I would like to thank the Cary Town Council for the opportunity to participate in the recent race/process for Julie Robison’s seat. While I am saddened that Julie, who was a champion of the citizen’s voice, is no longer on the council, I am excited about the leadership opportunity that Ed Yerha will bring. We are a fortunate town that we had so many people want to participate and be a part of our local government. As a town we are only as strong as the voice of our citizens. The more people that participate, whether it is via a town board, their own homeowners association or their school’s PTA, the better off we are as a society. This most recent process was definitely a learning experience for me, but I would like to think I am a better person for having been a part of it.

While serving as the planning and zoning chair, I used Ed Yerha as a benchmark for myself. I admired his charisma and the way in which he conducted business as chair of the board. I have no doubt that he is sincere about his commitment to Cary. Ed has always listened to me, and I felt as though my opinion mattered. Maya Angelou said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Every member of our council and community should aspire to that.

I sincerely wish Ed the best of luck as a member of the Cary Town Council. Congrats Ed!

Kelly Commiskey

Former town of Cary planning and zoning chair