With all that money in Chapel Hill, you would think the town could afford some manners for its mayor. Yet here we are, considering a waste transfer station site proposed by Mayor Foy, conceived without consulting the Town Council, commissioners or citizens. Fortuitously for him, the site is owned by Chapel Hill, yet outside town limits. Not even one of his constituents would be affected by his proposal.

Disbelief abounds as Mayor Foy once again foists upon this modest part of the county yet one more of the ugly necessities that keep a community running. To prove this is no exaggeration. Consider a partial list of what lies within a thousand yards: the original county landfill and its proposed expansion, Chapel Hill public works facility, Chapel Hill bus depot, Chapel Hill impound lot, Chapel Hill park and ride lot, county animal shelter, county construction and demolition landfill, county recycling facility, and the county solid waste management facility.

To a sincere soul, this little patch of Orange County has certainly done its share when it comes to putting up with what no one wants. These things must go somewhere, but doesn't our moral compass tell us that we should share the weight of our communal obligations?

In a 2007 decision, Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County endorsed giving to residents of Rogers Road by the landfill protection from a waste transfer station. The endorsement, however, did not extend to Millhouse Road, ground zero for Foy's plan, even though it is also adjacent to the landfill. The moral dissonance of that disparity is striking, yet Foy parlays the disparity to political advantage. He has waited until the latest possible moment to offer up this parcel. Why else wait until now to offer it?

For those who doubt this, look back to see how the original landfill location was chosen almost 40 years ago and how its expansion proceeded 15 years ago. The strategies are the same. Furthermore, a few weeks ago, Foy invited Rogers Road residents to tour his proposed site, but he did not invite homeowners immediately adjacent to the parcel even though they would be the ones most affected. Foy explained that he only invited Rogers Road folks because the agreement restricting the location of a transfer station applied only to them. He added that if it didn't meet their approval, then his proposal was a nonstarter. Some say, though, the mayor contacted only Rogers Road to obliquely offer quid pro quo: their endorsement of his site for an implied promise to promote water and sewer projects benefitting them.

A testament to their character, the representatives of Rogers Road handed to the mayor, in the middle of the tour, a letter declaring his proposal unacceptable. To add to evidence of their character, Rogers Road has since petitioned Chapel Hill to include Millhouse Road in the area identified as their community. If Foy was sincere with his reasoning for inviting only Rogers Road residents on his walkabout, then his site is no longer viable. We can expect, though, their opposition to be suddenly irrelevant.

If Mayor Foy is sincere, wanting to explore all options for a transfer station, he should ask UNC to consider one on Carolina North. After all, Chapel Hill persuaded UNC to preserve hundreds of acres there. A few acres more for a transfer station isn't much more to ask, especially when UNC prides itself with its environmental sustainability efforts. To do otherwise reveals all the sustainability talk to be bluster.

It is exceptionally disheartening to witness this flaunting of what is fair and decent by a community that boasts a progressive philosophy and liberal leanings. From this side of the town limits, Mr. Mayor, the people out here deserve better from you.