NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 30, 1999

CARY COUNCIL-ELECT ANNOUNCES LEADING CANDIDATE

CARY, NC – Jennifer Bryson Robinson is the leading candidate for the upcoming vacancy on the Cary Town Council. Since the November election, Cary’s six-member Council-elect—Glen Lang, Jack Smith, Jess Ward, Marla Dorrel, Nels Roseland, and Harold Weinbrecht—has been receiving numerous suggestions on who would best fill the at-large seat soon to be vacated by Mayor-elect Glen Lang when he takes office on December 9^th. Over the last few weeks, members of the Council-elect have spoken with a number of candidates for the position to see how each fits the vacancy criteria being used by the group. At every turn, the group has unanimously returned to Robinson as the best candidate for the job.

"Throughout this process, we have remained keenly aware of our awesome responsibility to conduct our search with the highest amount of public involvement, knowing that the citizens of Cary will not be able to actually vote to fill this vacancy," said Jack Smith who, as Cary’s most senior Council member returning to service, has helped direct the search. "We have an obligation to this community to make sure that on December 9^th, every seat is filled and every citizen is represented. That means moving forward now on considering candidates and giving citizens an opportunity to comment as we are doing here with this announcement."

In making the announcement today, the Council-elect wants to use the days before their first regular meeting on December 9^th as an opportunity for Cary citizens to get to know Robinson and give feedback on her possible appointment. At that meeting, Cary’s existing Town Council—Koka Booth, Melba Sparrow, Richard Burton, Glen Lang, Jack Smith, and David Brooks—will call the regular meeting to order, approve minutes of earlier meetings, and step down. At that time, new members of the Council-elect—Dorrel, Roseland, and Weinbrecht—will be sworn in, along with Lang who will be sworn in as the new mayor. The new Council will then deliberate on filling the vacancy and vote on the appointment. A majority of those voting will determine the new member.

About Robinson
Robinson became involved in Town government about 18 months ago when planning and zoning issues affecting her neighborhood brought her to the realization that the decisions made each month by Council do have a direct, lasting effect on every person in town.

When asked about her position on growth, Robinson describes herself as a proponent of "slow, smart growth". Like others on the upcoming Council, Robinson supports maintaining an adequate water supply and raising roadway levels of service. She is particularly interested in finding ways to accelerate the progress on the Western Wake Expressway and Highway 55.

"It’s smart to protect Cary’s quality of life if we want to attract new, high-quality businesses to our area," said Robinson. "It’s smart to have sufficient resources, like parks, so that people continue to

love living here. We don’t want anyone to leave Cary because they’re no longer satisfied with what the community has become."

So, how much growth is "slow and smart"? "There’s no magic number, no perfect rate of growth, " says Robinson. "It’s all about maintaining high standards for existing citizens, about having the resources to support the requests for expansion."

Robinson is also interested in pushing "affordable homes", purposefully making the distinction between homes and housing. "People need affordable, high-quality, single-family homes."

Robinson did not seek Council office in the November election because of timing. Her district seat, District A, was not up for election. This would have forced Robinson to run for the at-large seat won by Harold Weinbrecht, something she didn’t want to do. "Harold and I share many of the same goals and ideas. I was very happy that he was a candidate and did not see the need to run against him." Robinson, therefore, is very excited about the possibility of serving the last two years of Lang’s at-large term, and if appointed on December 9^th, Robinson plans to seek reelection in 2001.

Originally from Fairfax County, Virginia, Robinson, 29, has lived in Cary since 1995. She and her husband Paul W. Robinson, 35, reside at 106 Chertsey Court in Cary’s Preston Village. They have two daughters: Kathryn, 30 months, and Anna, 7 months. Robinson’s parents, Bill and Phyllis Bryson, along with Robinson’s sister Diane and her family, all live in Raleigh.

Robinson has worked in the computer industry since graduatiing from the University of Virginia in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Studio Arts. She has handled software development, documentation and training for Eagle Vision Solutions of Raleigh since October 1997 and has also held positions with Ganymede Software in Morrisville and Rhone-Poulenc Agriculture Company in Research Triangle Park.

As a member of Redeemer Covenant Church, Robinson has used her technological skills to design a brochure that outlines the church's children's programs in addition to teaching Sunday school and working with the children’s ministry team.

Robinson has written a monthly newsletter for over 350 Preston Village families, with information pertaining to neighborhood events, issues, and club notes as well as local development, zoning changes and Town of Cary decisions that impact her neighborhood. She has been involved in issues from high density rezoning to multi-use parks to appearance standards for Green Hope Elementary School. She has also advocated for traffic calming measures on Upchurch Dead End Road.

Robinson is also member of Cary’s Growth Management Plan Advisory Committee.

Anyone wishing to contact Jennifer Robinson may do so by emailing her at pauljenr@bellsouth.net.

Regarding Robinson Candidacy

"One of the greatest attributes Jennifer could bring to the Council is her ‘connectedness’ to our community," said Harold Weinbrecht. "She wants to serve, to find solutions to our challenges. She’s interested in others. I find Jennifer to be responsible, articulate, hard-working, and able to see the ‘big picture’".

"I am impressed with Jennifer's passion and zeal for education and neighborhood issues," said Nels Roseland. "An intelligent, young mother of two, she is quintessential Cary and will nicely round out the Cary Council. I am excited at the possibility of working with her and believe that she and the new Council will serve the citizen's interests well."

"We welcome the possibility of having Jennifer on the Council and to the contributions she may bring," said Council member Jess Ward. "As a mother with young children, we look forward to the addition of some unique insights as we address the challenges and the opportunities of the coming years. We pray success for her should she start this new endeavor."

"Jennifer has emerged as an effective leader in addressing neighborhood concerns, working as a liaison between her neighbors and the Town on a number of issues," said Marla Dorrel. "This is solid experience that indicates her ability to serve our citizens and represent their interests on the Council."

"We’ve had a number of excellent candidates express an interest in the position," said Council Member Jack Smith. "Jennifer has an outstanding record of community involvement and she impressed us with her keen intellect, her business experience and her willingness to keep an open mind on the issues facing Cary."

Vacancy Criteria

Citizens take many things into account when evaluating a candidate for elected office. Below is a list of issues that might be considered when selecting a candidate to fill a Council vacancy.

• Previous Government Experience
• Other Previous Relevant Experience
• Community Involvement, Connectedness
• Residency
• Other Information That May Be Relevant Such As Education, Occupation, Financial Solvency
• Personal Qualities

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