Cabarrus Cheap Seats

Posts by Bob Carruth:

For a Little Levity…

May 7th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Check this out:

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/what_we_call_the_news

We have all been a little too serious lately…

→ 2 CommentsTags: Humor

The Interview Process is Almost Over

May 3rd, 2008 · 2 Comments

Over the past several weeks, I have been presented with the opportunity to interview for not one, but two new positions with my employer.  In the first, both of us realized about halfway through the process that I would not be a good “fit” for the job.  The second will be occurring on May 13^th, and I will have present my credentials to several senior executives in our company, and we both feel like that I am the one for the job, then I will be picked for the position (bad news for some of you – it is based here in Charlotte.)  

In addition to this, several weeks ago I was asked to participate with about 20 other community leaders from Cabarrus and Rowan County to help conduct the initial screening for candidates to be named as the new President of RCCC. 

I have come to realize, and want you to consider, that at this point in time, six people have applied for two jobs with 156,000 bosses, with about 40,000 of these conducting the first screening, and an additional 60,000 having the final say-so in November.   Some of these bosses may have more influence than others, and will try to convince some of the others to vote for their favorites for the job. 

With the exception of you that have voted early, and the registered Democrats out there, the rest of you have the honor on Tuesday to bring this initial screening process to its end, and choose two folks you feel can do the job.

Just like with a job, some candidates plaster the community with signs, so all you see is their name.  Some spend lots of money on mailings, TV and newspaper ads, putting forth the sound bites that they think you want to hear them say. 

But that’s not the end of it.  You have a absolutely essential step in the process.  You need read about the candidates, and ask several questions.  Is this person proposing new ideas, sharing a positive vision for the county, and appear to have done their homework?  Is this person able to make independent decisions, based on individual research, not on what others may tell them, or out of fear that those who backed them can manipulate them into voting how they want them to vote? Does the candidate fully understand the constraints and limitations that county government in NC is placed under? 

Here is an exchange I had with Joy Lane a couple of weeks ago. The reason I asked Joy was because I had not heard any specifics about any of her ideas; on the contrary, I had only heard continuous pronouncements about the board of commissioners, and why she was upset with the direction we were heading in.  So I posed a simple question:

—–Original Message—–
From: Robert Carruth [mailto:carruth2008@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 12:49 PM
To: joylane@vnet.net
Subject: PlatformJoy, hope you are doing well.  Just a couple of quick questions:

1.  You keep mentioning that you are running because “we need changes in the
way our County Government conducts business.  We cannot continue with the
Tax-and-Spend path we have been taken down.  We need to immediately cut
costs in our county and make it less of a burden on the County’s taxpayers.”
I agree.  What are your concrete proposals to do this?  What programs that
are being funded now would be cut if you are elected?  Of the policy changes
the county commission have implemented since January 2005, what would you
change or have done differently than what we have done? 

2.  What specific, major changes would you propose for our board of
commissioners that will change the way we do the business of the county?

Just wondering -

Thanks!

Bob Carruth

Her reply -

From: Joy Lane <joylane@vnet.net>
To: Robert Carruth <carruth2008@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 1:26:52 PM
Subject: RE: PlatformBob, thanks for asking… I’ve been working on that diligently, I’ll be glad
to discuss these with you after we’re elected, maybe we can work on some
things together. Hope to see you soon.
Keep in touch.  Joy

  

If this was the only thing, then I would not be concerned; however, one thing I think Joy needs to answer: in light of the fact (its in her campaign report, which is public record) that she is not only supported by REBIC, but it also appears that she has received a great deal of her support from realtors and other individuals from OUTSIDE the county. How come she has never publicly acknowledged the fact she is supported so heavily by the very industry that has been the biggest obstacle to managing growth and finding ways other than the property tax to pay for infrastructure development over the past 8 years?  

 Joy, we need to hear from you – you have used some very catchy sound bites and have seemed to use phrases that get the angry people who out to vote, but what is your real plan once you are in office?  What will you cut? Will you quickly move to revoke the adequate public facilities ordinance?  You have said a lot about the things you don’t like, but what are the things that are happening good? What is your vision for Cabarrus County? Can you publicly address the questions I posed in the email to you on the 18th? You have received a lot of money from folks in your industry - and have spent a lot of money on signs and mailers.   I think you owe it to the citizens that may be considering voting for you what you real agenda is!    

It is a very important day on Tuesday.  The interview process is about over with.  It is time to make a decision.  Just make sure you know who you are voting for.  

As I have said before, I hope that you will see fit to return me for another four years on the board of commissioners.  I believe my leadership, my experience, and my integrity is needed in Cabarrus County.  More importantly, exercise your constitutional right, and obligation, to vote!

→ 2 CommentsTags: 2008 Election · Board of Commissioners - Cabarrus · Bob Carruth · Cabarrus GOP · Uncategorized

Budget Season Begins

April 23rd, 2008 · 4 Comments

Things have been rather hectic for me the past week or so, and I haven’t had the time to post much. I am planning to discuss the cost of government in the next few days, but will be waiting for a very important meeting Thursday morning at 10:30 at the Government Center - we begin to talk about the budget.

At this meeting, the staff will be presenting to the board the various scenarios that will result from three tax rates: Keeping the 63 cent rate, going revenue neutral by making a significant reduction in the overall tax rate, to compensate for the recent revaluation, and some rate between these two.

Once we get these figures hand, I will be able to share a few more things with you about our spending.

→ 4 CommentsTags: FY2009 Cabarrus County Budget

Cabarrus Candidate Forum on Channel 22

April 14th, 2008 · 4 Comments

Last week, four other commissioner candidates - Larry Burrage, Liz Poole, Holly Blackwelder, Joy Lane and myself all squared off in a candidate forum sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. (Marcy Heirs was out of town, and the two Democrats, Wendell Fant and Archie Barnhardt, chose not to participate, since they don’t have a primary). The forum was videotaped by Cabarrus County’s Channel 22, and will be shown several times between now and the election. One airing will be Monday evenings at 9:00 PM, (Tonight’s may be delayed by the school board meeting, which is normally off by 9:00); the second airing will be at 7:00 PM on Saturdays.

For those without Time-Warner, the forum will apparently be available at www.cabarruscounty.us, follow the link to Channel 22.

Spread the word - this is the single best way for those folks eligible to vote in the GOP primary to decide who they will support on May 6.

→ 4 CommentsTags: 2008 Election

It’s About The Growth

April 3rd, 2008 · 19 Comments

Everybody you talk to these days wants to talk about growth. It is, I believe, the number one issue for the 2008 election cycle. School requirements, road needs, and tax issues are all directly related to how we handle growth. First, I want to explain some of the facts surrounding our current growth environment in the county, followed by my 5 point plan for how we continue to manage growth in Cabarrus County. [Read more →]

→ 19 CommentsTags: 2008 Election · Board of Commissioners - Cabarrus · Bob Carruth · Cabarrus Politics · Communities · Concord · Growth · Harrisburg · Kannapolis

What About Bob?

March 23rd, 2008 · 4 Comments

Did you realize that since the last election in 2004, over 4,000 new Republicans have registered to vote in Cabarrus County? With this large of a number, no candidate is really an incumbent, and no incumbent can rest easy, because a large segment of the electorate either has no opinion of those running, or doesn’t know who they are, no matter how many times or how long an official has held office.

As many of you may know (or not know, as shown above), I served in the Army for eleven years of my adult life, and 3 of my 4 children were born in and spent at least 2 years as Army brats. I moved. First to Alabama, then to Maryland, then to Germany, then back to the states to Alabama, then Georgia, then back to Alabama. After this, I left the Army, and moved to Florida. Think I was done then? Nope. Eight months after moving to Florida, I found out I was being transferred to Concord, NC. 13 years later, here I am.

I know what it is like to try and find a good car mechanic, a good veterinarian, and where the best Chinese takeout places are, because I have lived it.

In 2000, my good friend and political mentor, Jeff Barnhart, talked me into running for county commissioner. I thought it would be fun to be involved in a political campaign, but it happened – my message was what a lot of folks wanted to hear, and here I am 8 years later, asking the folks in Cabarrus County to return me to office for another four year term.

So why post this on Cabarrus Cheapseats? There are 3 good reasons:

1- Its Free – Us folks that do this stuff as a service to the community (some are professional politicians) need to spend money (lots of it if you are Joni, Jay, or Holly) to win. I tend to take the economical approach. This is a good way to get my message out, and since Justin is offering, I’ll take him up on it.

2 – This blog has a wide audience – Recently, I decided to jump into the blog world myself. Didn’t do too well. Justin has convinced me that his readership is much broader, and reaches a pretty large mailing list.

3 – You need to hear from me – You have a big decision to make. For those of you who have followed the local political scene the last few years, you know that I have been faced with quite a few “stressors” as a commissioner, and hopefully have made a lot of lemonade out of lemons. But for those that don’t know me, and are reading this email forwarded from another subscriber or have went to the website, you need to know a little about me.

So -

What about Bob?

1. I have lived in Cabarrus County for 13 years.
2. Happily married, will celebrate 25 years of marriage in June. My wife is still the love of my life, and has been the most supportive of me during these past 8 years.
3. 4 Children, all of whom were or are in Cabarrus County Schools. Alex and Ashley, our oldest two, are actually students at RCCC.
4. 11 Year Army Veteran – Served in First Gulf War. I also ran around with the guys in the green berets for three years, and jumped out of perfectly good airplanes.
5. Professional career as a safety and business consultant. I try to make a difference in helping to keep people from being hurt.
6. From 1996 -2001, was involved in helping children that had been affected by the Chernobyl disaster, and actually spent three days in 1997 in a Belarusian orphanage (That will give you a new perspective on life.).

So you can see, I am not one of those out of touch, stuffed shirt, blow-hard politicians. I serve because I love this community, which has been very good to me and my family, and also because I plan to call this place home for the rest of my life. I also want to know that this place is a place my kids will be proud to call their hometown. I guess then that I am like a lot of other folks in this community – I get up every morning, go to work, attend church, cheer at ballgames, and just enjoy living, being thankful every day for the blessings the Almighty has given me.

I hope to serve you for another four years!

Bob

→ 4 CommentsTags: 2008 Election · Bob Carruth · Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation · Cabarrus Elections · Cabarrus GOP