The Battle Continues.... post election

This past election brought undeniable historic changes to the State Legislature. The Republican Party will now control both the Senate and the House for the first time in over one hundred years and that is quite an event in itself. Aside from that, this new majority has the potential to turn the tide in favor of ending forced annexation once and for all. The stage is set for good things that COULD happen with Annexation reform in 2011, but what we get remains to be seen.

This coming year in the Legislature truly is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to see something actually get done about the forced annexation laws, but good change is NOT a given unless every person can do a little to speak up to these lawmakers encouraging them to do what is right by the people; Restore our Voice! 

It has taken nearly a decade of work and an alignment of other outside factors (indictments, arrests, resignations and the economy and the results of the Nov election) to have this opportunity.
Forces at work on both sides of the aisle, in favor of the status quo for the cities, are already hard at work to railroad legislation that won't change much. Adding your voice and support to pushing for what is right, instead of passing into law a very bad compromise, will be needed.

The message from the people has been so loud and clear that forced annexation was an issue that many of these new legislators ran their campaigns on. Please thank them for that!

Please consider sending a postcard to each of these new legislators to congratulate them on their success and to encourage them to address the annexation issue by restoring the voice of the people being considered for annexation. (I could not obtain their email addresses)Also ask them to support a Statewide Moratorium on FORCED annexation while they debate the issue further. There are a number of areas across the State that are battling in court and the clock is ticking for them. They can't wait for new laws.

The list below includes ALL the new Legislators; Democrats and Republicans.

Cities across the State have gone into panic mode and are making noises about forcibly annexing.

The League of Municipalities is kicking into damage control mode and plan to lobby for a resurrection of the bill they wrote for the Study Commission last year; H524!
Just say NO to the NCLM "20 Point Plan"!!  

Although it would be great to see the legislation that Senator Shaw submitted in 2009 brought back for consideration in both chambers, let's give this new majority a chance to settle in and show us what they will bring forward have for annexation reform legislation.

For now, let's stay true to the important talking points and make sure the legislators know what 'we the people' really want to see them do;

End Forced Annexation once and for all! 

•  Restore a meaningful voice in the decision when cities initiate an annexation
• Create meaningful oversight of city initiated annexations by the locally elected County Commissioners whom those being approached for annexation have voted for.
• Make it a requirement that the city that wants to annex must be providing urban services that are shown to be meaningful and needed in the area being annexed.

New Senators: Louis M. Pate, Jr. - Wayne (R) P.O. Box 945 Mount Olive, NC 28365 (919) 658-3637 Don Davis(D)* William Peter Rabon - Brunswick (R) 404 W. Brunswick Street Southport, NC 28461 (910) 457-5110 R.C. Soles(D)* former seat Thom Goolsby - New Hanover (R) 212 Walnut Street Suite 100 Wilmington, NC 28401 (910) 763-3339 Brent Jackson - Sampson (R) 2905 Ernest Williams Road Autryville, NC 28318 (910) 567-2202 "A" - E. S. (Buck) Newton - Wilson (R) P.O. Box 2047 Wilson, NC 27894 A. B. Swindell(D)* Wesley Alan Meredith - Cumberland (R) 113 Great Oaks Drive Fayetteville, NC 28303 Margaret Highsmith Dickson(D)* Eric L. Mansfield - Cumberland (D) P.O. Box 35935 Fayetteville, NC 28303 Rick Gunn, Jr. - Alamance (R) P.O. Box 308 Burlington, NC 27216 (336) 229-6981 Tony Foriest(D)* Dr. Gladys A. Robinson - Guilford (D) P.O. Box 20627 Greensboro, NC 27420 (336) 812-9076 Tommy Tucker - Union (R) 1206 Rose Hill Drive Waxhaw, NC 28173 (704) 596-8200 Kathy Harrington - Gaston (R) 3324 Lincoln Lane Gastonia, NC 28056 (704) 460-2998 Warren T. Daniel - Burke (R) 309 West Union Street Morganton, NC 28655 (828) 439-8075 Dan Soucek - Watauga (R) 313 Williams Ridge Road Boone, NC 28607 (828) 963-7426 Steve Goss(D)* Ralph E. Hise, Jr. - Mitchell (R) P.O. Box 86 Spruce Pine, NC 28777 Joe Sam Queen(D)* **********************(possible recount) Jim Davis - Macon (R) (likely winner) 37 Georgia Road Franklin, NC 28734 (828) 369-2054 John Snow - Cherokee (D)* (incumbent) 105 Van Horn Street Murphy, NC 28906 (828) 837-5052 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- An "A" before the name indicates "friend of the issue" * Names in red are the incumbents who have been retired by the voters on November 2nd ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Important Legislators that need to hear encouragement from the grassroots: Phil Berger - Senate (R)  Phil.Berger@ncleg.net Andrew C. Brock (R)  Andrew.Brock@ncleg.net Paul Stam - House (R)  Paul.Stam@ncleg.net Thom Tillis - House (R)  Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net Ric Killian - House (R)  Ric.Killian@ncleg.net Nelson Dollar - House (R)  Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net

New Representatives: Norman W. Sanderson (Pamlico) (R) 269 Bennett Rd. #4, Arapahoe, NC 28510 252-249-3749 *Alice Graham Underhill(D) Jimmy Dixon (Duplin) (R) P. O. Box 222, Warsaw, NC 28398 910-590-1740 Bill Cook (Beaufort) (R) 75 Cape Fear Dr., Chocowinity, NC 27817 252-946-5876 "A" -Stephen A. LaRoque (Lenoir) (R) P. O. Box 1034, Kinston, NC 28503 252-523-7700 *R. Van Braxton(D) Phillip R. Shepard (Onslow) (R) 111 Vernon Shepard Lane, Jacksonville, NC 28540 910-389-6392 Susi H. Hamilton (New Hanover) (D) 206 Nun St., Wilmington, NC 28401 910-443-2830 "A" - Jeff Collins (Nash) (R) 1109 Culpepper Dr., Rocky Mount, NC 27803 252-443-1441 *Randy Stewart(D) "A" - Tom Murry (Wake) (R) P. O. Box 1054, Morrisville, NC 27560 919-886-4341 *Chris Heagarty(D) G. L. Pridgen (Robeson) (R) 1044 Mercer Mill Rd., Lumberton, NC 28358 910-608-3277 *Douglas Y. Yongue(D) Charles Graham (Robeson) (D) 479 Bee Gee Rd., Lumberton, NC 28358 910-739-3969 "A" - Glen Bradley (Franklin) (R) 144 Ridgewood Rd., Youngsville, NC 27596 919-374-2973 *John May(D) Michael (Mike) Stone (Lee) (R) 1123 Winterlocken Dr., Sanford, NC 27330 919-777-8419 *Jimmy L. Love, Sr.(D) Marcus Brandon, Jr. (Guilford) (D) 808 Glendale Dr., Greensboro, NC 27406 336-987-3357 John Faircloth (Guilford) (R) 2332 Faircloth Way, High Point, NC 27265 336-841-4137 Bert Jones (Rockingham) (U) 299 Fairfield Rd., Reidsville, NC 27320 336-342-6171 *Nelson Cole(D) Ken Goodman (Richmond) (D) 832 Williamsburg Dr., Rockingham, NC 28379 910-997-2712 D. Craig Horn (Union) (R) 5909 Bluebird Hill Lane, Weddington, NC 28104 704-844-9960 "A" - Harry Warren (Rowan) (R) 201 Kingsbridge Rd., Salisbury, NC 28144 704-603-8898 *Lorene Coates(D) "A" - Rayne Brown (Davidson) (R) 416 Lee Ave., Lexington, NC 27295 336-249-2608 *Hugh Holliman(D) Mark W. Hollo (Alexander) (R) 432 Westwood Lane, Taylorsville, NC 28681 828-632-1728 Jonathan C. Jordan (Ashe) (R) P. O. Box 744, Jefferson, NC 28640 336-846-1657 *Cullie M. Tarleton(D) Rodney W. Moore (Mecklenburg) (D) 1914 Yaupon Rd., Charlotte, NC 28215 704-449-6201 Bill Brawley (Mecklenburg) (R) 13612 O’Toole Dr., Matthews, NC 28105 704-574-0894 John Torbett (Gaston) (R) 210 Blueridge Dr., Stanley, NC 28164 704-263-9282 Kelly E. Hastings (Gaston) (R) 405 Jane St., Cherryville, NC 28021 704-473-3468 Mike Hager (Rutherford) (R) 342 Walking Horse Trail, Rutherfordton, NC 28139 828-748-2378 Timothy D. (Tim) Moffitt (Buncombe) (R) 3182 Sweeten Creek Rd., Asheville, NC 28803 828-651-8550 Chuck McGrady (Henderson) (R) 195 Fernbrook Way, Hendersonville, NC 28791 828-696-0672

After this weekend we will know who has been appointed to be Senate Pro Tem and Speaker of the House.

The 2011-2012 biennium of the North Carolina General Assembly will convene on January 26, 2011.

In courtesy to the families of the new legislators who would like to have a seat to watch their loved ones be sworn in, I am recommending that we DO NOT plan a trip to Raleigh for January 26. I do think we should plan to go as a large group early in the session, perhaps once we have some good legislation to support. Stay tuned!!

I attended a meeting last Tuesday with Kathy Hartkopf (Freedomworks), Doug Aitken and Tony Tetterton (FAC), and Daren Bakst to discuss the year ahead. The results of that meeting will be forthcoming as soon as more information is put together.

After taking a much needed break, I WILL be updating the website once again to help keep you updated on news in Raleigh and across the State. Thanks for your patience and a very BIG THANK YOU to ALL who sent a contribution recently. It will be needed in the upcoming year.

Please consider helping SNCA do what needs to be done in the upcoming year with a financial donation.

http://www.stopncannexation.com/Searchfiles/Contribute.htm

Thank you for all that you have done to move all of us toward success!

Catherine Heath

Director,
StopNCAnnexation Coalition

The Battle Continues

After the last several years of controversy regarding forced annexation and another "study" of the issue by the legislature, the official Legislative Study Commission produced an annexation reform bill that was horrible. House Bill 524 was truly a case where the "cure" was worse than the disease itself. Far too many legislators got behind this horrible bill (H524) and pushed it hard in spite of the fact that a MUCH better piece of legislation (S494/H645) that reflected the requests from the citizens was available to them.

The differences between S494 and H524 and how these bills evolved speaks volumes about a serious problem that the people are confronted with in the State Legislature; specifically;’ Who do the majority of Legislators feel they owe their loyalty to?’ Is it the people of this State or is it the special interests that have honed their "pay to play" skills over the decades?

Senate Bill 494 came about because one legislator, Senator Larry Shaw, (Dem, now retired), reached out to a grassroots organization, StopNCAnnexation, (formed nearly eight years ago to bring the voice of the people across the State together in the single goal of being heard in Raleigh), and asked for assistance in creating legislation that would truly address what the people have been trying for decades to have changed in the fifty year old version of annexation law. That often repeated request is for a restoration of the rights and voice of the people being affected by a local government body that they did not elect.

S494 was the result of that request for assistance in changes to the law. 

In contrast, H524 was created within a process that the legislature has used whenever they have a controversial issue that the people pressure them to address, a process which they have used to "handle" the forced annexation outcry several times in the past. The Legislative Leadership forms a committee to "study" the issue. By now, and at least three studies later, the results are predictable; the same arguments and requests are presented by both sides of the controversy and the entrenched special interests (the NC League of Municipalities) exerts its backroom influence. Very little of what the people have asked for over and over survives the study to become part of the resulting legislation that is voted on. The people are left with the appearance of action while their voice and wishes are ignored.

The discussion in the Legislature about forced annexation is shut down for years to come.

Yet our Legislators declared H524 a "compromise" victory. How could it be a compromise or a victory for the people when everything the people asked for once again was discarded and everything that the NCLM suggested was adopted? The only thing that qualifies H524 as a compromise was that it was clearly produced by a compromise of principle and representative government. The inclusion of an unwinnable sham of a referendum in H524 may have been unprecedented, but does not qualify the bill as acceptable to the people or to the principles of good representative government.

After all your trips to Raleigh to attend the Study Commission meetings and legislative sessions, all the letters, emails and phone calls to the legislators, with no resulting legislation being passed into law last session, you might be feeling like the people have once again failed in the effort to change the annexation laws, but that is not the case.

The people scored a major victory in this battle, although not the final victory of having the voice of the people restored. With the decades of cultivated influence and army of lobbyists wielded by the NCLM and affiliates, it was a victory for the people that H524 did NOT become law! The discussion on changing the annexation laws has not been shut down by bad legislation and if the people have the will to continue it, we have a good chance to finally prevail. Defeating the passage of H524 was a win for the people!

Going forward, there is so much opportunity now in place to make real change happen and I hope that you recognize it.

We have an upcoming election that can have a major impact on changing the annexation laws and it is up to each of us to continue to increase the pressure on those running for State office to take a stand on this issue. All the calls, letters and emails from everyone in the effort to restore the voice of the people have had an effect on election campaigns across NC. Candidates are declaring their position against forced annexation from the coast to the mountains, but more need to take a stand. Only you can make that happen with the candidates running to represent you. Don't let this opportunity pass.

The NCLM has had decades to groom former city officials to become "friendly" legislators to their ongoing agenda of increasing the power and subsidies to city governments. It's time to 'clean house' in the General Assembly and County Commissions and remove as many of those officials who feel that the wishes of the city lobbyists are more important than the voices of the people of this State they were elected to represent.

Ask those running to take a stand against forced annexation. Don't let them wiggle out of taking a real stand by saying they "support reform" of the annexation laws. Even the Director of the NCLM has said he "supports reform" of the laws. Pin your candidate down to take a stand against forced annexation and committing to put an end to the practice once and for all.

Once the people of NC have replaced the “Lackey's of the League” with those who will commit to representing their constituents faithfully in the State Legislature, the people should look forward to going back to the General Assembly with our request for legislation that will end forced annexation once and for all next year.

   Catherine Heath

StopNCAnnexation Coalition

The NCLM fake grassroots network

The citizens of NC who have come together over the last eight years to raise their voices to the State Legislature about ending forced annexation have had the city lobbyists, the NC League of Municipalities (NCLM) on the run and this continues.

In response to the success of the grassroots citizens, the NCLM  has created what they are calling the LINC network; which stands for Legislative Information Network of Communities.

The NCLM has been using this tool to fight the citizens efforts to change the annexation laws to end forced annexation. They have recruited city residents go along with city officials to visit legislators in Raleigh for the purpose of having these citizens tell legislators that being annexed into the city was the greatest thing to ever happen to them.

Well, anyone who pays attention to city politics knows that there are always people, who I would describe as city council "groupies", who would do anything to gain brownie points with elected officials, so I'm sure the NCLM has been able to find some of these types who would fall all over themselves to do this. I doubt they can find very many people who have been FORCIBLY annexed that are happy about it who would go. 

The NCLM is in gear for the 2010 Short Legislative Session and have sent out their first "LINC" email announcing a weekly conference call to brief municipal LINC members on legislative activity that they need to respond to. Opposing the citizens calling for an end to forced annexation is a priority item on their agenda.

The NCLM has also pulled a new tactic this year in their ongoing attempts to run away from the citizens coming to Raleigh to ask for an end to forced annexation. They changed the date that they had set for their yearly 'Town Hall Day' to June 16th after months of advertising it for June 2nd. 
StopNCAnnexation obtained permits for the Bicentennial Mall and the Halifax Mall for June 2nd and started advertising this year's rally early in the year.

StopNCAnnexation began holding a Citizens Rally in Raleigh on the NCLM's Town Hall Day starting in 2005, and the NCLM has been trying to avoid the citizens on that day ever since.  The Bicentennial Mall is the location that the citizen rally has usually been held. This year the NCLM has also blocked anyone from using the Bicentennial Mall on June 16th.

I don't think this latest move by the NCLM should stop the citizens from showing up at the Legislature on June 16th. No one has ever needed a permit to visit the legislative buildings and walk the halls to meet with legislators. Let's not let the NCLM have June 16th all to themselves in Raleigh this year.

If you were planning to attend the Rally on June 2nd, change that date on your calender to June 16th, and I'll see you there!

Cathy 

Second Chance to hear Conference Speaker Daren Bakst

The Annexation Reform 2010 Conference continues to get positive feedback.

Attendees were particularly happy with the line up of speakers at the event and the knowledge that they gained from them.

All the speakers brought valuable information to share, and Daren Bakst's presentation was one of the most appreciated. 
His presentation looked at current proposals for reforming the law as well as what changes would be good reform.

If you missed the conference, you now have a second chance to hear Mr. Bakst presentation in Raleigh at the John Locke Foundation's Shaftesbury Lunch series. 

On March 22, Daren Bakst will be making a lunch presentation on annexation reform legislation. The lunch will take place at the John Locke Foundation.  You can learn more and register here:

http://www.johnlocke.org/events/event.html?id=814

Video recordings of all the presenters and speakers are in the works. The Conference on DVD will be available soon. More information on how to obtain one will be posted to the StopNCAnnexation website soon.

I will be attending the lunch this coming Monday and hope to see you there!

Catherine Heath

StopNCAnnexation Coalition

http://www.stopncannexation.com

Annexation and Reform 2010 Conference

A big THANK YOU! to all who attended the conference and helped make both Friday and Saturday a successful event.
 
Watch the NEWS 14 report on the
'Annexation Reform 2010' Conference
Feedback from those who attended was overwhelmingly positive.

Video and cd's of the excellent presentations will be available soon.
Catherine Heath
Director, StopNCAnnexation

Compromising on Annexation Reform Legislation?

Compromising to Chaos (2-23-10)

The Candid Conservative

What the NCLM is up to lately:

First of all, the NCLM has created a program to encourage municipal officials to quickly counter the efforts of citizen groups opposed to legislation that the city lobbyists are supporting or defending. This effort has been named; “LINC”; or “Legislative Information Network of Communities”.

This appears to be a direct response to the impressive and affective communication that citizens across NC have been directing at the Legislators demanding "no more forced annexations" and no new taxes.
You can view the details of this NCLM program here: http://www.nclm.org/leaguelinc.htm

The “QuickConnect” ‘rapid response team’ that the NCLM is recruiting will require citizens to fight back harder against The League's "astroturf" effort: http://www.nclm.org/quickconnect.htm
 
You can view this as proof that your efforts have been effective, but realize that this is also a challenge to every individual to keep communicating with legislators and recruit others to do the same.
The latest NCLM Bulletin has announced the formation of an “NCLM Annexation Experts Team”. The NCLM has declared war!
The input against this from thousands of citizens matters!
________________________________________
The NCLM has always put protection of forced annexation as a priority legislative issue.
See the NCLM Legislative “Advocacy Agenda 2009-10”
http://www.nclm.org/Legal-legislative/documents/advocacyplan1-5-10.pdf

#1 on the list after their commitment to their general ‘core principles’, (which always includes protecting forced annexation), is their commitment to protecting the power to use forced annexation:

“Annexation for Fair, Managed Growth:
The League continues to support careful change to the long-standing municipal annexation laws in a way that provides for fair and equitable consideration of all citizens’ needs and concerns and allows cities and towns to grow in an orderly manner.”

A read between the lines in this statement indicates that the NCLM is still supporting House Bill 524 and is still actively working to make H524 the ONLY bill that the Legislature considers so the League can shepherd this very bad legislation to passage.  They know if H524 passes into law, that will be all the change the citizens will get for many years to come, and the well funded machine of the League will begin immediately to soften any changes made to favor the cities more once again.
Don’t let anyone tell you we have to accept H524 or nothing. Not true!
Learn more about the NCLM agenda here:
http://www.nclm.org/Legal-legislative/newlegal.htm
________________________________________

The NCLM is always working hard to grow a base of loyalty to their agenda of power. Among those efforts is the Foundation they’ve set up to collect donations to be distributed to local government projects and give local officials a financial incentive to be loyal: http://www.nclm-foundation.org/projects.htm 

Through this foundation the NCLM is financing ammunition to use in future conversations about increasing the State financial handouts to the cities and most likely to argue FOR the continuation of forced annexation. This is what I see them doing here in funding a “study” to prove that cities are the center of the universe:

“Currently underway is a research project, ‘Economic Role of N.C. Cities and Towns’ funded by the Foundation to document the direct and indirect economic impact of municipalities on North Carolina's economy. The results of this research will be an aid as cities and towns seek to strengthen their local economies and enhance the future for all municipal citizens.”

The NCLM is also using this Foundation to continue to tie themselves, the NCACC, and the School of Government together in lock step to achieve a common agenda that resists any efforts by citizens to “throw the bums out” when the taxing and spending keeps spiraling out of control on less than necessary pet projects and the ‘visions’ of grandeur that cities seem determined to pursue against the likelihood of success.

“The UNC School Government, NC Association of County Commissioners and the NC League of Municipalities have partnered together to create an educational program- Local Elected Leaders Academy (LELA).”

http://www.nclm-foundation.org/projects.htm
________________________________________

One final word to the wise citizen advocate:

The NCLM has plans in place to hold a series of “Regional Legislative Meetings” all over the State of NC in small and large cities alike:
http://www.nclm.org/2010legislativemeetings.htm

The stated goal of these regional meetings is to prepare city officials for the legislative session ahead and to promote participation in the NCLM “grassroots” network; the “LINC” program previously explained above.

“The meetings will be an essential step in getting ready for the session and an opportunity to learn about League LINC – Legislative Information Network of Communities. League LINC is our grassroots network established for and powered by city and town municipal officials, leaders and professionals.”

I hope you see that it is important for the citizens of North Carolina who are fighting to protect the property rights of all North Carolinians to stand strong against the efforts of the NCLM to erode any protections we do have and their efforts to stop any attempts to strengthen property rights in NC.

We need to be very concerned about both of these issues making progress in favor of the citizens when we have legislators who are not shy about publicly stating which side of these issues they are on.
During the meetings of the Legislative Committee to Study Eminent Domain, Rep Lucy Allen, who was on the committee, made an impassioned plea to the committee to “First, do no harm!”
But Rep Allen was not expressing her concern for the citizens and businesses being protected against the power of the State using this “despotic power”. Lucy was crying out in a plea to protect the government’s ability to continue to use eminent domain as it sees fit. Allen seemed quite proud of herself about securing the approving nods of the NCLM official who was observing the meeting.

Rep. Allen is not the only legislator that we are up against in the General Assembly who feels this way or who feels more loyalty to the NCLM than to the individual constituents they are supposed to be representing.

This is why it is so very important that individual citizens stand up and push back to stop the violations of our property rights that we see year after year with forced annexation and with the overreaching use of eminent domain. And push our County Commissioners to stand up for EVERYONE they represent.

StopNCAnnexation is holding the Annexation Law & Reform 2010 Conference to help the citizens who want good annexation reform get ready for the upcoming legislative session. Our opposition is preparing.
We need to prepare as well!
Registrations for the conference started coming in right away, but there is still room for many more.
I hope those of you who were considering attending will make that commitment and register soon.
http://www.stopncannexation.com/SNCA_conference.htm

I hope to see you there,

Catherine A. Heath
Director,
StopNCAnnexation Coalition