Graham’s city council may end up returning to the question of whether the city’s new mayor, Chelsea Dickey, can take a trip to a conference in New Bern sponsored by the North Carolina Main Street program.
The Main Street program says it provides “downtown strategic economic development planning and project-specific technical assistance to communities in the Main Street program” across the state, to quote their own self-description.
Last month, on a motion from councilman Bobby Chin, the council struck the $1,500 that was being proposed to be allocated for Dickey’s trip. The motion passed 3-2, with Chin, Bonnie Whitaker, and Ricky Hall voting to delete the funding; Dickey and councilman Jim Young were opposed. The item had been included on the council’s “consent agenda,” a list of putatively non-controversial items. However, council members can single-out specific issues to be voted on separately, which is the approach Chin took in proposing to approve all requested budget allocations except for the $1,500 trip.
The Main Street program touts itself as building “local capacity for downtown revitalization, small business development, and rehabilitation of historic properties.”
In response to questions from The Alamance News at a subsequent council meeting, Chin observed that Graham already has a vibrant downtown, complete with lots of historic preservation.
“We’re already doing all that,” Chin said.
Asked why he had not elaborated on the reasons for his objections at the council’s February 10 meeting, Chin acknowledged, “I should have brought it up.”
But the matter may return at next week’s city council meeting.
Dickey subsequently told the newspaper that Graham was the only “city our size” in the county that is not a member of the Main Street program, which she said could be beneficial in “introducing a structure” for downtown redevelopment.
Dickey also related that an “anonymous donor,” who appreciated her desire to attend, had made a $1,500 donation to the city in order to finance Dickey’s trip after the council pulled the funding.
City manager Megan Garner confirmed the donation, which she said had come from local business owner Jane Albright, who owns the Things Above bookstore on Court Square.
Garner said, however, that even with the donation, the item would likely recur on the city council’s March 10 agenda as a budget amendment, subject to council approval.
