[Durham INC] Protest Petition Error shows validity -- County says no matter ...

[Melissa Rooney]

See the news links at the bottom of this email. The Planning Dept (PD) apparently neglected to count certain property in their determination of the protest petition (against the Jordan lake Watershed rezoning), and inclusion of this property would have made the protest petition valid, even with the PD's own methods of calculation. The county manager and attorney are saying that this is a done deal and citizens will have to take the county to court if they want any chance of seeing this error rectified. 

How many hoops must we jump through, and how much time and money must we citizens spend to get Durham to do the right thing -- in this case, solely with regard to the protest petition? Why should we citizens be charged with rectifying the planning department's mistake? 

PLEASE
 write Planning Director Steve Medlin, County Manager Mike Ruffin, and County Attorney Lowell Siler (& cc your county commissioners) and demand that the citizens of Durham receive true democracy and justice: that they admit the error in their calculations regarding the protest petition, and that they therefore re-determine the validity of the protest petition while considering all correct information. If the petition is validated, the Board of County Commissioners does not need to hold another public hearing and vote again. The current vote should stand-- but with a valid protest petition, there would not be enough votes to approve the watershed rezoning.





Steve.Medlin at durhamnc.gov

mruffin at co.durham.nc.us 

lsiler at co.durham.nc.us; 

  

commissioners at durhamcountync.gov
 

beckymheron at nc.rr.com,
brendahowerton10 at yahoo.com, ereckhow at aol.com, jbowser2 at nc.rr.com, mdelanopage at aol.com 

This has gone far beyond watershed and development issues. Now our very democratic rights and enforcement of our ordinances are at stake.

For more info, see the news links below:




Herald Sun:




 

http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story_news_durham/push?article-Activists+revisit+Jordan+watershed+dispute%20&id=4205785-Activists+revisit+Jordan+watershed+dispute&instance=main_article



News and Observer:




 

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/bullseye/haw-group-says-jordan-lake-petition-is-valid-wants-boundary-change-reversed

Bull City Rising:




 http://www.bullcityrising.com/2009/10/751-oppo-calls-for-a-recount-ruffin-suggests-courts-are-the-appeal-route.html#more



Independent Weekly:



http://www.indyweekblogs.com/triangulator/2009/10/29/haw-river-assembly-contests-ruling-on-petition/

Thanks for your continued concern and involvement,
Melissa

______________________

Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.
301 Spring Garden Drive
Durham, NC 27713
mmr121570 at yahoo.com





      
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