Steve Mensing, Editor
Wednesday afternoon SB 269, the Rowan County Airport de-annexation bill, successfully passed its second reading by an overwhelming 104-11 vote. Originally introduced in the state senate by Sen. Andrew Brock, this version of the county airport de-annexation bill, will now go on to its third reading Monday morning and will no doubt be voted on later Monday by the full house. SB 269 will be law after that.
County Commission Chairman Jim Sides told the RFP: “This county airport de-annexation has been going on since March 7th when Carl (State Rep. Carl Ford District 76) introduced it. The city fought us hard at first, but they backed off after Andrew’s bill flew through the Senate with almost no opposition. For a time the city believed they could hang their hat on a special criteria–but this was government on government. The county’s case was powerful from the start. Let me tell you Vice-chairman Craig Pierce knew the ins and the outs of this issue. Nobody is more familiar with our airport than Craig Pierce. He served on the airport board and did his homework. This was his baby. Rep. Harry Warren understood just where to apply the screwdriver in the house and get things moving. Carl Ford was Mr. Everywhere in Raleigh. When this bill becomes law on Thursday we can also thank Senators Andrew Brock and Gene McLaurin too for their hard work on this bill’s behalf. Monday the airport will be de-annexed by the house. The vote was a complete blowout today.”
“This has been a bipartisan effort the whole distance,” said Rep. Carl Ford. “Republicans and Democrats helped out. Monday we’ll have de-annexation. It will be the law.”
Rep. Harry Warren said: “The bill was the second one on the calendar. Rep. Carl Ford gave a 10 second review of the bill’s strong support in the various house and senate committees and asked for the bill’s support. The bill passed without debate or comment 104-11. Our County Airport will soon be reunited.”
Recently RFP readers wrote us asking us about two quotes that mysteriously appeared elsewhere in the journalistic “ether”. One quote appeared in the city’s “other media” on March 20th where Salisbury Councilman Brian Miller said this de-annexation didn’t pass the 2-part “litmus test” to become law. This sent our battery of attorneys scurrying to find the source of this 2-part “litmus test” and any laws that might back it. Failing to find this 2-part “litmus test”, each of our attorneys suffered a painful reduction in salary.
Later, at the request of several curious minds among our readership, staff followed up on a second quote by our ever newsworthy Salisbury City Manager Doug Paris in the city’s “other media”. Apparently the city manager claimed this de-annexation didn’t meet the newly-created subcommittee’s “guidelines”, and therefore the city was confident the bill would not advance out of committee. Perhaps our state lawmakers were not sufficiently steeped in either the 2-part “litmus test” or lacked the city manager’s confidence in the subcommittee’s newly-created guidelines? Sadly for the city, the legislative committee didn’t operate from this twilight legal terra-firma. They prefer reality.
This story will updated throughout the day.
A previous video explaining the very strong case for Rowan County Airport De-Annexation:
