Chatham board likely to take it slow

Chatham growth in new hands

PITTSBORO -- Seven months after the voters called for it, Chatham County's slow-growth era is finally beginning.

Today, three new county commissioners who favor slower, planned growth take office, having unseated a majority that was more receptive to development.

That unseating took place in May, in the Democratic primary; in a county dominated by Democrats, that was the election that counted.

But the ousted commissioners didn't go quietly. They used their seven-month lame-duck period to approve hundreds of new homes, enter long-term contracts and award millions of dollars in economic incentives.

The commissioners-in-waiting and their supporters could only howl in helpless protest.

"There were a lot of decisions made that we did not agree with," incoming Commissioner George Lucier said. "It was very frustrating."

The lame ducks say they were just carrying out their mission for the county before they left office.

"If people want additional sheriff's cars and more teachers, someone has to pay for it," said the board's outgoing chairman, Bunkey Morgan.

Though still mostly rural, Chatham County is slowly being drawn into the Triangle's orbit. Situated to Wake County's southwest, its population is approaching 60,000.

In the past few years, the commissioners have approved nearly 7,000 new homes, mostly in northeast Chatham south of Chapel Hill.

As the development increased, slow-growth supporters organized to prevent the landscape from being overwhelmed by subdivisions, strip malls and traffic.

After the last commissioners' election in 2004, representatives from several residents' groups formed the Chatham Coalition, and members began to raise money for slow-growth candidates.

So when the spring primary came around this year, everyone knew it would be a fight.

Morgan, a car-wash entrepreneur, prepared for battle by lending himself $50,000 -- the most a Chatham County commissioner candidate has ever had in campaign funds. And he raised additional money, including $14,000 in donations from eight Wake County developers and real estate lawyers.

The coalition made those donations a campaign issue, pointing out that Morgan did not receive contributions from anyone inside Chatham.

Incumbent Tommy Emerson also was trying to keep his seat in the primary. Commissioner Carl Outz didn't run for re-election. Mary Nettles, a longtime leader of the county Democratic party, campaigned for his seat.

The new guys

The slow-growth groups got behind three challengers -- Lucier, Tom Vanderbeck and Carl Thompson. All three said they wanted the county to follow its land-use plan, which suggests where development can go and how fast. It was adopted in 2001, but it is an advisory document, not binding on the commissioners.

On May 2, the slow-growth challengers won, each receiving more than 55 percent of the vote.

Only Vanderbeck faced a Republican challenger in November, meaning Lucier and Thompson were all but elected.

Rush of commitments

Over the summer, the commissioners' agendas were stuffed with new developments and other business.

At one meeting in July, the board held 11 separate public hearings for new development proposals.

Morgan also led the board to approve a $32 million water contract with Harnett County, even after Lucier, Thompson and Vanderbeck publicly asked the board to hold off. They wanted to explore other, cheaper options, such as getting another intake at Jordan Lake or investing in the towns' water systems.

In addition, the board granted County Manager Charlie Horne a four-year contract that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if the new board wants to get rid of him. Horne had worked for Chatham County for 10 years and has not had a contract until now.