 HOME | BLOG | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | PAST ISSUES | ADVERTISING RATES | RACK LOCATIONS Vote for Randy Voller by Tim Keim Like you perhaps, I've looked at politicians with a jaundiced eye. Few of us ever meet one, let alone get to know any of them very well. I have. In five years I've gotten to know Pittsboro's mayor, Randy Voller, very well. He's a flawed gem of a guy who's always working to be a better person. Randy's first election in 2005 was a 17-vote squeaker over incumbent Nancy May. She didn't take him seriously, he and his campaign team worked their hind parts off. Then the competition got serious. Randy easily survived two challengers in 2007, but wasn't able to lift his team into office. It was a hard blow. Randy was attacked with lies and slander from many directions. A big time political hit man was hired to bring him down. But did he wilt? Nope. Nor did he allow anger to guide his reactions. Though he would get stung, he continued to reach out to people of all persuasions. His capacity for abuse awes me. Don't get me wrong, it hurt him and he got angry, but never bitter. Everyday he went right back to work with the people who had tried to cut his legs off. His virulent critics are fewer now, and those who persist live on the margins where animus trumps reason. In the midst of this barrage Randy helped Pittsboro win numerous grants worth millions of dollars to improve our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, increase park space and transit. And even though he caught flack for spending taxpayer money on the bus, Randy went out and got Pittsboro's share of that money through spearheading the overwhelmingly victorious mixed beverage initiative. Randy serves on several regional boards. Because of his leadership Pittsboro has a seat at the table when issues that affect our town are decided. As a tireless cheerleader, he's helped put Pittsboro on the map. I doubt whether we've ever had a mayor who eats, sleeps and drinks his job 24/7 like this guy Voller. His opponent has the nerve to criticize him for representing Pittsboro on these boards. That critique is just a straw man from a guy without the stuff to debate policy in a public forum. Yeah, Bill Crawford was a no-show at the recent candidate forum attended by all the other candidates. The world is run by those who show up, Bill. If you expect a citizen's vote, you have to stand up and tell us them you are. It was a particularly low form of disrespect to the town. Randy Voller, like the rest of us, is far from perfect. I should know. I've spent as much time with him in the last five years as anybody besides his wife. But I've watched him forge a balance between his considerable ambition and his devotion to our community. I've watched him succeed and fail as he's struggled with his ego. But it's been his desire to be effective that has disciplined him into the productive public servant he's become. One way to really see the essence of Randy Voller, just look at the first thing he did in Pittsboro, Chatham Forest. Instead of a nasty clear cut like so many developments, Chatham Forest in every direction is a forest. The voices of our native birds fill the air around my house. I love that! In preserving the natural beauty of the neighborhood, we see a man who values the earth and built us a pleasant place to live. So let's keep him in service to the town before his calling takes him further afield, where, you can bet, he'll always remember and be looking out for Pittsboro and Chatham County. Bill Crawford did not return my call for an interview. Tim Keim is a Chatham writer and environment activist. This article first appeared in the Chapel Hill Herald. |