Tab Combs @DrTCombs@transportation.social

The town manager is a beloved member of the community, and was well-respected by his staff of 8. So when council announced the manager was not having his contract renewed--and thus effectively being fired but without the benefit of severance pay--staff got mad.

So mad, in fact, that yesterday evening, at the close of the town's annual 2-day Founders' Day celebration, all 8 of them tendered their resignation. (6/n).

Anyway, things just got a lot more saucy.

#Summerfield's long-time town manager had been working to mitigate some of the worst consequences of the council's NIMBYism, including working with the developer to try and find a non-de-annexation solution.

And that pissed council off royally.

So, a month or so ago, council decided in a closed door session to not renew the town manager's contract when it expires in June. (5/n)

But it may also provide a fascinating laboratory for studying the consequences of exclusionary zoning (albeit through the lens of another form of exclusion--these townhomes are meant to cater to wealth beyond Summerfield's wildest dreams). (4/n)

But rather than wait to see how the lawsuit plays out, Couch, a wealthy and well-connected Republican, has been working with NC's right-wing legislature to advance a bill to de-annex his property from Summerfield altogether.

This move would set a dangerous precedent for local governments in NC, where towns are already constitutionally hamstrung by state regulations, most of which are very conservative. (3/n).

...a potential lawsuit by the #NAACP over the town's #ExclusionaryZoning code (which requires a minimum 1.5 acre lot size for residential development).

An out-of-town developer, David Couch, has been credited with tipping the NAACP off about #Summerfield. Couch has spent the past few years assembling a ~1000 acre tract of formerly farmland near the historic center of town, on which he has proposed a high-density-but-also-high-end townhome community. (2/n)

This story has something in it for everyone.

The town of #SummerfieldNC lies just north of Greensboro, North Carolina, and has seen a transition from rural farming village to bedroom community to reluctant suburb over the past two decades.

#Summerfield's current town council was voted in on a hardcore #NIMBYism platform. Putting that platform into action, however, has led to some substantial consequences for the town, including... (1/n)

#planning #LocalGov #government

Having done quite a bit of long-distance backpacking in my day, I can say with the certainty the answer is bear.

Anna Zivarts bringing exactly the heat the #transportation field needs.

#WhenDrivingIsNotAnOption #SafeStreetsForAll #CompleteStreets #Mobility

There is a school bus driver here with a history of somewhat antagonistic behavior toward people on bikes (at least, toward my kid and me).

We encounter her everyday on our ride to school, and she never fails to honk after we pass each other. Why, IDK.

Today, she added "sticking her tongue out at us" to her routine, and it was all I could do to not fall off my bike laughing.

You win this round, angry bus driver lady.

If we truly want people to follow instructions, then those instructions must always be consistent. Red must always mean stop. It cannot be conditional.

I love it when you sit in the rain for 3 minutes, obediently waiting for a walk signal, only to have some jerk who just showed up plow through the crosswalk right when the light changes like it's his god given right.

The fight to #BanRTOR may literally be the hill I die on. When drivers are sometimes allowed to turn right on red, then they will always assume they can turn right on red, regardless of any other cues in their environment.

#RTOR #VisionZero #ChapelHillNC #RoadSafety

It's gobsmacking how many third party private companies are involved in public education in the US.

Why can't we just fund schools, pay teachers, and recognize scammy gimmicks for what they are???

There are also requests to submit a video of my child talking about how much fun they are having and vague promises of a grand prize trip to Disney. As well as "epic character building experiences" along the way.

All I have to do is register my child, submit a headshot, enter my credit card information into a secure portal "that's just like what major banks use" use, authorize a random 3rd party to charge an undisclosed amount my said card based on how many laps they make my kid run.

Look. I know I'm cynical, but I'm just not comfortable using my credit card to pledge money to a private company that will then coerce my child to run laps around a gym while calling it a "Fun Run" in order to increase the amount of money said company 'gives' back to my child's school.

But I'm trying to keep an open mind.

Anyone out here ever heard of a company called "My Booster" or maybe "Boosterthon" (it's unclear)?

#SchoolFundraisers

I'm trying to get the academic journal I work with a larger audience. What journals do you follow, and where do you follow them?

We're here, on bsky, and linkedin, but still haven't regained the audience we left behind when we left the old place.

Thanks!

#AcademicTooter #Fediscience #AcademicPublishing

It's time to play everyone's favorite game, "Which #Elsevier login does this journal want?!"

#AcademicPublishing is so broken.

That blissful sweet spot between 'we don't need to pay for childcare anymore' and 'competitive youth soccer costs HOW MUCH???!!!" did not last nearly as long as I hoped it would