Oral history interview with Koka Booth, July 6, 2004 h [electronic resource]
Subtitle: interview K-0648, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Van Scoyoc, Peggy, interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Mayors; City planning; Cities and towns; Growth; Politics and government
Other titles: Interview K-0648, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Koka Booth, July 6, 2004; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Koka Booth moved with his family to Cary, NC, in 1971, drawn to the Research Triangle Park area by its growth potential. He immediately immersed himself in the community, winning a seat on the town council and eventually the mayoralty, a position he left in 2000. Booth set out to make Cary the kind of place where his children would want to spend their lives. The town council cleaned up downtown and required businesses to contribute to park-building efforts and to modify their storefronts and signs. As mayor, Booth paved roads, built recreation facilities, and oversaw the construction of a water treatment plant. He describes these changes and defends himself against accusations that he allowed the city to grow too quickly over his 12-year tenure as mayor. He hopes that Cary's smart growth will continue, but sees some warning signs in the city's reliance on private businesses to fund its upkeep. This interview offers a brief look at community growth from the top down.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on Nov. 26, 2008).

Interview participants: Koka Booth, interviewee; Peggy Van Scoyoc, interviewer.

Duration: 00:44:58.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 76 kilobytes, 82.3 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern communities, interview K-0648, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Peggy Van Scoyoc. Original transcript: 17 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.