Thanks!

Thank you to the voters of Orange County for their gratifying support in the recent Democratic primary for county commissioner at-large. Serving as your commissioner these past years has been an honor and a privilege, and I look forward to continuing my work on behalf of our community.

Now that the electoral cycle is over, candidates and our supporters are conscientiously taking down campaign signs around the county. If you see any of my signs lingering along the roadside, please let me know at barry.j@mindspring.com or at 732-4384.

Also published in the Carrboro Citizen and the Chapel Hill News.

We did it!

The unofficial results (below and at the NC Board of Elections) show that Barry won over 50% over the vote in this three-way primary. With no opponent in the November general election, this means Barry will return to the Board of County Commissioners for another term. We greatly appreciate the support of everyone in Orange County!

 	 	                Percent	Votes
Joe Phelps (DEM)		31.76%	3,689
Barry Jacobs (DEM)		52.74%	6,125
Joal Hall Broun (DEM)		15.50%	1,800
 	 	 	               11,614

Brunch with Barry

Chapel Hill native Ruby Sinreich (of the local blog OrangePolitics) is doing something a little different for her birthday this year. Instead of a throwing a party, she’s hosting a brunch in downtown Carrboro and inviting her friends to come out and meet Barry!

As Ruby wrote:

Barry is smart, thoughtful, and has a talent for understanding policy. Of course he’s also quite progressive or you know I wouldn’t be supporting him! This year he has two strong challengers and I want to make sure people join me in supporting him and spreading the word about why others should as well.

This isn’t a fundraising event (although I’m sure Barry would welcome donations) and it will be 90% socializing and having fun. I just want to take the opportunity to get people together to celebrate my birthday AND to learn why the best birthday gift to me would be Barry winning the Democratic, At-large primary on May 4th.

If you’d like to join us, you can RSVP on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112885078740591

Gratifying News

Major endorsements have come in, and the news is good. I was endorsed on consecutive days this week by The Independent Weekly and the local Sierra Club chapter. Both have endorsed me previously, although the Indy was more enthusiastic than it’s ever been.

The Weekly said it “strenuously” endorsed me, citing “a track record of leading on the county’s environmental and social issues” and my “immense experience, both locally and regionally, as a leader of intergovernmental organizations.”

Other excerpts:

* “He’s by far the best versed on the issues, and in office, he often is the one moving the board forward with pragmatic solutions.”

* “We can’t see any reason to cut the county off from this type of leadership and institutional memory and expertise.”

Read more at http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/orange-county-races/Content?oid=1372571

Thanks, Indy. And thanks to the Orange/Chatham Sierra Club!

Nine, and counting

We have nine candidate forums scheduled so far. The events give you a fair idea of what’s on the minds of community members, not to mention the other candidates.

• March 24:Orange-Chatham Sierra Club. 7:00-9:00 PM at Chapel Hill Town Hall.
• March 25 : Orange County Democratic Women. 7:30-9:30 PM at OWASA on Jones Ferry Rd., Carrboro.
• April 1: Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP. 7:00 PM at Chapel Hill Town Hall.
• April 6: New Hope Improvement Association. 7:00 PM at New Hope Community Center on Whitfield Road.
• April 7: Northern Orange Black Voters Alliance. 6:00 PM at Old Court House in Hillsborough.
• April 12: Orange County Democratic Party Precincts from Town Hall, Carrboro, Lion’s Club, OWASA, and North Carrboro. 6:30-8:00 PM at McDougle Elementary School, Carrboro.
• April 13: Carol Woods Community Relations Committee. 3:00-4:30 PM at Carol Woods Assembly Hall, Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill.
• April 14: Chapel Hill PTA Council. 7:00 PM at Chapel Hill Town Hall
• April 15: Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce. 7:00 PM at Leland Little’s Auction House, Cornerstone Court, Hillsborough.

Last night the Orange-Chatham Sierra Club hosted our first forum at Chapel Hill Town Hall. It was recorded for cable and blogged on orangepolitics. The issues raised understandably had a strong environmental focus, which is quite comfortable for me. Most of the questions evoked informative responses; in our at-large race I think you could tell who knew the whole county and who did not.

When I first ran for commissioner in 1998, there were seven of us vying for three seats. We had something like 14 campaign-specific events in a 40-day span. Last time I ran, in 2006, we had a similar number of candidates but only three forums. Fortunately, it looks like community interest and involvement have revived.

Running the forum racetrack has its own rhythms. A major challenge comes in answering the questions intelligently, directly and succinctly.

Event formats have proven strikingly dissimilar this go-round, with more questions coming from audience members and less order imposed by moderators on which candidates respond to which queries. Certainly a more lively way to do things.

Barry’s campaign announcement

After careful consideration, and at the generous urging of friends, supporters, and colleagues, I have decided to seek another term as an Orange County commissioner. Serving in that capacity has been an honor and a privilege for which I am most grateful to the voters of our very special county.

We face a tremendously unsettled economic landscape and a period of significant transition within Orange County government, circumstances in which I believe my experience, willingness to listen, and my commitment to seek collaborative, creative solutions still stand our community in good stead.

(more…)