The last Dem standing, Chapel Hill liberal Jim Neal, announced today on the BlueNC blog that he is gay. He stated that "I am indeed. No secret and no big deal to me-- I wouldn't be running if I didn't think otherwise."
When asked by another BlueNC blogger if he "really thinks a gay man can be elected in North Carolina," Neal retorted that "I'm not running this race to lose. I'm not running to make some social statement. I'm running to lead in the Senate for the voters in NC-- something Senator Dole has not done.
"When people meet me, they'll see beyond the labels and into my character."
Another asked the question on everyone's mind: where does Neal stand on gay marriage. Neal, apparently not afraid of controversy, had this to say: " It's okay if churches want to unite same-sex couples; it's okay if they don't. That's their Constitutional right which I support 100%.
"But when it comes to the Government, I'm not in favor of any laws that discriminate against anyone for any reason."
Constitutional right for homosexuals to marry? Where does the United States Constitution say this?
Katy's Conservative Corner understands that gays have every right that everyone else has. They can marry members of the opposite sex, as allowed by law. But, there is no constitutional right to marry members of the same sex.
What's next? Will this blogger be allowed to marry her dog and get health insurance for her, just because I happen to love her, as the gays argue?
Finally, Neal received this warning from someone posting as "Anglico":
"... make no mistake, the right-wing zealots will be coming after you hook, line and sinker. They'd rather have a Bushbot extremist destroying our military and undermining the health of our families than a gay man in Congress. I guess we'll find out where North Carolina stands on what matters most.
"Are you up for that?"
To which Neal responded "Bre'r Rabbit here-- please don't throw me in the briar patch! I'm a big boy. I can take it and I can dish it."
It appears the homosexual community will be coming out for Neal. For the full discussion, click here.
Now, far be it from me to say that the anti-development crowd who won the recent Cary and Raleigh elections has "convictions," at least in the criminal sense. But it seems to me that someone who has "convictions," in the sense of ideals, ought to be reasonably proud of them. Or, if they are NOT proud of them, one wonders about why that is.
In Cary, everyone saw the "McAllister Lied, Good Trees Died" signs that were scattered around town. After the election, I inspected one such sign closely, and there is no name of a responsible person or organization on it. If a candidate put these out, he would be violating election law by omitting the "paid for by the Joe Schmoe Committee" on the sign. Maybe that is OK. I certainly do not agree with laws that infringe on the First Amendment, no matter how slightly, without a very compelling reason. That is what laws like this do. Thus, I am not calling for an investigation or anything, just setting up my next point.
What I do believe is that there are COWARDS in our political midst who will lob an unsubstantiated allegation at a political figure, without giving a return address.
I do not believe that Ernie McAllister is a liar. What is he supposed to have lied about? When was it supposed to have happened? What is he supposed to do to defend his reputation? Start putting out signs that say, "I am not a liar?" This is dirty political pool. All is fair, I suppose, but it makes me wonder who in Cary is such a COWARD that they will not stand behind what they say.
Similarly, there were "Re-Elect Nobody" signs around Cary. And just so that you do not think that there was a low supply of small print, it says at the bottom, "Note: This doesn't apply to Erv Portman because he was appointed, not elected." But, alas, this one was printed by abject COWARDS as well, as there was no attribution. At least, it did not impugn the character of anyone.
There was also the "Vote Yes on Bonds" signs scattered all about the county. These also had no attribution, but at least this was a positive (though, in my mind misguided) message as it promoted rather than denigrated something.
Maybe these people were just forgetful, instead of being COWARDS. Note that there was no mention of the "I sure hope you like your tax bill as soon as we start paying for these. Not to mention the school bonds we just passed. Or next year's school bonds. Or whatever else we can think of spending money on until you stop us." I would not want to be the one who is remembered as The Man Who Raised The Tax Bills, either, so I can understand not wanting to be identified with this issue later on down the road. I vote for COWARDS on this one, too.
Most interesting was the "Save Cary" sign, put up (apparently) by someone associated with the www.davisandhighhouse.org website. Of course, when I found an abandoned sign after the election on the right of way, I was surprised (but not THAT surprised) to see that the hand-lettered sign was on a stolen Don Frantz campaign sign that was turned inside out.
Since they put the above URL on the sign, we know who the thief was, or at least with whom the thief was associated!
These lefties who are selling the message of "no growth, now that *I* am down here from New Jersey" must realize that normal people do not share that view. There are things that we need to do a much better job of, in dealing with that growth, but normal people do not want the Triangle area to become stagnant instead of thriving, nor do they want an enclave for the wealthy where average people can no longer afford to live. These are surely the wages of a "no-growth" policy.
So I understand why the no-growth people who made these signs did not want attribution. But that still makes them COWARDS.
Editor's Note: Weaver is a candidate for NC House District 35, runnning against Rep. Jennifer Weiss. He is a Cary real estate broker and can be reached at http://www.ilovecary.com
Wanna buy a ferry? Apparently no one else does either. The North Carolina State Surplus Property office put up an unused ferry the state bought several years ago, to transport school children across a shallow portion of Albemarle sound.
Due to a number of problems, reported by Don Carrington (photo, below) in the John Locke Foundation's Carolina Journal, the ferry was never used.
After other media picked up on the story, the pressure began to mount on the NC Department of Transportation. Finally, the Ferry Division decided to cut its losses.
The Division, in conjunction with the NC State Surplus Property Agency, put the 2003 Trident Pontoon Passenger Ferry on eBay. However, no offer met the minimum bid, so the boat still sits in Mann's Harbor.
The history of this ferry is storied and includes an alleged murder, misdoings by Ferry Division employees and other assorted bad deeds.
The series that Carrington has written is so incredible that it reads like a mystery novel...except that it isn't. It's all real and it has been paid for with our tax dollars. Now taxpayers are again taking a bath with this ferry, which will be sold for pennies on the dollar.
Kudos to Don for exposing this nightmare and sharing with us just one more reason to expose this Democrat administration for what it really is.
This is my favorite time of year- September through December. I love the start of college and NFL football (GO WOLFPACK AND PANTHERS!!), cooler weather, Halloween, Election Day, Thanksgiving, my Birthday (in lieu of card or gifts, send money-- only kidding), Christmas, and the sense of renewal that New Year's brings. It's also a time when my allergies don't act up, and as a result, I am absolutely loving life.
Sadly, we are also getting into that time of year when a small, yet louder minority of people are rearing their heads to try to spoil life for us all. I call them the chronically offended.
Who are the chronically offended? These are people who cannot seem to enjoy life themselves, and insist that everyone else be miserable right along with them.
The chronically offended insist on trying to shut down those of us who are having a good time, whether it is taking offense to a Halloween display in someone's front yard, or to saying "Merry Christmas."
For example, look to the Maines family from Madison, New Jersey. (For the record, this story has been mentioned in several New York and New Jersey media outlets, and received prominent attention from Bill LuMaye on his afternoon show on WPTF in Raleigh.)
For the last several Halloweens, the Maines' 27-year-old son has decorated the home with varying types of Halloween fare.
The brouhaha came about when their neighbor, Millie Hazelwood, zeroed in on a dummy, clad in a black shirt, blue jeans, and black hood, hanging from a noose which was placed on the chimney. Mrs. Hazelwood, instantly offended and eager to create a stink over the display, cried "racism" and called the police on this family.
The police came to the Maines' home to ask them to remove the display. The NAACP in New Jersey started pressuring the family, and finally, Madison Mayor Ellwood "Woody" Kerkeslager used his office to do the same.
Ultimately, the family did remove their display, stating that the controversy got so out of hand that they actually feared for their safety. However, to their credit, the Maines family did get the last word by posting a sign that read; "Thank to the assistance of Millie Hazelwood and her friends, Halloween and Christmas decorations will no longer be celebrated here."
Let me state for the record that displaying hangman's nooses as a form of racial intimidation (like those in Jena, Louisiana and at Columbia University) truly does disgust me. However, displaying a hanging dummy as a Halloween decoration was never meant to convey a racial message.
One would think that mature adults would be able to make the distinction. The people living in that Madison neighborhood, being among the chronically offended, do not have that kind of maturity.
Yearly, the chronically offended get louder and more obnoxious. I remember a time when people might look at a display like the one on the Maines' house, see the humor, laugh or shake their head, and move on. Remember when a friendly "Merry Christmas" was returned with a similar greeting.
Nowadays, decent people, who really have no ax to grind, feel like they have to walk on eggshells around those who are intolerant of those who are just minding our own business while trying to enjoy life. Of course, those same chronically offended people love to lecture us about being tolerant.
I, for one, am tired of feeling like I have to walk on eggshells, lest I run into someone who is chronically offended. If you are so easily offended by something that does not cause real injury to you, you have the problem.
You need to get over yourself, or as William Shatner told a satirical group of Star Trek convention goers on Saturday Night Live, "Get a Life!! Will ya, people?"
Editor's Note: Ed is a conservative activist and is engaged to be married in July 2008. Congrats Ed and Rebecca.
Now that I'm a parent of a toddler, I notice things I previously never did. Take the TV show, "Dora the Explorer." Dora appears throughout the day on the TV network for the small set, Noggin.
Dora is Hispanic, and speaks flawless English, with a slight Hispanic accent. She's fun, interesting, and educational, and my son Bobby, adores her. However, on closer inspection, I've begun to wonder if maybe I'm letting him watch the wrong things.
It seems as if every other word Dora says is in Spanish. She attempts to educate her young audience by teaching them the language, along with basics like shapes, animal names, and colors. Those, too, are taught in Spanish. It seems as if her culture is being forced upon him, and being an impressionable young fellow, he does not know the difference.
I lived in Guadalajara, second-largest city in Mexico, for one year after graduation from Meredith College. While there, I was expected to understand their customs, and speak their language. (The only English I ever heard was from market vendors shouting to me "Rich, American Lady!" to try to entice me to visit their stands.)
I studied, before I left, so as NOT to offend them. So, why are they offending me here?
In Mexico, I wanted to fit in as much as I could, despite my tall, blonde, and then-slender appearance. I did not expect them to give me anything and I didn't count on English being spoken. So, why does it seem as if certain immigrants are not trying to fit in, too?
The practice of people coming here (legally or not) and demanding signs and taxpayer-funded documentation in Spanish puzzles me. In American history, other new groups have not done this. Why now?
Signs everywhere, such as many at a local K-Mart (left), are in dual languages. Most employees at Advance Auto Parts stores know both languages now. They told me that it's bad for their business not to know both.
I enjoy practicing my Spanish, as I think the language is beautiful and beneficial, but that's not the point. The point is, this is the United States of America.
We speak American English here. We are the largest English-speaking nation in the world. So, why are we being forced to learn Spanish?
My liberal friends tell me that our newcomers are poor and too overworked to learn English. They can't take classes.
I don't think classes are necessary, except to brush up on the finer points of grammar, though I agree that English is difficult for foreigners to learn. My mother-in-law, who is Vietnamese, spoke English to my husband and , so he would master English as an American. She learned her English the way most immigrants do, by speaking it outside the home.
I don't mind if people speak their native language and practice their customs at home amongst friends and family. I appreciate that about them.
However, it is best for people to assimilate so they can learn our language and culture, too.
I was able to learn the bulk of my Spanish in Mexico, just being in everyday life. I carried a small book, and if I didn't know a needed word or phrase, I looked it up.
I took classes at the Universidad de Guadalajara and not a single one offered any instruction in English. So, why are we not strongly encouraging our new residents to learn our language and culture, while encouraging them to value what they brought?
I do not wish to criticize people with a Hispanic ancestry. Many of them are hard, working men, and women, who have come here and succeeded, despite long odds. They have obtained an education, served in our military and become excellent citizens.
I admire people of Hispanic ancestry, like Angel Menendez, who served his country honorably in the United States Marine Corps. After being discharged, he settled his family in Raleigh, and ran an excellent race for city council. He didn't win, this time, but...
Meanwhile, my son will be taught Spanish by me, rather than by a liberal television show. I can teach him all the basics he needs until he starts school at Thales Academy in three years.
Newcomers, please learn our language and culture! Otherwise, please return to your homelands.
Editor's Notes:
Atlantic Beach, NC Town Manager Dave Harvell has been fired by the outgoing town board, effective Monday, December 17, 2007. That is the day that the newly elected town board, who campaigned as the "Ocean 6" will take office.
The Jacksonville Daily News is reporting that "the outgoing town council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday night to terminate without cause the employment of the town manager they hired in April. "
Elections in Atlantic Beach were particularly divisive this year, after many citizens reported that sitting mayor, Tootsie Vinson, and town board didn't respond to their needs.
Rather than lowering taxes, the existing council threatened to raise them further, by proposing an expensive sewer system that voters didn't want. The mayor and entire board were defeated by the Ocean Six on October 6th.
Outgoing board member, Jim Bailey, told the Jacksonville Daily News, that the existing group voted unanimously to terminate Mr. Harrell to keep him from resigning prior to the new board taking office. He added that this was to insure a smooth transition for a better Atlantic Beach.
For More Information:
Jacksonville Daily News Article
Citizens for the Orderly Development of Atlantic Beach, NC
Previous Ocean 6 Articles in KCC:
The popular "Life is Good" t-shirts, stickers, mugs, and so on, have some competition.
Katy's Conservative Corner (KCC) first noticed the "Life is Crap" trend during a recent visit to Atlantic Beach, NC. These new T's had taken over. She checked them out online and discovered a number of funny taglines, such as the one at left: "Hillary Elected: Plans to Raise Taxes Soon...Life is Crap".
Other catchy lines included "Press #1 for English, Life is Crap", and "Out of Chocolate, Life is Crap".
The Life is Crap website states:
"At LIFE IS CRAP™ we believe that the universal cure to crappy situations is laughter. We believe that poking a little fun at ourselves, and the world, is the best way to get through those occasional lousy moments. So for those of you who aren’t eternal optimists, let LIFE IS CRAP ™ be your anthem. Because the way we see it, the glass is usually half full… only sometimes it’s half full of crap."
Anyone with an oddball sense of humor might enjoy checking out their website.
Editor's Note: Your blogger owns a number of "Life is Good" shirts and now has a couple of "Life is Crap" shirts on order. Neither company sponsors Katy's Conservative Corner, and in fact, this blog does not accept advertising.
A popular TV show for political junkies, NC SPIN, is hosting an upcoming growth forum in Raleigh.
The October 31st event, "Growth is Everybody's Business" will focus on an issue that defined municipal elections across North Carolina earlier this month. From Asheville to Atlantic Beach, slower-growth advocates were voted in, and their pro-growth opponents were voted out.
Topics to be discussed include clean water and sewage, infrastructure needs, land use, housing, government services, and public policy initiatives.
For more details, down the flier, linked below.
For More Information:
This is from the files of the incredible, folks. Former DA Mike Nifong (D-Durham)is fortunate he's not joining former House Speaker Jim Black (D-Mecklenburg), at the Gray Bar Hotel.
There is nothing more I can say, so please read on:
Nifong asks N.C. attorney general to help defend him against suit
BY BRIANNE DOPART, The Herald-Sun
October 15, 2007 11:51 pm
DURHAM -- Disbarred former District Attorney Mike Nifong is asking the state attorney general to help defend him against a civil lawsuit being brought by the three exonerated former Duke lacrosse players.
A local legal expert said he doesn't expect the state to weigh in for Nifong, but it is worth a try.
Nifong is one of 16 defendants named in a civil suit filed by attorneys for David Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, the three former Duke athletes declared innocent of rape allegations by Attorney General Roy Cooper earlier this year.
In a letter sent to Ralph Walker, director of the Administrative Office of the Courts last week, Nifong asked the state to represent him or, if it won't, to at least foot the bill for private counsel he'll need to hire to defend himself against the 155-page complaint.
Nifong noted in an Oct. 8 letter to Walker that he was employed as a constitutional officer of the state during the time described in the suit and as such he warrants the state's representation. The former prosecutor added that if the attorney general determines that it would be a conflict of interest to defend him, he requests that it "make any necessary arrangements to secure [Nifong's] representation."
In a separate letter sent last week to Walker and the state's senior deputy attorney general, James Coman, Durham attorney James B. Craven III wrote that Nifong had requested his representation and that he would be "happy to do so, so long as I am assured of compensation by the State ..."
Duke University law professor Jim Coleman said Nifong's request "may be a bit premature" but added that should Nifong prevail in defending himself against the lawsuit that he'd be right to expect the state to pay his attorney fees.
One way for the former prosecutor to defend himself would be to assert the immunity he had in his role as a prosecutor, Coleman said. The Attorney General's Office also has an interest in defending that immunity, he said, because in doing so, they'll be protecting the immunity of all of the state's prosecutors.
While Nifong is likely to argue that everything he did as it related to the case he did in his role as a prosecutor, Coleman said attorneys for the exonerated men will suggest that the former prosecutor acted outside his capacity as district attorney.
"It presents an interesting question in how you defend [Nifong] for his conduct for which he has immunity," Coleman said.
The professor said he couldn't see the attorney general "making an appearance on [Nifong's] behalf nor do I think [Nifong] would want him to, given what he's said about [Roy Cooper.]"
Coleman added that he considers it unlikely that the state will make any promises to pay for Nifong's attorney fees in advance of any proceedings related to the suit but didn't see any harm in Nifong's efforts.
"It couldn't hurt to ask," Coleman said.
For More Information:
Jim Black in the news, Raleigh News and Observer
Mike Nifong, Prisoner, The Smoking Gun
One by one, they fell like sand castles. Governor Mike Easley, Attorney General Roy Cooper, former Governor Jim Hunt, Congressman Brad Miller, and NC Senators Kay Hagan and Grier Martin all passed up chances to challenge US Senator Elizabeth Dole in 2008.
Only one announced, little-known Chapel Hill financial guru Jim Neal. Despite what many in the mainstream media perceive as Dole's vulnerability, she couldn't pick up a big name, or even an average name challenger.
Even the Democrat activists who post to the liberal blog Blue NC are reluctant to get behind Neal. Many have posted that they are disappointed, but are trying to summon the excitement for a Neal candidacy.
Read their comments and the original post here.
News 14 Carolina reported that Neal should not be taken lightly, despite being an unknown. "...Neal does have fundraising contacts. He helped raise money for and personally knows former presidential candidates John Kerry and Wesley Clark."
Stay tuned...
For More Information:
News and Observer Article: Hagan Passes Up Race
My liberal friends at BlueNC and I have been having a "discussion". Yes, I know better to go there, as I know I'm opening myself up to serious flaming and criticism, but I have a fairly thick skin. Here's my latest post on their site, after they egged me on about "my party". I tried to explain to them that I am "principle over party" any day and that the GOP best represents what I think is right for the United States:
Hello Liberal friends,
I'm not saying I don't have issues with my PARTY. Political parties have been losing strength for many years. The Bush administration has certainly angered many of us on the right by giving away the farm on Illegal Immigration/Amnesty. He lost the support of his base after that.
However, judging from what is available, I do think it the GOP is the best of the bunch. I don't judge an entire party based on one person. He is not what our movement is about, so don't be fooled. Bush has done many great things, but his administration has done a terrible job of explaining them to the American public.
I'm a conservative first, wife, mother, and Republican later. Always. I am a John Locke classical liberal. I'd vote for a conservative Democrat any day over a moderate or liberal Republican! There are plenty of those RINOs in our party and if you Dems would put up a conservative, like in the old days, I would be voting your way.
However, your party left people like those in my in-law's generation, behind. (I was lucky enough to learn about Reagan at age 10, when he first ran for President, in 1976. I was 14 when was first elected. )
On communism, remember that it was your president that normalized relations with the oppressive communists in Vietnam. You guys wanted to cut and run in that war, and we did. See what was left?
People in my own family died trying to escape rather than being trapped behind the bamboo curtain. (I married into a Vietnamese family.) Those that were born after, are trapped there and live a very sad existence.
My family lives in Saigon and we communicate using Yahoo IM. It's terrible that we cannot speak freely. If my husband's cousin told me how she really felt about the commies, she'd "disappear".
Why does your party not discuss the horrible things going on there, instead of constantly beating up on our country? Why can't we just built up the USA instead of trying to tear it down.
IMHO, chance are, we'll have a Democrat administration in Jan 09 to "fix" things. You'll have your chance. You'll get your four or eight years and the American people will soon tire of you, just like the always do with any political party. Things run in a cycle. Dems for awhile, then things turn over to the GOP. Then back, and so on.
What I fear is that your next president will show us what socialism really is.
True Red,
Katy
BlueNC is sponsored by MediaMatters, the outfit that is beating up on Rush, O'Reilly, and others on the right.
According to a report in today's Asheville Citizen Times, more than $58,000 worth of contributions to the Eastern Band of the Cherokees do not show up on recent financial reports to the state. That amounts to more than one-third of the total monies acquired by the tribe since 2005.
Citizen-Times Writer, Jordan Schrader, says that the Cherokees are now an important player in North Carolina politics.
Most of the money went to the North Carolina Democratic Party, though a smaller sum also went to the NC GOP. The tribe’s disclosures don’t show contributions to either.
Asheville City Council member and congressional candidate Carl Mumpower argues that the Cherokees have become a "corrupt special interest."
Mumpower contends that “Recent unreported campaign contributions to politicians highlight a continuing effort to maintain an unlevel playing field in Cherokee.”
“The tribe draws dramatic government funds and benefits while they simultaneously reap the dubious handouts of a tribal gambling enterprise.”
For More Information:
For those of you living in the counties listed below, when you go to the polls, you will be asked to vote on a proposed tax increase: an increase of 200% in your county real estate transfer tax (home tax).
If passed, your real estate transfer tax will go from 0.2% to 0.6% of a home's sale price. The additional tax means an additional $800.00 on a $200,000.00 home!
Whether you live in an affected county or not, this is matter of extreme urgency – these taxes need to be stopped before they have a chance to spread like kudzu!
If you would like to help with this important campaign, please contact Kathy Hartkopf at [email protected] to learn what you can do to stop egregious home transfer taxes.
Early voting begins on October 18.
Please telephone your local Board of Elections Office and ask for early voting locations:
Brunswick: 919-253-2620
Chatham: 919-545-8500
Davie: 336-751-2027
Gates: 252-357-1780
Graham: 828-479-7969
Harnett: 910-893-7553
Henderson: 828-697-4970
Hoke: 910-875-8751
Johnson: 919-989-5095
Macon: 828-349-2034
Moore: 910-947-3868
Pender: 910-259-1220
Rutherford: 828-479-7969
Swain: 828-488-6177
Union: 704-283-3809
Monday, October 15th, is Blog Action Day. I looked into it a bit and realized that on "Blog Action Day", bloggers are encouraged to blog about "the environment". I couldn't resist.
Our misguided liberal friends love to pigeon-hole conservatives into one big ole' lump. They think we want to poison the water, foul the air, drive big SUVs (correct), cut down all the trees, kill the baby bunnies, club the seals, and execute the whales. (Wait, didn't the whales make a comeback in the 80s?)
While it is true that I love driving my Jeep Wrangler for fun, and my Ford Escape for safety, I don't apologize for it. They aren't the big SUVs, but if I could afford one, I'd have a Hummer.
Now, our former veep, Al Gore, has won a Nobel Peace Prize for misleading people in that stinker, "An Inconvenient Truth".
We know that he'll be flying in his private jet, to Oslo, where he and Tipper will pick up the award. He's recently been photographed using one of the least efficient aircraft available, yet he feels compelled to tell we "little people" how to live our daily lives.
Further, this misinformation tells us that we are facing an irreversible "global warming". Gore thinks that this is due to humankind's inability to police itself and that tougher environmental regulations are needed. (More regulations from a liberal, what's new?)
Al Gore is right on one account. We are in a warming trend. Just not the type he envisions.
Our environment is cyclical and the earth has warming since the mid-nineteenth century. Previously, we were, in what scientists call, a mini-ice age.
Famed hurricane forecaster, William Gray, has received much criticism for speaking out against the environmentalist wackos (as Rush calls them). He disagrees with Gore and others on their theories about global warming. In Sunday's News and Observer print edition, a report on his opinion was buried in the fine print that usually ends up in our recycle bin without being read. (Yes, we do recycle.)
I appreciate this special day to give me the opportunity to help clear things up. We should all learn the truth about what is happening in our environment, and more importantly, what is NOT happening. Have a great "Blog Action Day". I know I will.
For More Information:
Thank you to Rob Benningfield, my husband, for contributing to this report.
A recent headline in the Raleigh News and Observer stated: "Raleigh wants waiver to discharge more non-treated sewage into the Neuse River."
Raleigh wants and then wants more:
I live downhill from Raleigh and the Capital's cesspools reek of corruption, greed and arrogance. Dix belongs to every N.C. citizen and should never become a destination park for Raleigh.
It is time for Raleigh to think of itself as belonging to all, and not an elite few who deem themselves deserving of everything they want.
William L. Everett
Rocky Mount, N.C.
Editor's Note: This letter originally appeared in the current edition of NC Spin.
I suspect that Wake GOP leaders are wondering why Ernie McAlister lost his reelection bid on Tuesday. After all, he had the strong backing of the Cary Chamber of Commerce and some organizations from outside the state.
As someone who lives in a part of Cary affected by school chaos and a proposed major development at the intersection of High House Road and Davis Drive, I have a perspective on various grass roots efforts in Cary that were underestimated by the pundits.
Following are my observations on the concerns of Cary citizens and why Mr. McAlister lost:
In doing my part to help the Wake GOP, I distributed flyers to households in my neighborhood (Westpark) where registered Republicans live, something I have done in years past. I noticed two things:
That’s perhaps the bad news for the Wake GOP.
The good news is that Republicans who have stayed in close touch with citizens did well in the election. Mayor Weatherly and Ron Margiotta, both of whom ran unopposed, which suggests that citizens are happy with them.
Don Frantz, who with 6 children and a business in downtown Cary has been in the middle of many important debates in recent months, is another example.
One should never underestimate the power of bipartisan grassroots efforts when citizens unite to take on their government over issues that affect their families and daily lives.
-Kent Misegades is conservative activist from Cary, who is currently working with Bob Luddy to bring a series of low-cost, private schools to Wake County.
Editor's Note: Your blogger, Katy Weatherly Benningfield, and Apex Mayor, Keith Weatherly, are not related, though she wishes they were.
Additionally, in the interest of full disclosure, Benningfield was employed by the Cary Chamber of Commerce as the director of public and governmental affairs from 1991-1993.
They "threw the bums out" tonight in local Atlantic Beach elections. According to WCTI TV 12 in New Bern, "not one incumbent commissioner or the mayor kept a seat."
Katy's Conservative Corner congratulates Mayor-elect Trace Cooper, and new town commissioners Harry Archer, Vada Palma, Ann Batt, Eddie Briley and Ken Ide. The election results indicate that voters were unhappy with the proposed sewer and taxes.
The Citizens for the Orderly Development of Atlantic Beach proclaimed victory on their website:
Continue reading "Tidal Change in Atlantic Beach Political Waters" »
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