Mike Cross and the 2008 campaign

By Mike Fox
Posted Monday, February 18, 2008

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Moncure, NC - As is apparent from postings to the chatlist, like the recent one by Mark Barroso, emails many have received, bulletin board postings, etc., the leadership of the Chatham Coalition has decided not to support Mike Cross for re-election in 2008.

First let me say that Mike Cross is my friend, and he is a man I respect and admire for his lifetime of both service and accomplishment, both to our country and to our county, including before he was ever elected to county office. I also agree that does not give him or anyone a free pass on the issues, but it does speak to his integrity as a person and a commissioner, and as a man who throughout has career has accomplished much under conditions and circumstances seldom under his control, and learned how to work with others, whether he agrees with them or not. I will also disclose that I am helping with his 2008 re-election campaign and am proud to have supported him in 2004 and to support him again.

Mike has been an excellent commissioner in tough circumstances. He was elected to the Bunkey board and he Patrick spent two years trying to make the best of a bad situation. During this time many people became angry at him for a lack of ideological purity, but Mike's approach has always been pragmatic -- do the best possible for the county given the cards he's dealt. This results in negotiation and compromise, and also in some votes or actions that have people who demand purity mad.

The Briar Chapel vote points up a key difference between Mike and a lot of the coalition leadership opposing him now. But it's not the difference between being for or against a big development. It's the difference between pragmatism and ideological purity.

First of all, there is no doubt that Briar Chapel was going to pass whether Mike voted for it or not. The fix was in, it had the three votes, and it was a done deal. Everyone knows that.

Given the inevitability of its passage what should a commissioner do? There are many who expected steadfast opposition no matter what from Mike, even if it meant that a worse plan passes by a 3-2 vote, instead of an improved plan passing by a 4-1 vote. Those people will never be convinced that he did anything but betray them and discussion with them is probably not possible.

However years after Mike leaves office, whether as a result of this election, a future election, or retirement, Briar Chapel will be here, and as time goes on a worse plan that passes by 3-2 so someone can make a short term political point begins to look like a worse deal for the county.

There have been various so-called report cards circulated, along with various accusations of breaking promises.

Rather than go point by point through a contrived report card, I have put Mike's 2004 Coalition questionnaire on his website. This is unedited and unaltered from four years ago. I invite you to read it for yourself and decide for yourself if Mike has been the commissioner he promised he would be. I think you will see he has been, and if you can value a little pragmatism over ideological purity, I hope you will support him for re-election as I do.