Town officials shoot down deer culling idea

Several Chapel Hill Town Council members were aghast this week at the idea of arrows flying inside town limits.

Mount Bolus neighborhood residents sought permission to cull a deer population they say has destroyed their gardens.

"I cannot support an urban archery program," said Councilwoman Sally Greene. "No way, no how."

Nor could Councilwoman Laurin Easthom, who has been in two car-meets-deer accidents.

Other council members said the deer are out of control, with Mayor Kevin Foy asking the town manager to come back with recommendations.

Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt suggested studying where the deer are coming from and possibly considering a "rabbit-proof fence," a reference to the thousands-mile long fence built in the early 1900s to keep rabbits out of western Australia.

No word on how much that'd cost.

Past candidate still on ballot

Christopher B. Wrenn was hoping to decide how Fuquay-Varina taxpayers' money gets spent, though Wake County records show he owed at least $10,000 in back taxes.

Wrenn, one of four candidates on the November ballot for a seat on the Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners, owed $8,471 in 2008 taxes for a $1.26 million house on 8104 Nichols Court, $2,065 for another home at 130 N. Ennis St., $67 for a boat and $8 for a trailer, according to Wake County revenue records. That makes for a grand total of $10,611.

Though Wrenn said he is dropping out, his name will still be on the ballot because the Wake Board of Elections never received anything in writing from him.

Wrenn said he was not dropping out of the race because of money problems, but to seize an opportunity at a local restaurant. His company, Continental Service Solutions, went bankrupt in February.

Not in my disposal

Rodger Koopman is tired of having his political career linked to garbage disposals.

Koopman, ousted from the Raleigh City Council this month by John Odom, took umbrage at Triangle Politics for calling a proposed ban on garbage disposals an "effort" by Koopman in last week's column.

It was city staff who brought up the idea, Koopman said, not him. And the other members of the council initially voted as he did to ban the disposals.

But Koopman did speak up in defense of the ban at the time, comparing giving up garbage disposals in Raleigh to sacrifices made by American soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This week, Koopman said he didn't choose his words well but was trying to explain his shock at "nasty" e-mails he got from citizens after the ban was passed.

"Look, the country is at war. We have people that are truly suffering," Koopman said. "Can we maybe simmer down a little bit?"

Koopman, a Democrat, vowed to run again.

Political trail

The League of Women Voters will hold a public forum for Durham mayoral and City Council candidates from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Durham County Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. in downtown Durham. Molly Beacham, development director at Democracy NC, will moderate.

Black Law Students Association of N.C. Central University is holding a Durham candidates' forum Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the NCCU School of Law, 640 Nelson St. The forum is open to the public.

Senior Democrats of Wake County will meet from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday for lunch at the Crabtree Marriott Hotel. June Atkinson, state schools superintendent, will speak. The event is open to the public.

Anna Hayes, author of "Without Precedent: The Life of Susie Marshall Sharp," will speak at the Oct. 29 meeting of the Democratic Women of Wake County at the N.C. State University Club, 4200 Hillsborough St. The evening begins at 5:30. Cost is $15 with buffet dinner. Contact Martha Farmer at 782-1272 or Nancy Looper at info@dwwc.net for reservations.

Compiled by staff writers Mark Schultz, Vicki Jean DeHamer, Jim Wise and Sarah Ovaska.