Will Raymond for Council in 2005

Thank you UNC’s Daily Tarheel for a fantastic endorsement. I look forward to lowering the bar to participation in local governance and welcoming in the talent, innovation and creativity of our student community.

My first “formal” Pit sit, I called for the students to “show up” this election by tripling 2003’s voter turnout and breaking 1,000 votes. Then, and since, I’ve called for students to “show up” at Council and advisory board meetings to express their ideas, proposals, likes and dislikes.

Thank you DTH for noticing that I practiced a bit of what I preach by also “showing up” and engaging students on my many visits to campus.

Will Raymond …

A member of the town’s technology committee, Raymond has made his mark as someone unafraid to question anything and anybody — a trait that enabled him to successfully challenge the council’s decision to adopt a red-light camera program.

He’s also willing to go to bat for all residents. He wants any wireless Internet program expanded into low-income areas surrounding downtown; he’s been on campus campaigning more than any candidate except undergraduate student Jason Baker; and his involvement with the council will help turn Carolina North into a world-class project that benefits all residents.

Thank you Orange-Chatham Sierra Club for placing your trust in my candidacy.

The Sierra Club today has endorsed my campaign to advance environmental protections and conservation initiatives on behalf of the citizens of Chapel Hill.

Will Raymond has been one of the most outspoken and effective citizen activists in Chapel Hill in recent years. We look forward to him using his talents to advocate for the environment as a member of Town Council. In particular we are excited about his initiatives to promote energy efficiency in town buildings. He will also work to protect lesser known creeks in the Chapel Hill area and to minimize the number of single occupancy vehicles causing air pollution and traffic congestion at Carolina North.

We strongly encourage Sierra Club members and any residents of Chapel Hill who care about the environment to support these four candidates in the November 8th election. They are the best hope for a Town Council that will always make reducing environmental impact a top priority as Chapel Hill grows bigger.

The Sierra Club is an active force for positive and progressive action in our community – to be included in their company is humbling. I’m thankful for the confidence and support that both the local and state chapters have expressed with this endorsement and will work to extend that trust by continuing to be a strong advocate for our environment.

Today’s Daily Tarheel printed a colorful review of my campaign and did a great job of including some of the highpoints.

Gregg Gerdau, Chairman of Chapel Hill’s Technology Advisory Board had some very kind words:

“Will is one of the brightest people I’ve ever met, ever,” he said.

“Where he’s strong, he’s an expert, and where he doesn’t know, he’s able to figure out very quickly and understand,” he added.

Thank you Gregg!

I’ll continue to work hard on behalf of our citizenry to open our governance process, lower the bar to participation, improve our operational efficiencies and to create a municipally-sponsored network to both bridge the digital-divide and to innovatively spur low-impact, high value, economic development.