We continue to get great response on the newsletter. Please forward it to your
neighbors and friends and share the good news.

You can also visit my website at [1]www.mayorchavonne.com to see all of the
newsletters from the past year and other exciting news about our city.

2012 is shaping up to be an equally exciting year for Fayetteville. Joanne and
I thank you for your continued prayers and support.

SEE, CHAT, & INTERACT…

Fayetteville Forward TV Show
9:30 PM Every Thursday
Channel 7 (Time Warner Cable)

“What’s Going On” with Jeff Thompson
8AM Every 4th Tuesday of the Month
WIDU 1600AM (www.widuradio.com)

Mayor’s Hotline
(910) 433-1992

Contact Info:
Mayor Anthony G. Chavonne
433 Hay Street
Fayetteville, NC 28301
mayor@ci.fay.nc.us
tony@mayorchavonne.com

Military keeps Cumberland County near top in pay growth

Continued increases in pay and benefits for military and federal civilian
workers kept Cumberland County in the top 10 nationally for growth in average
worker compensation last year.

New data for the 170 largest U.S. counties show that average compensation per
job – pay, plus employer medical and retirement contributions – was $69,168 in
Cumberland County last year, up 4.4 percent from 2009. That rate of growth
ranks Cumberland ninth in the nation among counties where pay and benefits
totaled at least $10 billion.

In North Carolina, only Mecklenburg County’s average compensation grew more
last year, up 4.6 percent.

Over the past decade, total compensation for government workers in Cumberland
County – including military and federal, state and local government jobs here -
has ballooned 123 percent, from $3.9 billion in 2001 to almost $8.7 billion
last year.

Total compensation in Cumberland County was $12.4 billion in 2010, up almost
$600 million from 2009. Last year saw Cumberland County ranked second
nationally in total compensation growth. This year, it dropped to 12th, still a
higher gain in total compensation than anywhere else in the state.

Fayetteville’s Economy Grew 4% in 2010

Fayetteville’s economy grew 4 percent in 2010, swelling to $15.25 billion,
according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

That outpaced the 2.5 percent increase in real gross domestic product averaged
by the nation’s 366 metropolitan areas. The metro areas’ real GDP totaled $11.7
trillion, up from $11.5 trillion, according to the bureau.

The national figures marked a turnaround following the recession when the
average metro’s economy shrank 2.8 percent. Only 76 metro areas saw their
economies grow between 2007 and 2009. Among them: Fayetteville, whose economy
has grown steadily since 2001.

Fayetteville Named All-America City

Fayetteville won its third All-America City Award in Kansas in June. Officials
say the award culminates efforts to improve the local economy and the
community’s image.

About 55 people from Fayetteville and Fort Bragg leapt from their chairs,
cheering and giving high-fives when Fayetteville captured the All-America
designation. The group members waved miniature American flags on sticks, and
many in the audience shouted “USA! USA!”

Joining Fayetteville representatives were 20 uniformed soldiers from the 82nd
Airborne All-American Chorus. Everyone walked onto a stage, smiling and shaking
hands with the judges and officials with the National Civic League.

In all, 10 cities received the award, including Eden, the only other North
Carolina community that had reached the finals at the Hyatt Regency Crown
Center. The league has been giving them out since 1949.

Fayetteville’s bid focused on its patriotic spirit and a good economy
benefiting from growth at Fort Bragg. Children who have participated in a
literacy-improvement program in the county schools were part of the
presentation as well.

Fayetteville won another, albeit less prestigious, award for the most popular
video highlighting its presentation. The city’s entry into the All-America
Stories video contest on Facebook captured the most fans by people who said
they liked the nearly 90-second clip.

Fayetteville Outer Loop Speeding Up

Work on two more segments of the Fayetteville Outer Loop is getting a
jump-start, state officials announced recently.

Gov. Bev Perdue said the state would use anticipated federal highway
construction grants to accelerate work on urban loops around six N.C. cities,
including Fayetteville.

Fayetteville’s loop, also known as Interstate 295, is being built in phases.
Three segments – roughly between the All American Freeway and Ramsey Street -
are under way.

The loop’s first section, linking I-95 south of Wade, opened in 2003. Two more
sections of the Outer Loop in western Fayetteville will have accelerated
schedules.

A section from east of Yadkin Road to south of Cliffdale Road is now scheduled
for construction in 2019 at an estimated cost of $102.4 million.

Right of way acquisition for a section from south of Cliffdale Road to south of
Raeford Road, east of Lake Rim Park, will begin in 2019. The estimated cost is
$9.6 million.

Previously, both sections were not funded or programmed by the N.C. Department
of Transportation, which sets long-range timelines to design highway projects,
buy land and build them.

Last December, the Board of Transportation approved $234.6 million to construct
two segments of the Fayetteville Outer Loop that are under way. Those sections
are expected to be complete in 2015.

In May 2009, the project received $52.5 million from the federal stimulus bill
to build everything but travel lanes between Bragg Boulevard and Murchison
Road. A revised schedule calls for work to be completed in December 2012

Growing Fort Bragg creates hotel building boom

Since 2005, Cumberland County’s supply of hotel rooms has grown about 12
percent. But demand for rooms has surged nearly twice as much, leading to a
recent construction boom including the $30 million Embassy Suites going up near
the mall.

The Fayetteville Observer analyzed five years of data from Smith Travel
Research, a hotel performance research firm in Tennessee. The results show
Fayetteville’s hotel and motel industry has far outpaced North Carolina’s other
large metropolitan areas – Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro and Durham.

Demand for Fayetteville-area rooms grew by 23 percent from 2005 to 2010, and
overall lodging revenue was up 50 percent to more than $96 million.

By comparison, demand in Raleigh grew 7.6 percent over the same period.
Charlotte hotel bookings grew by less than 2 percent.

And while average occupancy rates of Fayetteville hotels has increased in five
years, it has dropped in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Durham.

According to Smith Travel Research, the average occupancy in Cumberland County
climbed to 67 percent last year from 61 percent in 2005. Hotels and motels
fetched on average almost $70 a night last year – up 22 percent during that
time, though still below average rates in the other N.C. metros.

To meet ever-growing demand, six hotels in Cumberland County have opened in the
past two years, and ground will be broken on three more this year, said John
Meroski, president of the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. They
are a Courtyard and Candlewood Suites in Spring Lake, and a Holiday Inn near
the mall.

Overall, there are 71 hotels and motels with a combined 5,974 rooms across the
county. Occupancy peaked last year at 74.8 percent in October, but dropped to
57 percent by December. The average rate was back up to 68 percent last month,
however.

North Carolina Veterans Park Opens

North Carolina’s long-awaited park honoring veterans opened July 4th in
downtown Fayetteville, paying tribute to those from all 100 counties who have
worn a uniform for their country.

Following the 10 a.m. ceremony, officials snipped a ribbon to the $13 million
park that is more than a decade in the making and represents a significant new
phase in the downtown revitalization.

On 5 acres near the Airborne & Special Operations Museum on Bragg Boulevard,
the site is adorned with fountains, columns, granite walls shimmering with
cascading water and steel panels that reflect light. Every aspect of the park
symbolizes the journey of a veteran, and literally represents the state from
the mountains to the coast.

In a community plaza, bronze hands cast from a veteran from every North
Carolina county symbolize the oath of service. The hands sit on gently curving
concrete walls that contain soil samples from each place the veterans represent

The park has seven original commissioned sculptures made from discarded
military materials, such as vehicles and weapons.

The visitors center has high-tech exhibits, a fused glass wall of service
ribbons from every conflict since the Civil War, and a unique chandelier forged
out of 33,500 dog tags

The park has other areas demonstrating the life of a veteran. The service plaza
features tall, firm walls and a Pride and Purpose Tower, together representing
military life. A quieter reflection garden, festooned with flowers along the
banks of Cross Creek, signifies a veteran’s return to civilian life and
retirement.

Parking Deck Contract Awarded

Six companies submitted bids to build a five-story parking deck in downtown
Fayetteville. Construction should be completed in early January.

The public parking deck, to be built on what is now a parking lot at the corner
of Franklin and Donaldson streets, would contain 298 spaces — a net gain of
220. Backers of the plan have said additional downtown parking is essential if
the area is to continue its economic growth.

The cost of building the deck has been estimated at $6.2 million. In June, the
city council voted to borrow nearly $6 million over 15 years for the project.
The loan’s effective interest rate would be 2.81 percent after factoring in
funding through last year’s federal stimulus project.

It would be paid off through revenues from a tax on the downtown district. PWC
would also contribute $2 million to the deck’s cost. PWC owns the Robert C.
Williams Business Center to which the deck would be attached and the city-owned
utility has been trying to sell the building since moving its customer-service
center elsewhere. PWC officials have said the parking deck will make the
building more marketable.

Increase in basic housing allowance for Fort Bragg soldiers is above average

The military’s basic housing allowance will rise an average of 9.6 percent for
service members stationed at Fort Bragg next year, an increase far above the
nationwide average of 2 percent.

The increase rivals that of soldiers in Washington, D.C., where a 9.9 percent
bump in housing allowance in 2012 is one of the biggest in the U.S.

The rates, which were released by the Department of Defense this week and take
effect Jan. 1, are calculated based upon the median current market rent,
average utility costs and average renter’s insurance, according to theDefense
Travel Management Office.

The market in the Southeast also has long been behind the rest of the nation in
construction costs and rental rates, and increases like this can help the
Fayetteville area catch up, local appraiser Tom Keith said.

“I don’t know if they just kind of felt like we were behind the times and
needed to do some things or what, but we were certainly blessed,” Keith said.
“It certainly will most likely improve the quality of housing in the North
Carolina markets.”

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Comes to Fayetteville

ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” came to Fayetteville in July to rebuild
one lucky family a dream house.
The weeklong building blitz started and involved volunteers and donated labor
and materials from local companies, said Chip Smith, president and chief
executive officer of Blue Ridge Log Cabins of South Carolina.

First Lady Michelle Obama came to Fayetteville to film an episode of the ABC
reality series featuring Barbara Marshall, founder of the Steps N Stages
Jubilee House for women veterans in transition.

The moment culminated the 106 hours of work by a team of volunteers who built
Marshall a new home for her ministry.
Marshall’s 1,288-square-foot home was demolished to make room for a much bigger
one so she can help more veterans. Local businesses contributed supplies, food
and volunteers

Fayetteville ranked No. 1 among best cities for college graduates

Fayetteville has plenty of 20-somethings who move here on the Army’s orders.
But according to one media company, the city should be No. 1 on the list of any
young adult looking for a place to live and work.
The Daily Beast, a sister company to Newsweek, puts Fayetteville at the top of
its list of 25 Best Cities for College Graduates.
This is the second year that the news and opinion website has ranked cities in
terms of what they offer to those entering the job market.

The Daily Beast said it “looked at the cities through the lens of the basics of
quality of life: housing, employment, affordability and relationships.”

The top 25 cities “have relatively low unemployment, high average salary per
capita, a low cost of living, a high portion of housing units devoted to rental
properties, and a large population between ages 22 and 24,” the website says.

Economist sees bright future for Fayetteville

While it will be years before the United States returns to robust employment
levels, Wells Fargo chief economist Mark Vitner reports that he’s “very
optimistic” about the Fayetteville area’s economic outlook because of the
Army’s decision to consolidate some key operations here. As part of its Base
Closure and Realignment plans, the Army is moving its largest command, Forces
Command, and the Army Reserve Command to Fort Bragg from Fort McPherson in
Georgia.

Vitner said the new commands, which are supposed to be in place by fall, will
create plenty of opportunities for new and existing businesses.

“More purchasing decisions will be made here,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said, he expects more money to be spent by the military on
training personnel for the more specialized missions they are facing in the
post-Cold War era. He said he doesn’t expect troop levels to be cut.

Cumberland housing market among elite

Cumberland County ranks fifth on the list for least amount of negative equity,
out of 386 urban counties in the country. Only 4.2 percent of homeowners in
Cumberland County were stuck in a bad mortgage situation last fall, according
to the stats.
The top four counties are in New York. In Manhattan, only 4.2 percent of
mortgages had negative equity. Property values there certainly didn’t crash.
Suffolk County, N.Y. (the Hamptons end of Long Island) had 2.1 percent of
mortgages under water. The other two counties are in New York state.

The only other North Carolina county in either of those two categories was
Buncombe, home to Asheville, where only 6.4 percent of mortgages were under
water.

Hope VI project rolls on

Fayetteville’s Hope VI project to replace public housing in an impoverished
neighborhood is 60 percent complete, the lead developer says.

Murray Duggins, chairman of United Developers, said four of the seven planned
housing developments are finished, and the remaining three are on schedule to
be completed toward the end of 2013.

In 2008, the Fayetteville Metropolitan Housing Authority won a $20 million Hope
VI grant to bulldoze and replace 249 apartments reserved for public housing.

The targeted area is along Old Wilmington Road, about six blocks from the city
center.

The overall project will cost about $113 million, most from private investment,
and consist of 642 apartments and up to 105 single-family homes. The city,
county and city-owned Public Works Commission also made contributions.

To help move work along amid a recession, the project received an additional
$6.5 million from the 2009 federal stimulus package.

The Hope VI grant came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, and the city was given a five-year deadline to finish the project.

Two World War II-era housing projects, called Delona Gardens and Campbell
Terrace Apartments, were razed in early 2010, and about 200 families in public
housing were relocated.

About 170 of those families remain in the program who are allowed to return to
the new housing for essentially the same subsidized rent as before. Other
families who meet income guidelines but don’t necessarily qualify for public
assistance can live in the new housing, too.

The new apartment complexes have amenities such as gazebos, fitness rooms and
common sitting rooms with big, comfortable sofas and large paintings on the
walls.

Overall, a total of 270 residents are living in the new housing, and about 50
more are expected to move in within the next few weeks.

The first complex built was Dogwood Manor on Alfred Street in February. It has
36 apartments reserved for tenants who are at least 62 years old.

Hickory Ridge, with 72 apartments off Bunce Road in western Fayetteville, was
completed in March.

In the Old Wilmington Road area, Sycamore Park opened on Volunteer Drive in
June, and in August, Oak Run I opened on Campbell Avenue.

The formal groundbreaking ceremony for the Old Wilmington Road Hope VI
revitalization project was held on April 21st. The project includes a $20
million grant from HUD and is expected to have an economic impact in excess of
$113 million in the area.

Complete details of the Hope VI project are available at http://www.fayettevillehopevi.org

Cumberland County’s unemployment rate fell from 10.5% to 10% during the month. The Fayetteville Metro had the second-highest net employment increase in the state.

Over the past year, Fayetteville’s 2,900 new jobs reflects the greatest percentage increase in the state at 2.3 percent.

This most recent economic news is the most recent objective report on the strength of the Fayetteville Metro area economy. Other recent reports include:

• The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that personal income grew by 5.5% in the Fayetteville metro area last year, the biggest gain in North Carolina and nearly double the national average.
• North Carolina Southeast’s State of the Region: Annual Economic Indicators Report included the following rankings:
  • Fayetteville ranked as 3^rd Best Jobs Market in the Nation by Manpower, Inc.
  • Fayetteville ranked as 18^th Best Performing Large City in America and 3^rd in N.C. in Miliken Institute’s Best Performing Cities 2010: Where America’s Jobs are Created and Sustained.
  • Fayetteville NC ranked 6^th for Newgeography’s Best Cities for Job Growth 2010.
• The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that Cumberland County’s average pay and benefits per job of $66,251 surpassed Mecklenburg ($64,618), Wake ($56,548) and Guilford ($50,934) Counties.
• June 2011’s report by the North Carolina Commission on Workforce Development “Preparing North Carolina’s Workforce and Business for the Global Economy” reports that Cumberland County now ranks fifth in the state for adding new jobs.
• Policom Corporation’s recent Economic Strength Rankings 2011 ranked the Fayetteville, N.C. MSA as the 92^nd strongest in the country, up from 227^th in 2004.
• The Daily Beast, a sister company to Newsweek, puts Fayetteville at the top of its list of 25 Best Cities for College Graduates.

Mayor Chavonne believes that elected officials are accountable for their actions. We do not need to go back to the politics of the past at this critical time. This election should focus on real leadership and real results.

During Mayor Chavonne’s opponent’s tenure as a City Council member (1989 – 1995 and 1999 – 2001) the meeting minutes indicate he voted on multiple occasions to raise property tax rates in the City of Fayetteville.

• 06/16/1992      VOTED TO increase the net property tax rate by 3.8% as the property revaluation resulted in a 7% increase in property taxable values but the  city property tax rate was only reduced by 2.9%.

• 06/16/1994      VOTED FOR a 2.7% property tax increase from 55 cents to 56.5 cents per hundred.

Mayor Chavonne believes that elected officials are accountable for their actions. We do not need to go back at this critical time. This election should focus on real leadership and real results.

October 2011

Fayetteville is on a great roll! This month’s issue of the mayor’s Fayetteville
Forward newsletter highlights some of the most positive stories from the past
several months as reported in the Fayetteville Observer. Take some time to
enjoy the special things that are happening in our city.

We continue to get great response on the newsletter. Please forward it to your
neighbors and friends and share the good news.

You can also visit my website at www.mayorchavonne.com to see all of the
newsletters from the past year and other exciting news about our city.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

SEE, CHAT, & INTERACT…

Fayetteville Forward TV Show
9:30 PM Every Thursday
Channel 7 (Time Warner Cable)

“What’s Going On” with Jeff Thompson
8AM Every 4th Tuesday of the Month
WIDU 1600AM (www.widuradio.com)

From the Mayor’s Desk Blog

http://blogs.fayobserver.com/chavonne

Real Time Questions and Answers

Mayor’s Hotline
(910) 433-1992

Contact Info:
Mayor Anthony G. Chavonne
433 Hay Street
Fayetteville, NC 28301
mayor@ci.fay.nc.us
tony@mayorchavonne.com

Income Growth Leads State

Personal income grew by 5.5 percent in the Fayetteville metro area last year,
the biggest gain in North Carolina and nearly double the national average.
Fayetteville’s percentage increase in income ranked 19th out of 366 U.S. metro
areas.

It’s the second straight year Fayetteville has ranked among the fastest-growing
metros in terms of personal income. For 2009, Fayetteville ranked eighth
nationally.  Much of the rest of the nation saw personal income fall in 2009 as
cities dealt with the recession. The average decline for urban areas was 1.9
percent.

In Fayetteville, earnings for 2010 grew in not only the government sector but
the majority of private sector industries as well.

Fayetteville on Index of Improving Home Markets

Fayetteville appears on a new monthly index of improving housing markets.

The National Association of Home Builders issued its first Improving Markets
Index to highlight metropolitan areas that have shown improvement for at least
six months in three areas: Housing permits, housing prices and employment.

“Last year at this time, there was not a single market that showed improvement
using these criteria, and now we can point to 12 examples of growth,” David
Crowe, the association’s chief economist, said in a news release.

Fayetteville Outer Loop Speeding Up

Work on two more segments of the Fayetteville Outer Loop is getting a
jump-start, state officials announced recently.

Gov. Bev Perdue said the state would use anticipated federal highway
construction grants to accelerate work on urban loops around six N.C. cities,
including Fayetteville.

Fayetteville’s loop, also known as Interstate 295, is being built in phases.
Three segments – roughly between the All American Freeway and Ramsey Street -
are under way.

The loop’s first section, linking I-95 south of Wade, opened in 2003. Two more
sections of the Outer Loop in western Fayetteville will have accelerated
schedules.

A section from east of Yadkin Road to south of Cliffdale Road is now scheduled
for construction in 2019 at an estimated cost of $102.4 million.

Right of way acquisition for a section from south of Cliffdale Road to south of
Raeford Road, east of Lake Rim Park, will begin in 2019. The estimated cost is
$9.6 million.

Previously, both sections were not funded or programmed by the N.C. Department
of Transportation, which sets long-range timelines to design highway projects,
buy land and build them.

Last December, the Board of Transportation approved $234.6 million to construct
two segments of the Fayetteville Outer Loop that are under way. Those sections
are expected to be complete in 2015.

In May 2009, the project received $52.5 million from the federal stimulus bill
to build everything but travel lanes between Bragg Boulevard and Murchison
Road. A revised schedule calls for work to be completed in December 2012

Dogwood Festival Receives International Recognition

The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival has won gold in an international festival
competition.

During the annual conference of the International Festivals & Events
Association, the Dogwood Festival was named the recipient of the Gold Grand
Pinnacle award. Fayetteville’s spring festival received the award at the
Pinnacle Awards ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fayetteville took the gold award for festivals with budgets under $250,000. The
Festival of Lights in Hidalgo, Texas, won the silver, and the bronze went to
the Naval Station Great Lakes Fourth of July Centennial Celebration in Great
Lakes, Ill.

The Dogwood Festival entered in six categories and won three gold awards. The
festival’s Facebook page won the gold, as did a brochure promoting the event.

The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival — founded in 1982 — has grown into a
three-day signature event for the city.

Over the years, it has drawn thousands of festival-goers and big name musical
acts such as Everclear and Jo Dee Messina. The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival
also puts on several other events throughout the year, including Historic
Hauntings, New Year’s Eve Party in the Park, Miss Dogwood Festival Pageant and
Fayetteville After Five.

Local Business Gains National Recognition

K3 Enterprises, Inc, was recently recognized in Inc. magazine’s 30th annual
Inc. 500/5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private
companies.

K3 Enterprises, Inc. is graduate of the Defense Security & Technology
Accelerator (DSTA) program of the Partnership for Defense Innovation.  K3 is
a world-wide leader in providing end-to-end solutions for the Department of
Defense (DoD), U.S. Government, and commercial contracts on five (5)
continents.  It is a Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) verified Service
Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business headquartered in Fayetteville, N.C. next
door to Fort Bragg.
Fayetteville’s Economy Grew 4% in 2010

Fayetteville’s economy grew 4 percent in 2010, swelling to $15.25 billion,
according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

That outpaced the 2.5 percent increase in real gross domestic product averaged
by the nation’s 366 metropolitan areas. The metro areas’ real GDP totaled $11.7
trillion, up from $11.5 trillion, according to the bureau.

The national figures marked a turnaround following the recession when the
average metro’s economy shrank 2.8 percent. Only 76 metro areas saw their
economies grow between 2007 and 2009. Among them: Fayetteville, whose economy
has grown steadily since 2001.

Fayetteville Fire Department Receives Accreditation

The Fayetteville Fire Department has received accreditation through the
Commission of Fire Accreditation International.

The status means the Fire Department has completed a self-assessment of its
operations in an effort to improve its service to the community, according to a
Fire Department release.

The accreditation “demonstrates the commitment of the agency to provide the
highest quality of service to our community,” interim Fire Chief Ben Major
said. The department is one of 148 agencies that is accredited through the Commission
of Fire Accreditation International and the Center for Public Safety Excellence
Inc.

Fayetteville Mellow Mushroom Makes History

Less than two weeks after opening its doors in August, Capital Food Group,
the franchisee of three Mellow Mushrooms to come in Eastern North Carolina,
made national and state history with its Fayetteville opening.
Mellow Mushroom Fayetteville, N.C. recorded the 2nd largest opening in our
27-year, 123-store history. In addition, it was the largest of 16 openings
throughout the state of North Carolina.

During Mayor Chavonne’s opponent’s tenure as a City Council member (1989 – 1995 and 1999 – 2001) the meeting minutes indicate that he voted on multiple occasions to raise bus fares. He voted not to support the relocation of residents from the Eufaula Street forced to live right beside the county landfill. He voted not to support the plaque honoring African-Americans that was installed in the Market House.

• 01/16/1990      VOTED AGAINST Consideration of Request from Market House Plaque Committee regarding approval of description of plaque to be placed at the  Market House to honor African-Americans sold as slaves there.

• 02/20/1990      VOTED AGAINST Consideration of renaming portion of 401 Bypass to Martin Luther King Boulevard.

• 03/04/1991      VOTED IN FAVOR OF eliminating the transit half fare for students.
• 01/21/1992      VOTED AGAINST Consideration of renaming Murchison Road to Martin

Luther King Boulevard after a survey of property owners has been conducted and the results brought back to the City Council for final action.

• 04/05/1993      VOTED AGAINST Consideration of a request from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners for City participation in Eufaula Street

Relocation project.

• 03/21/1994      VOTED IN FAVOR OF raising bus fares from 65 cents to 75 cents.
• 07/17/2000      VOTED IN FAVOR OF discontinuing bus serve to Hope Mills.

Mayor Chavonne believes that elected officials are accountable for their actions. We do not need to go back at this critical time. This election should focus on real leadership and real results.

During Mayor Chavonne’s opponent’s tenure as a City Council member (1989 – 1995 and 1999 – 2001) the meeting minutes indicate that he voted for several forced or involuntary annexations. They include:

• 11/4/1991        Involuntary annexation of Roxie Avenue- Boone Trail Area.
• 12/6/1993        Involuntary annexation of Devonwood, Lake Shores, Murray Fork,

The Lakes, Foxfire, Yadkin Acres, Lake Valley. (8,560 residents)

• 05/2/1994        Involuntary annexation of twenty areas. (Northwood, Northgate, Green

Valley Road, Southview Circle, Rosehill Road-McArthur Road Area, Bowden Road-Harbor Road Area, Ramsey Street, Country Club Drive, Westlake, Ireland Drive, Faison Avenue, Ferndale Lane, Camden Road, Cedar Creek Road area.)

• 10/24/1994      Involuntary annexation of two areas. (Cedar Creek Road area.)
• 12/05/1994      Resolution identifying two areas (Western and Southern Areas) under

consideration for Annexation. (Ultimately Phase IV Annexation)

• 1/03/2000        Resolution identifying area to Hoke County Line under consideration for

Annexation. (Ultimately Phase V or “Big Bang” Annexation.

Mayor Chavonne believes that elected officials are accountable for their actions. This election should focus on real leadership and real results.

July 2011

Fayetteville is on a great roll! This month’s issue of the mayor’s Fayetteville
Forward newsletter highlights some of the most positive stories from the past
several months as reported in the Fayetteville Observer. Take some time to
enjoy the special things that are happening in our city.

We continue to get great response on the newsletter. Please forward it to your
neighbors and friends and share the good news.

You can also visit my website at [1]www.mayorchavonne.com to see all of the
newsletters from the past year and other exciting news about our city.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Tony

Fayetteville Named All-America City

Fayetteville won its third All-America City Award in Kansas in June. Officials
say the award culminates efforts to improve the local economy and the
community’s image.
About 55 people from Fayetteville and Fort Bragg leapt from their chairs,
cheering and giving high-fives when Fayetteville captured the All-America
designation. The group members waved miniature American flags on sticks, and
many in the audience shouted “USA! USA!”

Joining Fayetteville representatives were 20 uniformed soldiers from the 82nd
Airborne All-American Chorus. Everyone walked onto a stage, smiling and shaking
hands with the judges and officials with the National Civic League.
In all, 10 cities received the award, including Eden, the only other North
Carolina community that had reached the finals at the Hyatt Regency Crown
Center. The league has been giving them out since 1949.

Fayetteville’s bid focused on its patriotic spirit and a good economy
benefiting from growth at Fort Bragg. Children who have participated in a
literacy-improvement program in the county schools were part of Thursday’s
presentation as well. You can access the delegation’s presentation [6]HERE.

Fayetteville won another, albeit less prestigious, award Friday for the most
popular video highlighting its presentation. The city’s entry into the
All-America Stories video contest on Facebook captured the most fans by people
who said they liked the nearly 90-second clip. You can access the video
“FayetteNam to FayetteNow” [7]HERE.

North Carolina Veterans Park Opens

North Carolina’s long-awaited park honoring veterans opened July 4th in
downtown Fayetteville, paying tribute to those from all 100 counties who have
worn a uniform for their country.

Following the 10 a.m. ceremony, officials snipped a ribbon to the $13 million
park that is more than a decade in the making and represents a significant new
phase in the downtown revitalization.

On 5 acres near the Airborne & Special Operations Museum on Bragg Boulevard,
the site is adorned with fountains, columns, granite walls shimmering with
cascading water and steel panels that reflect light. Every aspect of the park
symbolizes the journey of a veteran, and literally represents the state from
the mountains to the coast.  In the community plaza, bronze hands cast from a
veteran from every North Carolina county symbolize the oath of service. The
hands sit on gently curving concrete walls that contain soil samples from each
place the veterans represent.

The park has seven original commissioned sculptures made from discarded
military materials, such as vehicles and weapons.
The visitors center has high-tech exhibits, a fused glass wall of service
ribbons from every conflict since the Civil War, and a unique chandelier forged
out of 33,500 dog tags.

The park has other areas demonstrating the life of a veteran. The service plaza
features tall, firm walls and a Pride and Purpose Tower, together representing
military life. A quieter reflection garden, festooned with flowers along the
banks of Cross Creek, signifies a veteran’s return to civilian life and
retirement.

Fayetteville ranked No. 1 among best cities for college graduates

Fayetteville has plenty of 20-somethings who move here on the Army’s orders.
But according to one media company, the city should be No. 1 on the list of any
young adult looking for a place to live and work.

The Daily Beast, a sister company to Newsweek, puts Fayetteville at the top of
its list of 25 Best Cities for College Graduates. This is the second year that
the news and opinion website has ranked cities in terms of what they offer to
those entering the job market.

The Daily Beast said it “looked at the cities through the lens of the basics of
quality of life: housing, employment, affordability and relationships.”

The top 25 cities “have relatively low unemployment, high average salary per
capita, a low cost of living, a high portion of housing units devoted to rental
properties, and a large population between ages 22 and 24,” the website says.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in Fayetteville

ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is in Fayetteville this month to rebuild
a dream house for Barbara Marshall, founder of the Steps N Stages Jubilee House
for women veterans in transition.

The week long building blitz will started on July 14th  and will conclude with
the infamous “Move That Bus” event happening on July 21st.

This project involves volunteers and donated labor and materials from local
companies.  Chip Smith, president and chief executive officer of [8]Blue Ridge
Log Cabins of South Carolina is the builder for the project.

Cumberland County a Magnet for Job Growth  Despite Flagging National Economy

Cumberland County now ranks fifth in the state for adding new jobs, according
to the latest State Workforce Report. With the majority of jobs added to the
much larger metropolitan areas of the Triangle and Charlotte over the last five
years, Cumberland County’s surprisingly strong showing bodes well for residents
and those considering relocating to the area.

The report, “Preparing North Carolina’s Workforce and Businesses for the Global
Economy” was published by the North Carolina Commission on Workforce
Development.

CBS Shows Local High School Graduation of Military Family Member

Military families never get used to the sacrifice of having a deployed parent
who misses graduations, birthdays and more. CBS Reporter Mark Strassmann
reports on our Cumberland County School that is using the internet to change
all that.

Military families watch graduation online -
[9]Watch video

[10]Read More

Former Green Beret abandons real estate business to found a flourishing
microbrewery restaurant

The National Veteran-Owned Business Association, in partnership with JP Morgan
Chase and Co., honors the 2011 Vetrepreneur of the Year, Josh Collins,
President of Team Collins, parent company of [11]Huske Hardware House brewing
Company and [12]Wet Willies of Fayetteville.

The Vetrepreneur of the Year award is a prestigious honor bestowed annually to
a veteran business owner, who epitomizes the qualities required for business
success, inspires veteran business ownership through his/her accomplishments,
and provides the momentum to advance the veteran businesses movement. This
individual demonstrates these skills and attributes through proven and
sustained business growth as well as his/her desire to cultivate veteran
entrepreneurship

Pope Community named 2010 Abilene Trophy Winner

The Pope AFB Community Council was officially selected as the recipient of the
2010 Abilene Trophy. The Abilene Trophy is the Abilene Chamber of Commerce
Military Affairs Committee and Air Mobility Command’s community support award
presented annually to a civilian community for outstanding support to an AMC
base.

The Committee took special note of several outstanding programs, including
‘Operation Purple Camp,’ a free camp for children of those currently deployed;
Glory Days, a month long celebration honoring those who serve and have served;
and a 24-hour endurance relay that raised funds for the Air Force Assistance
Fund Drive.

A traveling trophy was presented to the Pope AFB Community Council during a
formal presentation on a date to be determined, and the council will display
the trophy until next year’s winner is named.

References

1. http://www.mayorchavonne.com/category/news/
2. http://blogs.fayobserver.com/chavonne
3. mailto:mayor@ci.fay.nc.us
4. mailto:tony@mayorchavonne.com
5. http://www.twitter.com/tchavonne
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aivzpw2mt2k
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP53c3a-cD4
8. http://www.blueridgelogcabins.com/
9. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7372104n
10. http://www.cbsnews.com/1770-5_162-0.html?query=graduation&tag=srch&searchtype=cbsSearch#ixzz1R2h5Dghj
11. http://www.huskehardware.com/
12. http://www.facebook.com/WetWilliesFayetteville

Fayetteville, NC (May 24, 2011) – Over the last 6 years Fayetteville has moved forward in the journey to a more attractive, clean and peaceful city.  Fayetteville has seen real results under Mayor Chavonne’s leadership of our city. The growth in per capita income is among the highest in the country. We are seeing significant investment in new hotels and convention centers, military business parks and industry, bringing new jobs to the area. Fayetteville’s crime rates continue to fall by double digits. Our City is building new roads and continuing to invest in badly needed infrastructure. Most importantly, Mayor Chavonne has helped to restore confidence in our local government.

“Today we take the next step in moving Fayetteville Forward as my wife Joanne joins me in announcing plans to seek re-election as your Mayor,” stated Mayor Tony Chavonne.

This city is fortunate to have Joanne Chavonne as Fayetteville’s First Lady working with Mayor Chavonne on behalf of the City.   Her work across the community’s non-profit sector serves as a tremendous example of her love for this city.  Joanne’s effort in developing and fostering relationships with our military neighbors’ has brought national recognition to our City.

“We see the hopes of opportunity right around the corner. The critical decision we make over the next several years will determine if we can continue to turn opportunity to success. The opportunities are too great, the future too bright not to continue to push forward,” says Mayor Chavonne.

Mayor Tony Chavonne is the 32nd Mayor of Fayetteville and is currently in his third term.

[+] EnlargeBIll Buckner
Getty ImagesBill Buckner was warmly received during pregame ceremonies in Fenway Park in 2008 as the Red Sox received their World Series rings.

“[I don't come back to Fenway] very often,” Buckner said. “It’ll be enjoyable, I’m excited about it.

“The Red Sox have a great team, and maybe the Cubs can turn it around a little bit.”

Buckner played parts of eight seasons with the Cubs, winning the 1980 batting crown. But for many, his career has been defined by his error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, when he played for the Red Sox. That error opened the door for the New York Mets to come back and win the championship.

Buckner, who received death threats after the game, now enjoys a good relationship with the Red Sox faithful. They even cheered him when he returned to Boston as a player in 1990.

The “official” apology to Buckner, though, came on April 8, 2008, with the Red Sox celebrating their 2007 World Series victory. Buckner threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park and received a long standing ovation.

Buckner’s error, which prolonged a World Series drought that began in 1918, had helped enhance the Red Sox’s reputation as being cursed.

The Cubs obviously have their own history of failure, perceived curses and a manufactured villain. Steve Bartman infamously interfered with a foul ball in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS against the Florida Marlins. The Cubs were five outs from going to their first World Series since 1945, but they unraveled after the Bartman incident and lost Games 6 and 7.

Buckner, who laughs at the idea of curses, said blaming Bartman is ridiculous. Buckner believes the injury-prone careers of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood had more to do with the Cubs’ lack of success and extending the World Series title drought since 1908.

[+] EnlargeSteve Bartman
AP Photo/Amy SancettaBill Buckner said it’s ‘ridiculous’ to blame Steve Bartman for the Cubs’ World Series drought.

“It was just a case of [Bartman] being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. “The period when they had a chance to win, when they had Prior and Wood, those two just kept breaking down and that really hurt. If those two guys had played up to their potential and not gotten hurt, they’d have won by now.”

Buckner believes a championship will be coming to Wrigley, it’s just a matter of when.

“They’ll get it right, they’ve got new ownership [in the Ricketts family] and they want to win,” Buckner said. “I still think it’s going to happen, hopefully not too far in the future.”

Buckner, who served as the hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox in 1996 and 1997, will manage the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am independent league this summer.

He said he’s always wanted to manage in the majors, and after the season he’ll reevaluate his situation and see if it’s something he wants to continue pursuing. But Friday night, he’ll be behind the microphone.

“I’m pretty familiar with what’s going on with both teams,” Buckner said. “It’s baseball, it’s what I’ve done my whole life, if I can’t talk about baseball then I’m in trouble.”

Sahadev Sharma is a regular contributor to ESPNChicago.com.

Orginally Published in the Fayetteville Observer on Jan 02, 2011

By Tony Chavonne, Mayor of Fayetteville

We stand on the cusp of one of the most important periods of time since Fayetteville’s birth nearly 250 years ago.

Just a few short years ago, we challenged ourselves with some disturbing economic facts – our per capita income was essentially stagnant; our economy was not creating the types of jobs our children could come home to; and we had basically become a community of unfulfilled economic potential with no clear economic plan for the future.

We talked of dreams – dreams of a city with a diverse economic base that provides higher-paying employment opportunities; one that supports initiatives to improve the quality of life for its citizens; and one that no longer bemoans its low-wealth status but celebrates the progressive initiatives that changed it.

It is exciting to see the progress that is being made. As we begin a new year, let us resolve to enjoy these special times and to appreciate the great blessing our community is enjoying since our “wake-up call.”

The signs of positive change are clear and all around us. It requires only that we pay attention to the subtle but unmistakable signs of a community transforming itself into a culturally diverse and economically vibrant leading city of North Carolina.
National attention

The growth in our local economy has continued to receive national attention with Cumberland County seeing a 4.7 percent increase in average income in 2009, second in the entire nation. Our per capita income of $66,251 surpassed most other urban counties in North Carolina including Mecklenburg, Wake and Guilford. Per capita income has skyrocketed 60 percent since 2001, the second-highest pace among urban counties in the U.S.

We opened three new military business parks last year. The community saw the addition of high-tech jobs from the Partnership for Defense Innovation’s R&D Laboratory, Booz Allen Hamilton and other major military contractors. Entrepreneurs like RLM, K3 and The Logistics Company received national recognition for their rapid expansion in the contracting area. We also saw growth and investment from new contractors like Strategic Solutions Unlimited.

Fayetteville ranked 18th in the country in Milken Institute’s annual “Best-Performing Cities Index” – a measurement of economic strength – reflecting an improvement from 80th in 2007.

We added a third carrier, American Airlines, to those serving our airport and saw the number of passengers departing and arriving at our airport continue to experience double-digit traffic increases, even in spite of a national business recession.

The often-stalled Interstate 295 Outer Loop received funding this year providing drivers a high-speed route from the All American Freeway at Fort Bragg to Interstate 95 north of Fayetteville.

Both violent and property crime rates fell for the year as more sworn officers patroled the streets of Fayetteville than ever before. We extended sewer to an additional 500 homes in western Fayetteville, neared completion of the $15 million 300 Block project, and continued our increased investment in our transit system. We developed a long-term growth plan for the hospital area and adopted a Unified Development Ordinance to continue to improve the development standards in our city.

Perhaps most exciting we saw our young people, in increasing numbers, find jobs that allow them to stay in the area and help them to invest in our collective future.
Looking forward

2011 looks just as exciting as we open the North Carolina Veterans Park and the Hope VI project with its projected $113 million investment in our city. We will see the relocation of two new military commands in mid-summer. We can expect to see a new downtown parking deck and a new four-star hotel and convention center in Fayetteville this year.

Like every community, we will continue to have our challenges and must continue to work together to address them. We won’t have the funding in place to build all the schools and roads we need. Crime continues to challenge even our best efforts. We still too often see the plight of poverty and the homeless. We still wrestle with the challenges of rapid growth and the impact of a tightening of state and local budgets. We need and are working on a direct flight from Fayetteville to Washington. And there is never enough money to do all that needs to be done.

But we have been so richly blessed as we no longer talk of low wealth status, economic stagnation or the frequent departure of our children to better jobs outside of the area.

We are in the midst of a cultural and economic transformation unmatched in our proud history. It will require our best efforts, yours and mine, to make sure we take full advantage of the many opportunities coming our way. I encourage you to get involved in our journey to an even greater city. Volunteer for a board or commission, help a child, reach out to feed the homeless, thank a military family, tell friends about the great city we are becoming and pray for God’s continued blessings on each of us.

May God bless you during this New Year season and may God continue to bless our great city.