Archive for NC Legislature
Some CIBO With Your Tea?
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If you’re into seeing political candidates go head to head in public forums, then this is the week for you.
Thursday at Noon, barring another wintry postponement, Patsy Keever and Bruce Goforth will be fed identical meals of meat, green beans, and whipped taters before debating the issues of the day. CIBO is hosting this event at Magnolia’s. It’s ten bones to pay for your lunch, and the political theater is free. Read my previous post on the event here.
If you’ve got plans Friday night, you be better off bagging them and heading to the Tea Party at A/B Tech. The GOP candidates will line up at 6:30pm and get their liberty on. Erika Franzi, headmistress of the local Tea Folk, is soliciting questions from you and me. Click here to email her a question for the gang. The six candidates committed to attending are Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, James Howard, Ed Krause, Jeff Miller, Greg Newman, and Kenny West. Congressman Heath Shuler is invited as well, but he hasn’t signaled any inclination to sip from the same cup as the organizers or the broad field.
Dr. Dan has been winning straw polls across western North Carolina with his “We have seen enough ‘government solutions’” approach. The GOP faithful appear to be drawn more towards Jeff Miller and Greg Newman. But what do I know? If you’ve got the constitution, go see for yourself.
Big kudos to both groups for helping to educate the people and ask hard questions of the candidates. No matter our political differences, good campaigns make for better elections.
Mud Slide Slim
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©2009 David Cohen • david@cohencidents.com
Keever vs. Goforth at the CIBO
Posted by: | Comments[Update - Drew tells us in the comments that this event has been postponed until March 4th.)
Thursday, Feb. 25th at Noon, you can go to Magnolia’s, pay your ten dollars, get a hot meal, and watch our two Democratic candidates for NC House District 115 face off in front of folks who are all business. The Council of Independent Business Owners, known affectionately as CIBO, is hosting the pair as part of their Power Lunch series on politics. They hosted the City Council candidates a few months back, and we got some very interesting questions about socialism, capitalism, jobs, and development. It’s not for the faint of heart.
The latest thing in the news is that embattled Rep. Bruce Goforth has suddenly decided after all these years that steep slope regulation is worth pursuing. Patsy Keever, of course, has held a continuously strong position on the subject for as long as anyone can remember. It’ll be interesting to see if the CIBO folks have any questions about Rep. Goforth’s change of heart. It’ll also be interesting to see Patsy and Bruce side by side in a dynamic political arena like the Power Lunch. I hope to see you there.
A Little Help?
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©2009 David Cohen • david@cohencidents.com
Wednesday Potpourri
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There’s exciting doings all over the place, and this Councilman/Counselor can’t find time to properly blog about it all. Who wants to pay me to do this stuff full time?
The irascible ThunderPig reports that Dan Eichenbaum (R-Tetley), founder of the area’s 9/12 group, won another straw poll of Republicans, this time in Cherokee County. Dr. Dan hopes to face Heath Shuler this November.
Speaking of Heath Shuler, he closed the deal on the North Shore Road. That means Swain County will receive $52 million in compensation for a road never completed. Somehow Charles Taylor, who was an Appropriations Committee member for years, couldn’t ever get it done. Kudos, Congressman Shuler.
In other Congressional race news, Virginia Foxx, the woman who always has one eye on the kookier wing of the GOP, has drawn a challenger in NC-05. “Billy Kennedy, a Watauga County talk radio host and community leader, will formally announce his candidacy on February 8 for the U.S. House of Representatives, 5th District of North Carolina. The “Billy Kennedy Caravan” will stretch from Boone to Raleigh that day, with stops in Wilkesboro and Winston-Salem.”
Ellie Johnston attended the Copenhagen climate conference and has a thorough narrative of her experience there. Excerpt:
Oh if you’re a bird, be an early bird
Posted by: | CommentsSpeaking of Republicans, the North Carolina primary is only 111 days away, and I haven’t heard much in the way of revival music coming out of the GOP’s little tent lately. This time two years ago, Carl Mumpower already had his congressional primary campaign in full swing (in fact, I think we had even cut his TV commercial by now) — but aside from a few lackluster appearances from a partial complement of candidates, there hasn’t been much to tell me that anybody is doing much on the Republican side.
There are six guys that I’m aware of who are vying for the dubious honor of taking on Heath Shuler: Dan Eichenbaum, James J. Howard, Ed Krause, Greg Newman, Scott Stump, and Kenny West. Only two have active websites (Eichenbaum and Howard) and West’s Facebook page seems to have dried up and blown away — although you can see a cached version here. From what I’m told, Greg Newman hasn’t showed up to either of the two forums held so far (which were apparently poorly attended), and when it’s not regurgitating press releases from the Tea Party folks, the Buncombe County GOP’s website doesn’t tell me much either.
Republicans go forth
Posted by: | CommentsIt would seem that not everyone thinks Patsy Keever’s candidacy is such a good idea:
90 Minutes of Win
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From an email:
“This Thursday at David Gantt Law Offices (82 Church St, Asheville NC), we will have our volunteer kickoff event. 6pm to 7:30pm. There will be a 10 minute training session so everyone will be on the same page. Bring your cell phones in case we run out of landlines. This grassroots approach to campaigning is what wins elections; we would love for you to be a part of it. RSVP to drew@patsykeever.com or on Facebook.”
A Holiday Hello from Patsy Keever
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The Hooligani received this lovely note today from our good friend Patsy Keever, who is running for the North Carolina House here in the 115th. To contribute some time or scratch to this amazing lady’s campaign (or even just to get on her email list) click here.
From Patsy:
Holiday greetings to all of you who have supported my venture into the political realm once again. As this is the time of year when we slow down a little (after we do all the shopping, of course!) to celebrate and enjoy our families and friends, I want to say thank you to each of you for the help you have given me already and the help I know you will give as the campaign goes on.
What I really appreciate is the help you give so many different people in so many different ways. Each of you supports causes which are near and dear to your hearts. Each of you gives your time and energy to make this world a better place. You are the kind of people who understand that we are all in this world together.
As the year draws to a close, let us hold each other in our hearts and reach out with our hands to help one another. And let’s never lose our optimism and our faith in the goodness of all people.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad!
Will Somebody Please Revive WNC’s Manufacturing Economy?
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s almost time again for the annual Homecoming Jobs Fair at Biltmore Square Mall (Tuesday, December 29, 2009
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.) sponsored by the Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. When I went last year, cars were backed up down the exit onto I-26. Two thousand people attended. Only a few of the 56 booths held manufacturers, and only a handful of jobs were actually available. It made national news. And the economy wasn’t as bad then as it is now.
So thanks go out to John Boyle for his piece in the paper today highlighting the ins and outs of North Carolina’s economic incentives in business development. Materials Innovation Technologies (MIT) will expand its operation in Florence County, SC rather than in Buncombe County, growing 120 jobs there instead of here.
Boyle’s articles highlight the problems North Carolina has in competing with economic incentives packages South Carolina is able to offer. Scott Hamilton of Advantage West notes that SC has more flexibility for offering tax incentives. Jim Stike, president of MIT said this:
“You do a spreadsheet analytic, a cost-benefit analysis and look at the bottom line,” Stike said. “If it would have been close — and you figure in the love of your town, you don’t have to travel, you care about your community — you could do it here. But when it’s not even in the ballpark, when it’s two times, three times or even four times what (North Carolina) can offer, only a crazy businessman wouldn’t go for it.”
Ray Denny, vice president of economic development with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce commenting on the MIT deal said, “We were not successful in matching it or even being very competitive.”
