Interim Police Headquarters Dedication

Yesterday, the Raleigh Police Department held the dedication of the facility that will be their temporary home. I was honored to be on hand and share a few words. The current facility is located on Six Forks Road, about a mile north of North Hills. I am happy to have the interim headquarters in District A, but remain hopeful that the facility will move back downtown in two or three years into a new facility!


The current headquarters will house administrators, field operations, police records, recruiting and internal affairs unit. The facility on Six Forks Road will also be home to the RPD's North district, one of six districts in the city.



I am happy to welcome the RPD to District A, and thank you for inviting me to take part in yesterdays' ceremony!

Sewer Overflows

Have you seen these huge Grease Trucks driving around Raleigh? Their purpose is to clear drains have been clogged with oil, grease and trash or to remove the roots invading older pipes.

The major problem with dumping grease down the drain is that this causes major sewer overflows. Sewer backups are incredibly expensive for the City to clean up, so please help out by avoiding the following:

PLEASE DO NOT
- Pour grease, fats and oils from cooking down the drain.
- Use the toilet as a wastebasket.
- Use the sewer on the street as a means to dispose of food scraps.

The City of Raleigh offers a single $50 cash reward to the first person who report a confirmed sanitary sewer overflow to the City. Please call the Public Utilities Operations Division at 919-250-2737, to report a sewer back-up or overflow. After hours call the after-hours emergency number, 919-829-1930.

City Council Meeting Today

We have a City Council Meeting today, the full agenda is available here.

Today, we will be voting on stricter stormwater standards that will protect our neighborhoods and environment now and for years to come. For all you who keep up with my blog, you know how important this issue has been to me and how much work I have committed to strengthening our stormwater standards. I believe that Raleigh should take the lead and willingly comply with the Federal Clean Water Act, I hope that my fellow Councilors will agree, and that we will continue to move in the right direction with this process.

2010 WATERFEST

Today kicks off 2010 WaterFest at the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant in Raleigh! This is a great program put together by the Cities Public Utilities Department. WaterFest is being held through Thursday, from 9am-2pm each day, and is free of charge and open to the public.

WaterFest is geared toward kids ages K-8th grade, and is full of fun learning opportunities for everyone. The folks who host WaterFest do a great job of teaching the kids in attendance about water conservation, how water is kept clean and contaminate-fee, and how water makes it to their homes.

There are tons of activities to enjoy: open-air water bus rides, hay rides, digging for fossils, touring the facility, lab experiments, and much more! The event is open to school groups, civic groups, and families and is a tremendous opportunity to learn about Raleigh's Water System.

I encourage everyone to stop by, and as always, use water wisely!!!

National Women's Health Week

Thanks to everyone who helped put this great event together!

With my two daughters, Katie and Emily. It was great to have two of my favorite women at this event with me!

May 9-15 is National Women's Health Week and I had the honor of presenting the proclamation at the Raleigh event. It was great to be a part of a nation-wide event with such an important message.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Womens Health has put together this week-long series of events across the country to encourage women to make their health a top priority. In the Triangle, we are fortunate to have so many leading health care facilities and institutes. In fact, the Triangle has repeatedly ranked as one of the nation's healthiest metropolitan areas for women!

As a healthcare professional, I encourage everyone to live as healthily as possible, especially women! There are so many simple steps that can be taken to live a longer, happier, and healthier life!

I have included a few pictures from the event, please enjoy! Thanks to everyone who put this event together, and thanks for including me in the fun!

Second Annual Prescription Pill Drop-Off

The Substance Abuse Advisory Commission is joining forces with the Raleigh Police Department and the City of Raleigh Community Service's Department to hold the Second Annual Prescription Pill Drop-Off Day on May 22. This is a wonderful community event that raises awareness about prescription drug abuse, and helps to get unneeded pills out of homes and off of the streets.

Prescription drugs will be accepted anonymously, with no questions asked. There will also be information available on proper disposal methods of unneeded medications, as well as the risks of misusing prescription drugs.

Last year, over 44,000 pills were collected and diverted from potential misuse or abuse. Please come out and help to make this year's event an even bigger success!

Medications will be accepted at these four Food Lion Locations from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, May 22:

• 5633 Creedmoor Road, at the intersection of Millbrook Road
• 4510 Capital Boulevard, at Mini-City, close to US 401
• 1601 Cross Link Road, South of I-40, near Rock Quarry Road
• 2420 Wycliff Road, near Rex Hospital, off of Lake Boone Trail at I-440

2010 Inter-City Visit & Leadership Conference

With Congressman Brad Miller and Raleigh Chamber of Commerce chair Sepi Asefnia.

Last week, I traveled to Fairfax County, Virginia and Washington, D.C. with the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Inter-City Task Force. As many of you know, I grew up in the DC area, which made the trip especially exciting for me! This annual trip brings together business and community leaders from Raleigh to travel to other cities to learn about their successes and challenges. As a business woman and City Councilor I find it helpful to dialogue with stakeholders from other cities about how to develop a strong quality of life through economic and public investment. We often face similar circumstances and it is helpful to learn how others are navigating the growing process.

We focused on several challenges that growing cities face: public safety, education, transit, housing, and smart development. The Fairfax/DC area has done a tremendous job of equipping itself with community services and programs that make it a great place to live. It has developed into a metropolitan area rich with commerce, trade, and technology, which has, in turn, led to great schools and dynamic diverse communities. I believe that it is important for community leaders in both business and public service to always strive to improve the quality of life in the area which they live and work. This trip was an excellent opportunity for all of us to gain ideas and insight on how we can make public and private progress in Raleigh.

Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of the trip for me was being able to take part in the forum "Task Force's Task: Conquering Congestion." I was privileged to serve as the moderator of the discussion, which was centered around Tyson's Corner in Fairfax County, Virginia. Having grown up in the area, I have witnessed the tremendous growth. This area is home to 105,000 employees but only 17,000 residents. The Tyson's Corner team is steadily working towards acheiving several long-term goals in the area, but face growing problems of congestion, land use, and need to find new and innovative ways to gain public support of the comprehensive project. While it is clear that Tyson's Corner faces many pressing challenges, perhaps the biggest will be reversing the consequences of inaction.

During the discussion on Tyson's Corner, I couldn't help but think of Crabtree Valley Mall and the problems we face with congestion there. As many of you may already know, the traffic at Crabtree Valley is a problem I am working hard to solve. Taking part in the forum on Tyson's Corner encouraged me to continue the dialogue surrounding a solution to the growing problem of traffic and congestion at Crabtree Valley.

Without a doubt this experience was beneficial for all who participated. I would like to thank the folks at the Raleigh Chamber for coordinating the trip and allowing me to serve on the Inter-City Task Force! I encourage other local business leaders to get involved with the program and consider joining us next year.

I would like to clarify that I did NOT use any public money to attend this trip. I provided my own funding for my participation.

A Great Honor

This week, I had the great honor of receiving an award from the United States Department of Defense. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve named my company a Patriotic Employer. Recipients of this award are recognized for contributing to national security by supporting employee participation in America's National Guard and Reserve Force.


Sean Parker, one of our wonderful Pharmacy Technicians at MedPro Rx, nominated me for the award, which came as a complete surprise! Sean is a Senior Master Sergeant for the 916th Air Force Reserve Unit at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. My husband and I are honored to do all we can to support his continued service to our Country!


Thank you Sean, and thank you to the ESGR!

Vote Today!!!

I would like to encourage everyone to get out and vote in the Primary Election today! Polls will be open until 7:30, and if you are in line by 7:30 your vote will be counted.

For more information on today's election and to locate your polling place, please visit the NC State Board of Elections!

City Council Meeting Today!

City Council Meeting Today! Full agenda available here. Please come out and join the conversation!