I sat down with Helen Tart at the new Oakwood Dog Park, one of the many projects she has helped engineer in her active career of community involvement. Some of the other accomplishments include: using federal funding to get bike racks placed on all CAT buses, neighborhood organization to combat irresponsible development and crime reduction, and participation in the creation of the 2003 Five Year Transit Plan. Her past careers have included work at North Carolina State University’s Technician newspaper as well as the News and Observer as a proofreader.
Tart and her husband have lived in the Oakwood neighborhood since 1989, and have worked hard to preserve the character of their community.
When I asked Tart why she decided to run for one of the two seats, she said that she now is fortunate enough to have the time to get out in the city and listen to people’s concerns and to get people talking to one another. She told me that her past advocacy had focused on getting city information to city residents, through email, regularly updated web-newsletters, and the old-fashioned knocking on doors. Tart said that this kind of community participation was necessary to having good government.
Tart is a tireless advocate for public transportation and has taken the bus regularly for many years. She said it was “heart-breaking” that the light rail option has not progressed in Raleigh.
With all the unending downtown development, I asked if there could be a balance between preserving the city’s historic character and continued economic development. Tart said she hopes there can be. One proposal she presented was an incentive-based program of potential tax breaks for downtown businesses that employed people living in downtown apartments or condos.
She said some people may find her ideas “radical, but they really were common-sense.”
I enjoyed our conversation at the park, and found Helen Tart to be very knowledgeable about the finer points of public transit and community involvement. Her experience of service no doubt makes her a good candidate in this exciting race!
An added note: Helen maintains a blog which elaborates further on her campaign.
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