The News & Observer, Dec. 6, 1991
By RUTH SHEEHAN, Staff writer
CHAPEL HILL -- Your local government may be calling you this spring. But it won't be about taxes.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro officials are expected next month to approve an agreement with the University of North Carolina School of Journalism and the Institute of Social Science Research to conduct a poll of voters. Questions will cover such local issues as bicycle helmets, land use, schools, taxes and more.
The poll, tentatively dubbed "Public Pulse," is indicative of a growing trend in local government.
...
But if a majority of local leaders are enthusiastic about the prospect of the surveys, Chapel Hill town councilman Joseph Herzenberg has some doubts.
Calling the polls "government by electronic plebiscite," Herzenberg said officeholders are elected to make decisions, not react to public opinion.
He pointed out that people often do not respond in real life the way they answer questionnaires.
"Who's going to say they want higher taxes?" Herzenberg asked.
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