Traction

Dear Tractivists,

Remember, there’s a Traction happy hour coming up this Thursday: drinks, food, and a first date with Durham’s candidates for City Council and Mayor. I hope to see you there!

Come chat up the candidates to find out how they stand on issues that matter to you and to tell them what you’re looking for in a long-term municipal relationship. Local officeholders influence issues you and I care about — and they also pay attention to their constituents.

WHAT: Speed CandiDATING: Election Happy Hour

WHERE: Bull McCabes, downtown Durham

It can be hard to find out much about candidates for local elections or even that the election is coming up.  Here’s the scoop: Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Early voting, open now, continues through Halloween.  Your ballot in Durham will have contests for mayor and three city council races.  And, because local officeholders represent only a small region, my vote and your vote are valuable for the final outcome.

Also, the end of the week is coming soon: Time for happy hour therapy.

So, kick back with a beer, meet other Tractivists, and get to know the candidates. At least 6 of 8 will join us — Donald Hughes, Cora Cole-McFadden, Howard Clement, Matt Drew, Mike Woodard, and Steven Williams. Incumbent Mayor Bill Bell may stop by, too. We’ll get you going with some first date starter questions and a quick Q&A with the candidates.

I really believe that who is in local office matters. They make decisions that directly impact things I care about, including Durham’s production of greenhouse gas emissions.

I don’t want to live in a climate-changed future, with global warming left unchecked. In 2007, the Durham City Council and County Commissioners jointly passed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan. They also hired a sustainability manager — Tractivist Tobin Freid — with a mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Durham.

I’ve had an internship in the City-County sustainability office for the last eight months, and I can tell you that if the people we elected hadn’t been on the global-warming-prevention train, we’d be a lot farther behind.

With Tobin’s guidance, the City & County now have policies for a suite of green practices, including green purchasing and construction. Further, Durham is unrolling a $1 million program to reduce energy use (and greenhouse gas emissions) from targeted homes in the community.

I am proud to have local governments that take climate change seriously and that are taking charge of our contribution to global warming. And, I want to encourage all of our candidates to help Durham become even closer to a sustainable city.

Please vote.

take care,
Eileen
die-hard voter, Durhamite, climate Tractivist