Seal of Rowan County, North Carolina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Joe Coladarci, High Rock Lake, NC
♦The best statement I ever heard was something our 3 County Commissioners often say: “We represent all the residents of Rowan County”.
They have to work with and look out for the people’s interests, all 140,000 folks. They also have pressures from organized groups who have interests special to their little group. This kind of lobbying is part of the political process. Most of the time the group has a financial stake which concerns them. There are groups like Veterans, PTA and each local Fire District. There are advocates for the many different social programs who are looking for funds from the County. Though the Commissioners represent 140,000, it is often a very few with special interests who rally to sway the Commissioners. For instance, the Board of Education had a few dozen employees testify for a few hours about the bad working conditions at Long Street. I was there and wondered why Assistant Superintendent, Gene Miller would expose these nice ladies to such poor working conditions.
The City Council is a lobbying group and their megaphone is the Salisbury Post. They have repeatedly second guessed the Commissioners. Here are some examples:
1. Their insistence that the school system’s Central Office be at 329 and their convoluted finance scheme to pay for it even though the whole of the County would pick up the bill. The fact is the City Council is just that, a City Council, they have no authority to plan, spend or even offer such a plan.
2. The purchase of the Salisbury Mall. The City Council has once again second guessed the Commissioners and with the help of the Post spread false facts about the property. The City says the loss of the County employees will further increase the Death Spiral which the Down Town has been experiencing for the past 20 years. Please note with this last election the City is being directed by the same people for 15 or more of those 20 years. Is the City Council worried about the few business left in town or are they working for the few property owners, the real bosses of Salisbury? This is who City Council members are beholding to?
Here it is Mid-November and in one year we will see if these Special Interest Groups will take control of our County Commission. Pierce and Caskey are on the board for 2 more years. With 3 seats up the special Interest groups are already working to seize the Board and push it back under the control of the bosses of Salisbury both elected and those pulling the strings.
Jim Sides said he will run and in my mind that’s great, but he needs 2 other folks of like mind to join him in this race. We were lucky in the last primary. At times 6 or7 men were running for the 2 open seats. All of these men claimed to be conservative Republicans. Because of this, the votes were split. The highest vote getters were Gene Miller, an assistant school superintendent and Gus Andrews both representing the bosses of Salisbury. Fortunately a run off was forced and the Voters of the County were given a clear choice. They chose Craig Pierce and Mike Caskey. I am calling for two people to join with Jim to keep the County represented and not allow the bosses of SALISBURY to enslave our county again.
