I was shakin' like a leaf!

Whew!!!

Well, I headed out to the meeting this evening, and got there a little early. It was interesting to walk into the Town Hall 'after hours' and right into the meeting room. At first there weren't many people there, and the ones that were there were very quiet, so I picked a seat and sat down. I was sure Dave would be there soon, and just figured I would hang out and take in the atmosphere of the room. It was very interesting - it seemed everyone else that was there knew each other. As more folks trickled into the room, I felt under dressed for the occasion... most of the women had dress suits or skirts on, and all of the men had suits and ties. I was wearing a semi-nice shirt and black slacks. Oh well... I wasn't going to speak anyway! Here I am before leaving the house:

So I realised I had left my water in the car, so I went back out to get it, and when I returned there were even more folks there! All dressed in business suits and such. I watched as they all pretty much knew where they wanted to sit, and it reminded me of going to a wedding... I felt that I needed to know which side to sit on (Bride or Groom?). At about that time, Dave walked in and I asked him where he wanted to sit, and we found a spot, near the front. It was nice to be able to see all of the commissioners and their expressions during the proceedings.

There were quite a few things that were 'tabled' and it seemed that some of the Commissioners were tired of hearing about the mundane issues like zoning and annexations. Luckily our issue came up pretty quickly, and then the Mayor said "I believe Mrs. Cole is here tonight, and would like to speak" - Uh..... OH MY! Good thing I had finished my presentation and printed it out (just in case)! Yikes! I was not really mentally prepared to stand up at that podium and give my presentation, but I did it, and by the end, I was comfortable.

Several commissioners had questions, and I answered them completely and politely, and I think to their satisfaction because after all of the discussions had ended, they all said things like "I'm all for it", "I think it's a great idea", and "Let's do it"... practically in unison. I think they were all relieved to be able to talk about something with a little bit of character. There was discussion with the town attorney and the planning folks about drafting the restrictions in a more 'legal' manner, and as I understand it, the issue will be brought up as a public hearing at the next meeting. They're even considering making the ordinance state that you don't have to get a permit at all! Woo Hoo! Overall, I feel very positive about the outcome of this meeting, and hopefully the public hearing will go positively as well.

Once the issue of Backyard Hens was wrapped up and the meeting moved on, someone waved me over to go outside. It was Frank Graff from NBC17 (our local NBC station). He wanted to interview me about the meeting, so we did a quick on-air interview right there in the hallway. He said it would air tonight. I also spoke with reporters from the Wake Weekly, and the Wake Forest Gazette! Before Dave and I left, we met with one of our local supporters, which was really nice! I hope later on to add some video here.