Koka Booth Passes
Tuesday I was notified that former Mayor Koka Booth passed on Monday, October 14th. Mayor Booth served on the town council for 9 years before being elected mayor in 1987 where he served an additional 12 years. He was born in West Virginia and moved to Cary with his job at Aeroglide Corporation in 1971. During the 1990s Cary became one of the fastest growing municipalities in the country. Mayor Booth was known for many things including his vision of making Cary a more attractive place to live. In the words of North Carolina magazine, he took Cary from the “Bedroom to the Boardroom”. He worked diligently alongside his council colleagues to prioritize various initiatives, such as expanding our park system and the restoration and activation of the Page-Walker Arts and History Center. The following is the press release of my statement:
“As Mayor of Cary, N.C., it is with a heavy yet grateful heart that I acknowledge the death of our 34th mayor – Mayor Koka Booth, who passed away last night. On behalf of the entire Cary Town Council and staff along with the 184,000 citizens who call Cary home, I extend our heartfelt condolences to Mayor Booth’s family and thank them for sharing so much of him with us. We all benefited from his enthusiastic efforts to help make Cary the wonderful place it is today. In honor of Mayor Booth’s service from 1987-1999 and beginning with the day of his funeral, we will lower Cary flags for 12 days – one day for each of his years as Mayor – and proclaim that day to be a day of remembrance in Cary.”
Tuesday, I did interviews with WRAL and WPTF on the life and legacy of Koka Booth. He was our great beloved mayor for 12 years. We will miss him! RIP Koka!
Election Day
Election Day in Cary resulted in two district incumbent council members being defeated and two at-large candidates, including myself, getting re-elected by wide margins.
This was a tough election for me since I view my colleagues and staff as family. So, I am sad that I am not going to be able to serve with Don Frantz and Ryan Eades after December. Don had a HUGE impact on Cary while he was on council. I will miss his expertise, determination, and his passion for Cary. Hopefully, we can stay in touch on a regular basis. Ryan did exactly what we hoped he would do and more when we appointed him in January. He used his experience and knowledge and represented the citizens of Cary well. I got to know him as well and will miss working with him. I hope he will continue to be involved in the town and that we will see more of him in the future.
I look forward to welcoming my new colleagues to the Cary family and working with them on critical issues. I will do all I can to help them in their roles.
For the district D race there is a runoff between two newcomers. I will support each one of them but will not endorse either of them. I have already talked with both and either of them would be a good addition to the council.
SAS Pro-Am
Wednesday and Thursday I participated in the SAS Championship Pro-Am with council member Jack Smith, town manager Sean Stegall, and past chamber president Howard Johnson. They have been part of my foursome for years. This year we had professionals Jason Bohn as our pro on Wednesday and Steve Flesch on Thursday. While we weren’t at the top of the leaderboard, we had a great time. Since my group is made up of great town leaders, spending extended amounts of time with them allows for me to have some good conversations about the town and its future.
Golf Channel Taping
After the Pro-Am on Thursday, I taped a welcome on the Golf Channel. I have done these the past 15 years, so I almost know the welcome by heart. I was able to do the tape in two takes.
NC Metro Mayors
Vetoes Overridden
On Tuesday, the General Assembly voted to override five more of Governor Roy Cooper’s vetoes. Cooper has vetoed 19 bills in total this session, and they have all been overridden by the legislature to become Session Law. The vetoed bills are below.
- H600, Regulatory Reform Act of 2023, would amend various laws related to state and local government, agriculture, energy, environment, natural resources, and other regulations. This is an annual omnibus bill from the legislature that aims to modify business regulations in the state to encourage economic growth and development.
- S512, Greater Accountability for Boards and Commissions, would change the composition and appointments structure of several state governing boards and commissions, resulting in less positions that will be appointed by the Governor. The bill would transfer some of the Governor’s appointments to elected state officials such as the Agriculture Commissioner, while others would be made by the General Assembly.
- S678, Clean Energy/Other Changes, would change the definition of “renewable energy” in state law to “clean energy,” making nuclear energy eligible for that categorization and allowing utilities to count it towards their carbon-free energy goals.
- S747, Elections Law Changes, would require absentee ballots to be received by 7:30 PM on Election Day, prohibit private money from elections administration, and give more freedom to poll observers for watching the voting process.
- S749, No Partisan Advantage in Elections, would make changes to the structure of both state and county boards of elections. It would increase the number of members on the State Board of Elections from five to eight and decrease the number of members on each of the 100 county boards of elections from five to four. There would be an even partisan split on each of the boards, and all appointments would be made by the General Assembly instead of the Governor.
Diwali Dance Practice
The celebrity dance at Diwali this year included Mayor Cawley of Morrisville and I as well as several staff members from each municipality. The group had practiced every week since May. Due to travel, eye surgeries, and several other reasons I was not able to do most of the practices. However, I was able to do the “Mayors” dance and appear in two other dances.
Diwali Lamp Lighting Ceremony
Saturday started off as a rainy day, but Diwali began as usual. I joined NC State Senator Chaudhuri, Morrisville Mayor Cawley, and Morrisville council member Rao for the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. Afterwards I provided remarks including a brief tribute to former mayor Koka Booth. I encouraged attendees to reflect on his legacy as they saw his bust on the way out. I noticed several sets of flowers at his bust as I was leaving. Following my remarks, I read a proclamation designating October 14, 2023, as the 23rd Annual Diwali Celebration in Cary.
Diwali
Saturday afternoon the rains stopped, and the crowds gathered at Booth Amphitheater for the celebration of Diwali. While the crowds this year weren’t as big as some in the past, due to the weather, it was still a full house.
Before the evening performances I made remarks along with Congressman Nickel and several others from Hum Sub. Sponsors and board members were recognized followed by scholarship presentations for several students. The audience included Mayor Gilbert from Apex and council members from Apex and Morrisville.
The evening portion of the celebration started with a dance performance by a senior group. Then I joined the group from Apex, Morrisville, and Cary which included Morrisville Mayor Cawley for the celebrity dance. The group had been practicing since May and put on a spectacular performance. I was proud to be a part of them even though I only participated in three of the dances.
SAS Championships
The SAS Championship started on Friday with beautiful weather. This was followed by a rainy day on Saturday which caused a suspension of play. Play resumed Sunday for the end of round two and the final round. Congratulations to Rod Pampling of Australia who was this year’s winner.
We are proud to host the SAS Championship in Cary. It helps expose Cary to the nation and the world. Thanks to SAS for being the title host for all these years.
Town Manager’s Report
Sean’s Message
Reflections on Gratitude and Service
Just like you, I often get asked, “What makes Cary so special?” And my initial answer, like others, is to quickly respond, “The People.” While accurate, that statement alone may not help much in understanding, so let me explain.
Cary’s public servants, elected and appointed, connect with something much bigger than themselves – a common thread that binds us together and helps us form lasting bonds with each other and with our citizens.
The common thread: gratitude.
As Dr. James Aten notes, gratitude is both a feeling and a personality trait. In both cases, gratitude involves a process of recognizing, first, that one has obtained a positive outcome and, second, that there is an external source for that good outcome.
When considering the widely held definition of gratitude, we often see the practice expressed in the affirmation of good things we’ve received and/or through acknowledging the role other people play in providing our lives with goodness.
In Cary, that gratitude is acknowledged thru service to others.
Cary’s public servants are grateful for what Cary has given to them and to their loved ones. They demonstrate that gratitude through their service to help keep Cary great for the benefit of others who also deserve to be changed for the better by Cary.
Koka Booth. Don Frantz. David Ranes. Danielle Mahoney. Ryan Eades: five different people. Five different stories connected by one core value. All of them have given much more than received, and we are all better for that.
As we move forward together in keeping Cary great and at the top of the arc, let us never forget that the “who” is just as important as the “what.”
In appreciation,
Sean
Upcoming Meetings
Athletic Committee
Monday, October 16
6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 17
6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 18
6:15 p.m.
Thursday, October 19
6:00 p.m.
Mayor’s Mailbox
- A question about why mayors are not full-time.
- Several congratulations on being re-elected.
- Requests to “stand with Israel”.
- A complaint about parking at the Walker.
- A complaint about the shooting at Amberwood Apartments.
- A request to speak at a council meeting about pickleball (anyone can speak at any meeting on any topic).
- Several complaints about crosswalks across from Cary Elementary.
- A complaint about Cary’s E-Bike program.
- A request to stop development to preserve tree canopy (we do not have authority to stop any development – our decisions are on the type of use and that use has to match the Cary Community Plan which was created by Cary citizens.)
- A complaint about missing trees in the buffer at Commons Ford Place.
- A complaint about lowering flags to half-mast for Koka Booth.
Next Week
Next week’s activities staff meetings, a meeting with council members, a meeting with a council candidate, a Wake County Mayors Association meeting, and a meeting of the CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) Executive Board.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, October 22nd, 2023. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts those are not the best means of communication with me. Please send all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.
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