RFP Staff
♦ Obscured because of an “end around” move by former City Manager Doug Paris is that the City of Salisbury will be entirely responsible for financing the bike lane element of the Newsome Road project. The City’s “mutually terminated” City Manager did not properly permit Salisbury taxpayers, who will pay for this element of the project, to voice their opinions. The day before Doug Paris was mutually terminated, he emailed City Council of his intentional sidestep of opposing voices to bike lanes, those he apparently presumes are only Tea Party members. (Paris conveniently labeled any opposition to his agenda “Tea Party”. The email follows below.
Why did Paris feel so free to break Tenet 7 of the City Manager code of ethics while addressing City Council? Why was Paris not wary of mentioning this breach of ethics to the City Council?
To see the tenets of the city managers’ code of ethics, look here: http://icma.org/en/icma/ethics/code_of_ethics
According to the comments on the sign-in sheet, some homeowners were concerned that the project did not seem to incorporate sidewalks. Many asked for sidewalks to be included. As it stands, NC Department of Transportation funds only cover sidewalks.
The bike lanes will be funded entirely by the city, as Paris advised City Council in an email concerning the budget that read: “Regarding the Newsome Rd widening project, the original plan was to widen the road and install bike lanes and in a future year add sidewalks. After receiving some citizen feedback on preference for sidewalks over bike lanes we learned the replacement of bike lanes with sidewalks would stop the project as it is a bicycle project (even if we add sharrows along the sidewalks). We do have the option to add sidewalks this year in addition to the bike lanes according to NCDOT at our cost. Staff will prepare a cost estimate for the budget workshop to add sidewalks to this project. There is a small movement of folks I anticipate will come to the budget hearing to speak in favor of bicycle improvements. I would also expect some people from the area will attend and share their opinion, which has been mixed based on our contact regarding the project. We are sharing information with Newsome Road residents regarding the project prior to the budget hearing so they will be informed.”
To see more email exchanges on the Newsome Road project and the finances, look here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdElV28xRTFub0kzLWc/edit?usp=sharing
Paris’s Newsome Update to City Council, Sent June 16th:
Subject: Update on Newsome Rd Project Feedback From: Doug Paris To: Paul Woodson; Paul Woodson; Maggie Blackwell; William Kennedy; Miller, Brian; Brian Miller; Karen Kirks Alexander; Karen Alexander CC: Myra Heard; John Sofley; Teresa Harris Date Sent: 6/16/2014 1:17:00 PM
Good Afternoon,
Last week staff held a meeting on the Newsome Rd. project in order to discuss City Council’s expressed desire at the last council meeting to hear from residents along the road at the Budget Public Hearing on Tuesday. I had concerns that not everyone reads the newspaper, and many along the road would not know to come to the Public Hearing Tuesday, or not have adequate information about the project to speak in an informed manner. As a result, we executed targeted outreach to the neighborhood through door hangars and invited them to an informational meeting last Friday to learn more about the project and make them aware of the Public Hearing. We purposefully did targeted outreach through door hangars because of concerns that if the outreach was too broad or in the newspaper, that tea party folks might show up, dominate the meeting, and politicize the project which was our experience with the Statesville Blvd bicycle lane project meetings.
Attached are the sign-in sheets from Friday’s meeting. Wendy Brindle did a great job leading the meeting. Attendance was good and the majority were in favor of the project. Many expressed the desire for sidewalks as well, and staff will have an estimate to add sidewalks ready for the budget workshop. In addition, several shared after the meeting that they will come to the Budget Public Hearing on Tuesday to share their views directly with you.
Just wanted to update you on our efforts to follow your direction regarding this project.
Thanks,
DP
View the sign-in sheets mentioned above, here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdElaFNuRzNFMTFiMEk/edit?usp=sharing
