Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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COMMENTARY Candidate to Put Military Training to Use as Councilman by AL WOODALL If elected, I vow to donate 20 percent of my net city council remunerations to local charities and non-profit organizations each year that I am in office. Fayetteville is a wonderful city; however, there are areas that warrant attention. One of the most pressing issues is the element of unlawful activity. Criminals are immune to conventional enforcement methods, so we need to ask ourselves "What are we willing to relinquish to have safe homes and neighborhoods?" I would form an ad-hoc committee consisting of crime victims from District 3 and ask the aforementioned question. Recommendations from the committee would be presented to the full city council. I would support a metroplex system of government whereby certain city and county agencies would be morphed to form a cohesive and more efficient unit. Mobile police substations could be temporarily positioned in crime-infested areas with additional police who could move to other crime areas as required. Digital-image acquisition devices could be strategically placed in high-risk locations to record real time, illicit activity and act as a deterrent. I would encourage citizens to request that their representatives in Raleigh implement tax credits for individuals who purchase or upgrade home-protection services/units. Police can't be everywhere, and neighbors should be encouraged to look out for each other and thwart crime as they conduct their daily outdoor exercise regimens, as I do, by being the eyes and ears to alert law authorities. We could explore the possibility of providing city workers with observation training and they would be an extra set of eyes for neighborhood protection. They could jot down suspicious actions and report to their superiors, who in turn could relay that information to law enforcement. Lack of meaningful employment can lend itself to crime. To jump start the local economy I would suggest that local merchants develop a consortium to advertise their goods on the Internet to keep economic transactions in the city. Shop owners and businesses can offer to match prices for similar items sold online. I will formulate plans to offer tax incentives or perks for businesses that move into Fayetteville from another city, and support entrepreneurs by providing training, mentoring and incubator office space for new businesses. My successful investment strategies can serve as a paradigm for up and coming executives. A systematic pay matrix could be introduced for new hires that would allow businesses to employ two workers, instead of one. Appearance of the city is an individual responsibility and as the bellwether for the community, we must inspire citizen involvement. I have seen the city place notices on property that is unkempt and hazardous; the same employees can place a note of commendation on property that is well groomed. We should encourage lawn-care service providers to offer discounts to the elderly and indigent. Tweak appropriate ordinances to ensure that sidewalks and underground utilities in newly developed areas are given top priority. Public utility companies should work with citizens to remove trees as a preventive measure to avoid power outages during inclement weather. I once resided on University Avenue adjacent to Murchison Road; therefore, I will not allow any stonewalling of the progress that is being made along that corridor and historic residential area. Efforts for enhancing the quality of life for Shaw Heights residents are paramount and must be continually pressed to fruition. Notwithstanding crime, having homeless people in our wonderful city is appalling. I will make it my personal agenda to assist the homeless in locating suitable lodging and employment. I gained a strong affection for Fayetteville in 1969 while I was attending the Special Forces officers course, so much so that I later requested that I be stationed at Fort Bragg and I have been here continuously since 1975. I have held numerous leadership and high-level staff positions in my 27 years in the U.S. Army. I attended a number of managerial, dilemma-solving and human-relations classes. Subsequent to my military retirement, I spent 22 years in air operations at Simmons Army airfield where I was involved in safety, security, refueling, crash rescue, ground transportation, infrastructure modification, IT, coordinating VIP visits, positioning surveillance cameras, budget analysis , airfield-operation manual preparation, human resources issues and disaster relief — all of these areas are comparable to governing a municipality. That coupled with my 14 years as a certified FAA flight instructor would lend itself appreciably to initiatives for increased Fayetteville airport usage. Since my recent retirement, I can now devote all of my time and energy to the City of Fayetteville without any external distractions. As stewards of the city, we must make each and every citizen feel as though they are active participants/shareholders in TEAM FAYETTEVILLE — for each to reap the dividends, we all must work diligently in unison. Often times the most efficient and simplest solutions are the most difficult to implement. I accept the challenge. Additional suggestions and potential AL WOODALL, City Council Candidate, solutions will be forthcoming during COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly. my campaign. com. THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET How about some Wine with that Whine? by MARGARET DICKSON A smart, but frustrated, chum rang up recently with an unusual complaint that Europe, most of us thought we had two choices — red or white, and the occasional resonated with me. We Americans simply have too many choices. We have so many pink one, which, if we were feeling sophisticated, we referred to as a rosé. choices, she suggests, that choosing among our myriad options has become actual work. My, how times have changed! My neighborhood grocery has an entire wine section, All of us research our major purchases. No one ever buys a car without researching bigger even than the beer display, which must be a shock for some of the good-oldit in some way. We do not go to a car dealership and say, for example, "I want to buy boys. There are chardonnays from California and France, champagnes from France, a blue car." Even writing that sounds absurd, much less doing it. Instead we decide proseccos from Italy, malbecs from Argentina and Chile, merlots, pinot grigios, pinot what sort of vehicle we want — sedan, station wagon (moi!), SUV, pick-up truck — noirs, sauvignon blancs, cabernet sauvingnons, bordeauxs — all from many different regions of the world, along with traditional chiantis and how much we want to spend on whatever we have chosen chabillis. It is all a bit much for a shopper who simply wants to and perhaps what brand we prefer. We read and talk to other find a wine to serve dinner guests Saturday night. He or she is people. Then we go out to find the vehicle we want and haggle with the sales staff until we cut a deal. going to have to work hard to avoid making an embarrassing Not so with lesser consumer items. Take shampoo. Have vino faux pas. you cruised what is generally called the "Hair Care" aisle The choice problem is certainly not a problem on the scale lately? It is smorgasbord of colors and sizes, products for of, say, world peace, but it is frustrating and confusing. I normal hair, oily hair, damaged hair, colored hair, aging know that specialty stores maintain knowledgeable staffs who hair, thinning hair, curly hair and on and on. Products at can help us decide what suits our needs and our pocketbooks, eye level — how they got that cherished spot is anyone's and they can indeed be instructive. The cold hard reality for guess — may sell more because they are the obvious and many shoppers, though, is that many of us are busy, doing easy grab, but if you actually look around, confusion reigns. all this on the fly as we juggle our other responsibilities and How can a shopper know what is the right product for his/ obligations. Devoting significant chunks of time to what our Sometimes having so many choices is not a good her young or old, curly or straight, dry or oily, flowing or hair may be hankering for or finding the perfect after-dinner skimpy tresses? If you survive the great shampoo hunt, you thing. sherry just is not in the cards for most of us on a regular basis. may feel the need for a hair conditioner. And about a styling So what are we to do? For personal care items, wines and product? Gel or spray? Mousse, perhaps? Do you go for lots of other things, this consumer takes to the Internet to the same brand in all these products or do you mix and match? If so, how do you read reviews posted by other people who have tried whatever it might be. This is not a choose which shampoo goes with which conditioner, much less which styling goo? foolproof system, as we all have different needs and different tastes. I find the practice helpful, though, as fellow consumers can be brutally honest as in "this You are getting the idea. The whole thing is a lot of work not because hair products blouse is made of really cheap fabric and makes you look fat." or "this are unique in and of themselves, but because there are so darn many of them. cream smells like motor oil," realities Ditto for face cream, hand cream, toothpaste, shaving cream and just about every MARGARET DICKSON, Conadvertising faithfully overlooks. other "personal care" item you can imagine. We are drowning in choices. tributing Writer, COMMENTS? Happy shopping! And, my friend insisted, do not even get her started on wine options! In the olden Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. days before Americans took up wine quaffing with an enthusiasm unmatched even in WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM AUGUST 21-27, 2013 UCW 5