Helen Tart

Running for: Raleigh City Council Member At-Large

Home: 611 Monroe Drive, Raleigh; born in Dunn in Harnett County, grew up 3 miles south of town.

Age: 51

Family: Married since 1989, currently sharing our home with one chow-lab mix dog and a domestic short-hair cat. I have one sister who has two daughters and a son. Both my parents are deceased.

Education: Graduated 1982 from North Carolina State University with a BA in English, writing and editing option

Occupation/background: Currently a part-time reader/scorer of end of year writing tests at Measurement Inc. in Durham. From January 1980 until November 2006, an employee in the Production Department of the News and Observer.

Political Affiliation: Democrat

Top three priorities if elected:
Increasing citizen involvement, neighborhood preservation and environmental stewardship, without threatening the prosperity that gives Raleigh the capacity to be a leader in those areas. I believe that education, incentives, and consistent enforcement are the best tools to use to accomplish those goals - starting with education.
My top three specific goals related to those priorities are:

• To make sure the redesign of the Citizen Advisory Councils includes current CAC members and other members of the public, not just staff and council members, thus increasing the effectiveness of this crucial source of citizen input.
• To give all neighborhoods the chance to develop a Neighborhood Plan to address problems and protect it from inappropriate development.
• To ensure that the updated Comprehensive Plan is based on natural systems as is the Planning Department's intent and includes the CAT and TTA transit plans.

How to contact:
Phone: 919-833-0586
E-mail: htartforcouncil@nc.rr.com
Blogs: http://htartforcouncil.blogspot.com/ and http://htartissues.blogspot.com/
Address: Helen Tart for City Council, 611 Monroe Drive, Raleigh, NC 27604