Letter to the Editor: State officials should empower local governments to address local issues

Posted on by Mike Fuhrman

To the Editor:

I want to thank Mooresville Commissioner Tommy DeWeese for his public service. His recent address outlining what he has learned during his first year in office was very interesting. It is often said that local communities have no control or say on what happens within their communities. The majority of local elected officials point to Raleigh as the place where decisions are made. So, if local communities can’t control their own destiny, which is often referred to as Home Rule, then why do we need local representation?

We the people are sick and tired of listening to this excuse that local elected officials can’t do anything about growth standards or, for that matter, much of anything because of state law. Mr. DeWeese failed to mention anything about what you and the other elected officials are doing to end this captivity that state elected officials have placed on us.

Has Mr. DeWeese or any of his fellow elected officials called on our state officials to attend a public meeting to ask them what they are doing to change this captive state?

Iredell County is represented by Republican state officials. The Republican Party has a super majority in the state, meaning they can basically control all legislation impacting its citizens. I am a Republican, but I am having difficulty understanding the control these Republican state officials have on us citizens. The needs in Swain County (pop. 14,000) may not be the same as say Guilford County (pop. 500,000), yet the development laws are the same for each county. This is insane!

The registered voters in North Carolina need to wake up. The local officials need to wake up and start doing something to get Raleigh to realize every local community has different needs. This Big Brother-control by state officials needs to end. This is not a Republican, Democratic or an independent issue. It’s an issue for all of us, We The People! Wake up, taxpayers. Reach out to our state officials and tell them to take off the handcuffs they have placed on our local elected officials:

Senator Vickie Sawyer
Vickie.Sawyer@ncleg.gov
(919) 715-3038

Rep. Jeffrey McNeely
Jeffrey.McNeely@ncleg.gov
919-733-5661

Rep. Mitchell S. Setzer
Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.gov
919-733-4948

Dan Hester
Troutman

1 thought on “Letter to the Editor: State officials should empower local governments to address local issues”

  1. Dr Dankenstein says:

    Those 3 will most likely be busy with gerrymandering, changing public record laws to exempt themselves, creating a secret police force, and destroying the public education system in our state to care about anything else. You get what you vote for.

    Every single one of those listed in your letter are self serving clowns.

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