Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Last weekend, Susan Fisher, one of three N.C. House representatives from Buncombe County, wrote a guest editorial about the need for Ashvegas City Council and Buncombe commissioners to work out a deal on the water agreement.
Fisher’s words is one thing. Her actions are another. She’s been all over the road on the issue, so how can we trust her advice?
First, she co-sponsored two bills in the legislature, bills that basically favor the side of the county over the city. Then Fisher changed her mind, saying she wouldn’t support the bills. Then she voted for them in the House.
Through the editorial, she does more gyrations than a two-dollar hooker, saying she still didn’t really like the bills but had to vote for them anyway.
While it’s important to have a stick handy when carrots no longer entice a mule, a heavy club does more harm than good. as currently written, both the Sullivan bills seem designed to break legs.
Actually, yer breakin’ my balls. Just tell me this – as far as the bills go, are you fer ’em, or agin ’em?
But our legislative rules require that a majority of one house pass a bill, no matter how bad or in what form, if it is to be considered by the other house this year. Without that passage, the stick would be irretrievably lost, and our two local elected bodies – both as stubborn as mules so far – would be free to continue their standoff until the city take unilateral action and the county takes the city to court. That is unacceptable – in fact, the worst possible – solution to our water needs.
Look – if you didn’t like the bills, don’t vote for them. Don’t make it sound like “the rules” required that you vote for them.
We are not Shiites and Sunnis fighting over the fate of Iraq, but it sometimes seems that Middle Eastern factionalism is the model for our local elected officials.
Arghhh! Of course we’re not Shiites and Sunnis. Don’t trivialize that centuries old, life-and-death religious battle by comparing it to a bunch of lame bureaucrats arguing about water rates, for crissakes.
… I am meeting with senators at every opportunity to urge them to whittle down the Sullivan bills to appropriately-sized sticks – and to add some good, fresh carrots – to try to get the city and county to negotiate.
Enough with the carrots and sticks, already! Stop talking to us like we’re 3-year-olds!!!
Bulldog, I really appreciate your suggestions – they’re great. I’ll work on them. I’m getting great traffic – you’d be surprised.
For what it’s worth:
1. Lose the stripes and use the space for more screen display. They add nothing to the site design except unnecessary clutter.
2. Increase the size of the “post a comment” invitation. It’s harder to spot now.
3. Consider running comments down one side of the active page rather than as footnotes that readers have to retrieve. Altho the blog is super, sometimes the feedback is as much fun to read. This would make feedback more visible and easier to access, without leaving the main page.
Keep up the good work. I hope your readership grows, especially on local issues (water waffling, commissioners in Hawaii) that the newspaper can’t seem to bring into sharper focus.