. They offered access to some not-for-profit groups for occasional 10 second messages. They said that digital billboards were no more a traffic safety risk than conventional billboards.

Well, the jury's still out on that last one, since the study that came to that conclusion was, not surprisingly, funded by the industry, and objective evaluations of it cast doubt on its methodologies and conclusions. The full evidence isn't in yet, of course, but it's not looking good for the industry. Which probably explains why they're pushing so hard to get Durham's ban overturned. It'll be a lot harder to get of these things once they're installed, if the data shows that they're unsafe, than it will be to keep them from going up in the first place.

So anyway, didn't pay much attention to the press conference announcement since they've been doing this for three years.

Until i saw an email on the PAC 2 list asking if the PACs had endorsed the industry's position on overturning the billboard ordinance. WTF?

Quick digression - PAC stands for Partners Against Crime. There are 5 of them in Durham, roughly corresponding to the 5 police districts in town. I live in PAC 2, and i probably get to a couple of PAC meetings a year. It is a specifically non-political group in which citizens, police representatives, and city department heads interact and discuss concerns (street lighting, garbage pickup, maintenance issues, landlord/tenant conflicts, etc.) that can have impacts on crime and safety in neighborhoods. The PAC 2 website may not be completely up to date, but a review of the minutes of its meetings does not indicate that the issue of billboards was ever taken up.

So what gives?

Apparently, there's another PAC. It's called City-Wide PAC, and it consists of a meeting among the facilitators of the 5 distract PACs. And it was as a representative of this group that Wanda Boone, founder of Durham TRY, was speaking at yesterday's press conference. We'll get into some of the ironies of a group whose mission is to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors getting into bed with the billboard industry later. But for now, let's go to the videotape:

"Digital billboard technology is a wonderful tool" in locating missing persons and catching crooks, said Wanda Boone, representing Partners Against Crime at a press conference announcing the campaign this morning.

We've established that Wanda Boone presented herself as representing Partners Against Crime. How did that happen?

Here's an email from current PAC district 2 co-facilitator Bill Anderson:

Just returned from the City Wide PAC a couple hours ago, which is a monthly meeting of the 5 PAC Co-Facilitators. Often these meetings are very important, and should, theoretically, tie the five Police Districts together from a Partners Against Crime standpoint. I've never seen another company represented there before, or after, but sure enough...

A couple months ago, the attorney representing Fairway Advertising was there to pitch their case. At the end of the presentation, they requested PAC support. I objected as strongly as possible, mostly on the grounds that none of the PAC leaders could claim to know how their members would vote, and in essence, this would only be the opinion of the five individuals present, and WOULD NOT REPRESENT the PACs they lead.

I forced a vote to create a rule that City Wide PAC should NEVER vote on ANYTHING when the members of each of the individual PACs had not at least voted at their monthly meeting. That vote went south (3/2) and no such rule was created.

With PAC3's Patty Cloninger and I staring dumbfounded at each other across the table, and Melvin Whitley smiling like a Cheshire cat at the end, they took the vote to another predictable 3/2, and Chair Harold Chesnut gave that company permission to claim that City Wide PAC endorses it.

Marion Lamberth, PAC 5, Wanda Boone PAC 1, and Harold Chestnut, PAC 4 ~ IN FAVOR

Patty Coninger, PAC 3 and Bill Anderson, PAC 2 ~ AGAINST

I was powerless to stop this insane vote, cited the DCVB survey, but mostly general process. Mind you, the above folks are community leaders, and City Wide PAC often serves a good purpose, but that evening, in my opinion, it erred dramatically.

So, the company left with permission to claim City Wide PAC support, and I reserve the right to explain to the best of my ability, how they got it.

This is the first I've seen of Wanda's quote, so this is the first time I've explained what I bore witness to that evening.

Are you taking notes? Because this is important. Fairway Outdoor Advertising pitched itself to a meeting of the 5 facilitators of the PACs throughout the city, and asked for their endorsement of Fairway's billboard proposal. They didn't go to the individual PACs, and they didn't ask the facilitators to go back to their groups to obtain their endorsements. They got three people to approve their resolution, and then got those three people to put "City-Wide Partners Against Crime" behind their names.

Still paying attention? Because this is still important. You looked at the Durham TRY website linked above, right? You noticed that big billboard promoting Durham TRY, space donated by Fairway, right in the middle of the page, with a big "Thank You Fairway!" tag below it, right? OK. That's Wanda Boone's group. (And we'll still talk about the irony of a group devoted to keeping alcohol away from underage youth getting in bed with the billboard industry later.)

Let's go back to the videotape again:

The InterNeighborhood Council has gone on record opposing Fairway's request, but Fairway General Manager Paul Hickman said the council is not representative of the county as a whole. The INC lists 31 neighborhoods as members, out of more than 100 registered with the city/county planning department.

Now, you may remember a while back, the Inter-Neighborhood Council was the first group that Fairway and its partners attempted to persuade to get on board its campaign. At the time, Craigie Sanders was the INC president. Craigie, as it happens, is also an attorney at the firm representing Fairway, K&L Gates. One of my favorite of Craigie's moves as INC president was when he invited his fellow Gates attorney Patrick Byker to pay dues for the dormant Rockwood Neighborhood Association and become its representative to the INC, which backfired when other neighbors became aware of this and revitalized their Neighborhood Association as a result.

So - another brief digression. Inter-Neighborhood Council (with or without the hyphen) is another group in Durham that meets monthly, and invites all recognized neighborhood and homeowners associations in Durham to be members. It often takes positions on controversial issues, but in a somewhat more transparent fashion than the "City-Wide PAC" we talked about earlier. A neighborhood may ask for an INC endorsement of a position on, say, changing the billboard ordinance. A resolution will be drafted during a first meeting. At the next meeting, or sometimes even the next two meetings, information will be presented about the impacts of the proposal, and proponents and opponents will be invited to speak. INC delegates go back to their neighborhoods and discuss the various presentations and positions, and other neighborhood residents are welcome to attend INC meetings if they want firsthand information. The resolution may be amended or rewritten. Eventually, a vote is taken and INC's position is established. It may not be the prettiest process, and it may not be the timeliest process, but it would be fair to say that it provides for a significant amount of participation among Durham residents who are interested in the issue at hand.

Unlike, say, getting three industry supporters into a room and having them vote on an issue with no discussion amongst their constituents.

So when Fairway General Manager Paul Hickman says the council is not representative of the county as a whole, while standing next to Wanda Boone, who he knows does not represent the city as a whole, we are safe in describing his tactics as disingenuous, sleazy, underhanded, and reprehensible. At this point it would be reasonable to ask Mr. Hickman what percentage of Durham's billboard advertising revenues are generated by alcohol advertising, and more specifically, by alcohol ads placed in Durham's at-risk communities, specifically along Alston Ave. and US 70 in East Durham? And what percentage and total revenues do they anticipate the new "digital" billboards will generate in those same areas? And then it would be reasonable to ask Wanda Boone why it is that her group is willing to sell itself to the billboard industry, which is one of the prime vectors for alcohol advertising aimed at at-risk young people, the same people her organization claims to be trying to reach, for the price of a few free billboard ads? Could it be that Durham TRY is more interested in establishing its organizational position in the political landscape than in actually getting kids to postpone alcohol consumption? Because if that was their true goal, eliminating outdoor advertising for alcohol would be a much more effective tactic than merely subbing one out of every 4 Crown Royal ads with Durham TRY PSA, wouldn't it?

Noted: Kevin wakes up much earlier than i do.

Continue reading Sleazeball tactics

State Senator #23

From the Old North Durham neighborhood listserv:

How do you find out which NC State Senator owns license plate #23?? If you find out, please let me know. I'd love to send that Senator an angry email. If one of our local Senators, he won't get my vote any more either.

I was driving down Mangum Street on my way to work this morning. I pulled up behind a maroon Porsche Boxster with NC Senate plate #23 at Geer Street. When the light turned green, this car did a jack-rabbit start, accelerated to at least 50 mph, and drove down the center of Mangum straddling both lanes.

I was hoping to catch up to the car in downtown and give the driver a piece of my mind. However, I was going the speed limit and got stopped by the light at the Loop.

I don't care who you are or how important you think you are.....don't disrespect my neighborhood by driving recklessly!!!

I can't wait to let that Senator know what I think of their driving.

Jon
Edward Street

Hmmm. Now which state Senator has a "residence" in Old North Durham?
h/t to DS

Continue reading State Senator #23

This has to be a joke, right?

Look, i'm at least as much of a reduce, reuse, recycle guy as anyone i know. But this is just, well, ridiculous. It has to be someone mocking Ms. Black, doesn't it?

Continue reading This has to be a joke, right?

This is what democracy looks like?

Come next November, when it's time to elect some new school board members, and i go down to my polling place, and someone hands me a little yellow card with the Durham Committee's endorsements, i'll be sure to remember that all of 18 people voted to elect the Committee's current chair.

Continue reading This is what democracy looks like?

Not with a bang . . .

But a whimper:

A 2008 Durham case marked by sensational accounts of Satanism and sadomasochism appears to have wound to a close with best-interest misdemeanor pleas by a man first charged with rape and kidnapping, and by a woman charged with letting those crimes happen.

Joseph Scott Craig, 26, and wife Joy Suzanne Johnson, 31, have entered Alford pleas, under which defendants do not admit guilt but concede that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them.

Durham defense attorney Woody Vann said the pleas were entered and approved Nov. 17 in Superior Court. The action brought an apparent end to a case that included testimony that defendants and victims lived in the same house, brought together by a mutual interest in Satanism.

I guess the Attorney General's office didn't think this was a newsworthy enough event to warrant holding a press conference, sending out a news release, or even issuing a statement to the media. And it's been over a week since the pleas were actually entered.

Sigh.

h/t to Joe

Continue reading Not with a bang . . .

Election Day

When i was a kid, my dad used to point out to me just how many road paving projects were started (and completed!) in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

Good to know that some things never change.

Continue reading Election Day

Americans for Prosperity

You may recall that last year, in the run-up to the vote on a prepared meals tax for Durham, revenues raised by which would have been used to fund art and cultural activities, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People found an ally in the North Carolina chapter of Americans For Prosperity in opposing the tax. I thought it was somewhat of a strange pairing, but hadn't realized that Art Pope was one of the players in AfP. I fully expect that next year, when the city of Durham starts contemplating a new sales tax to raise revenues for a regional transit system, that we'll see more of the same from DCABP and NCAFP. Would love to be proven wrong on this, though.

So here's a video of Rachel Maddow and national AFP president Tim Phillips, for your enlightenment. Pretty amazing that a local group headed by member of the North Carolina Democratic Party State Executive Committee can find a way to make common cause with this group.

Continue reading Americans for Prosperity

Vote?

Today's primary election day in the city of Durham. Two city council seats attracted 3 or more candidates, so about 8% 4.25% of all Durham voters will make the trek to the polls to winnow the candidates down to 2 in Ward 1 and Ward 2.

Kevin took a lot of time and wrote a lot of words to explain why he's voting for the incumbents, both in the primary and the general election next month.

I go back and forth, actually.

I've come to realize that City Council is a lot of show about a lot of things that matter very little in what it actually means to live in Durham. And the question is, do you want an entertaining show, or a boring show.

There's a couple of challengers on the ballot who will certainly make the show more entertaining. And some mornings when i wake up, i think i'll vote for them.

Not this morning, though.

I was voter number nine (get it? Number 9?) at the American Legion Hall on E. Trinity Ave. at 8 o'clock. I voted for the two incumbents.

I do wonder, though, just how long we're going to be saddled with this stupid misnamed Ward system. Our Ward representatives don't actually represent a ward. They run, and represent constituencies, city wide. They have to live within the boundaries of the ward they theoretically represent, but they're voted on by voters across the entire city. What this does, if you ask me, is continue to keep our three major political action committees (People's Alliance, Friends of Durham, Committee on the Affairs of Black People) in business, and prevents a candidate from running on a neighborhood centric platform and building a coalition from the inside out, as it were.

Long past time to change that.

UPDATE: Cora Cole-McFadden . . . . . . . 4,075 69.41
Donald A. Hughes . . . . . . . . 1,035 17.63
John Tarantino. . . . . . . . . 761 12.96

Howard Clement III . . . . . . . 3,480 60.19
Matt Drew . . . . . . . . . . 714 12.35
Sylvester Williams . . . . . . . 630 10.90
Darius M. Little . . . . . . . . 627 10.84
Sandra Howell . . . . . . . . . 331 5.72


Clement -

Continue reading Vote?

Your best entertainment value

Commenters over at Bull City Rising.

Pass the popcorn, this could be fun. (Full disclosure: one of them is me!)

Continue reading Your best entertainment value

Shooting the Bull

Ace Herald-Sun reporter Ray Gronberg joins Kevin and me tonight as we take a first look at upcoming municipal elections in Durham. Three ward seats on Council and the Mayor's office are up for grabs this year.

7:30 pm, 88.7 FM WXDU, or listen online here.

Continue reading Shooting the Bull

Town hall?

So i've gotten one first hand report from someone who went to last night's town hall at NCCU. Alas, arriving at 7 PM meant the hall was already full and closed to new arrivals. Outside, supporters outnumbered opponents by 60 - 40, according to my correspondent.

The Herald-Sun notes:

The pro side also got some help from the "Billionaires Against Health Care," a group of protesters who, tongues planted firmly in cheeks, came dressed in gowns and tuxes and waved champagne glasses and hats. "Let them eat Advil," "Let's widen the healthcare gap," their signs stated.

"Less health, more wealth," the protesters chanted.

Good. More of that, please.

And maybe it's because i'm stupid, but i don't see any coverage over at the N&O site, either in the Durham section or the State and Local section.

Hmmm.

Meanwhile, the crack N&O political team reports that some Democrats are avoiding the town hall format, but Josh Marshall is wondering why nobody is reporting on Republican Congress critters who are not holding town halls, or restricting admission?

When George Bush rolled through Raleigh in February of 2005 on his "Shut down Social Security and spend his political capital" tour, admission was restricted, and opponents were confined to a small park across the street and away from the cameras. Quite a far cry from what's going on in Montana today, as Obama holds his second public meeting in a week.

As Atrios said succinctly earlier this week, "nobody could've predicted that electing a black man president would drive this country completely fucking insane."

So, any of you go to last night's Town Hall? What did you see?

Continue reading Town hall?

Your best entertainment value

Herald Sun commenters.

Although you gotta admit, it's a story that simply can't be ignored.

Continue reading Your best entertainment value

Ruh-roh

A reported $4,000 contribution from State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson's campaign to the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People is drawing scrutiny from state elections officials.

The contribution is listed on the Durham Committee's financial disclosure for the fourth quarter of 2008, but doesn't appear on the Atkinson campaign's. Officials from the State Board of Elections have asked the Durham Committee's treasurer, Keith Bishop, for a copy of the check.

The donation is of interest for more than just the accounting discrepancy.

Atkinson was participating in an experimental public-finance program funded in part with taxpayer money. Its rules bar aid recipients from channeling that money to other candidates or groups except for true "campaign-related" expenses like the purchase of advertising.

The article goes on to note that Atkinson has provided documentation showing the check in question was for $400, not $4000, and was to cover postage and mailing expenses. Presumably for a mailing that DCABP did on Atkinson's behalf. Let's hope Mr. Gronberg at the Herald Sun is able to keep an eye on how this plays out.

Continue reading Ruh-roh

What the hell is Joe Bowser smoking?

Herald-Sun:

Asked about board cooperation, Bowser said: "As far as working with Ellen and Becky, I'm not going to work with them in their underhanded dirt-slinging. I'm not going to do that."

Christ, it's going to be a long four years. Hopefully we can minimize the damage he can do by keeping him outvoted, as Monday's vote on the 751 development points the way. harder to predict is the effect that his poisonous utterings will have on the greater political discourse in Durham while he sits in office and beyond.

Let's hope Michael Page comes to his senses and realizes that allying himself with someone like Bowser is not good for either Page or Durham.

Continue reading What the hell is Joe Bowser smoking?

Billboards

Lot of discussion about billboards around town this week. Kevin's recap of the issue is here. Here's the Herald Sun report on Fairway's (the company that owns most of the billboards in town) presentation to the INC to lobby for a change to the local ordinance that governs billboards. (Read Kevin's post to understand the ins and outs of the deal.) Nothing so far in the N&O, but i wouldn't be surprised if Jim wise has something in the weekend Durham News.

Here's the piece that nobody's picking up on yet.

The INC presentation was made by Patrick Byker, attorney for Fairway. Byker works for the law firm of K&L/Gates. As does Craigie Sanders, the current president of the Inter Neighborhood Council. We've pointed out the appearance of a conflict of interest in Craigie's two positions in the past. As far as i'm concerned, that's just getting worse.

K&L/Gates Associates:
K&L Gates LLP comprises 1,700 lawyers who practice in 28 offices located on three continents: Anchorage, Austin, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Fort Worth, Harrisburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orange County, Palo Alto, Paris, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Spokane/Coeur d'Alene, Taipei and Washington. K&L Gates represents capital markets participants and leading global corporations, growth and middle-market companies, and entrepreneurs in every major industry group as well as public sector entities, educational institutions and philanthropic organizations. Our practice is robustly a full market practice — at once regional, national and international in scope — and it is cutting edge, complex, and dynamic.

Patrick L. Byker Counsel
Research Triangle Park +1.919.466.1264
Fax +1.919.516.2064
patrick.byker@klgates.com Add to Outlook Contacts


Areas of Practice • Professional/Civic Activities • Speaking Engagements • Bar Admissions • Education • Additional Information

Areas of Practice

Mr. Byker focuses his practice on land use and zoning. He was previously Vice President of Government Relations with the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.
==========

Craigie D. Sanders Real Estate Staff Lawyer
Research Triangle Park +1.919.466.1259
Fax +1.919.516.2059
craigie.sanders@klgates.com Add to Outlook Contacts


Areas of Practice • Professional/Civic Activities • Bar Admissions • Education • Additional Information

Areas of Practice

Mr. Sanders focuses his practice on land use planning and development matters. In addition to having extensive experience in working with elected and appointed government officials, he has experience conducting neighborhood and community meetings.

As a former city planner, Mr. Sanders also has experience in comprehensive planning, rezoning matters, Board of Adjustment requests, plan amendments, historic preservation matters and city ordinance revisions.

No way it's a coincidence that the INC is being pitched on the billboard ordinance revision, after so many years of that group leading the fight against billboards. One more step along the road to irrelevance for this once important organization.

Continue reading Billboards