300% Increase Justified Because of Council’s Privileged Past
As a member of the Woodfin Town Council, it is my sincere hope that our citizens take pride in the many superlatives that are correctly applied to our town. Woodfin is undoubtedly one of the safest and most naturally beautiful municipalities that one can find across the state. I suspect, however, that the average resident […]
Voting For a 300 % Pay Raise: Political Suicide or Strategy?
At the prompting of Woodfin Vice Mayor Jim McAllister and Councilman Eric Edgerton, a discussion about increasing the pay for the mayor and the council members was placed on October’s council agenda. Before the meeting concluded, the two, along with their female counterparts on the board, voted to give the mayor and council a 300 […]
Real Clear Choice in District 3 Candidates
For voters in Buncombe County District 3, the choices are clear for whom to vote for in the upcoming election. Amanda Edwards, the current commissioner, is the clear choice for those voters who believe that the county is headed in the right direction and want the commissioners to continue with the status quo for the […]
North Carolina’s Judiciary Election Across Party Lines
Voters are more likely to concentrate on gubernatorial and congressional races than on the judicial branch, but in these turbulent times, the court system is becoming more significant.
Trusting the Election Process
After the widespread problems reported with voting in 2020, the Tribune has chosen not to stick our heads in the sand, as most mainstream media have regarding reports of voting irregularities. Take the case of Michelle Long Spears in Decatur, Georgia. Spears came in third in a three-way primary for the DeKalb County Commissioner District […]
Is the Weaverville Council Being Controlled by County Commissioners?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a commentary about the decision that the Weaverville town council had to make this month about whether to supply water for a 168-unit low-income development (read article page 6). Explaining the situation was whether to show compassion to the less fortunate by providing low-income housing or to listen to […]
Is This How We Build a Free Society?
On the agenda for the Buncombe County Commissioners' September 20 meeting were a few items that unabashedly pushed forward those trends that give government its reputation as a power that bites the hand that feeds it, using tax dollars on campaigns to sell programs that foster dependencies, doing for others what they can do for themselves, and also draining its own tax base.
Some Life Lessons Need to Be Hard
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has called on the NC General Assembly to make the Biden Administration’s student loan forgiveness exempt from state income tax. For those unfamiliar with student loan forgiveness, the Biden Administration has said anyone making less than $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for married couples can get up to $20,000 in […]
Councilman Addressing Removal of Invocation by Quoting Jesus
Last week, the Tribune offered Woodfin Councilman Jim McAllister a guest commentary spot to back up his statement at the August council meeting, which he used to justify removing the meeting’s invocation. The invocation had been part of the meeting since the town was formed in 1971. McAllister said at the meeting he was “surprised […]
A Decision King Soloman Might Find Difficult
The Weaverville Town Council is about to make a tough decision next month. One I would not look forward to if I was in their shoes. One that will make them “put their money where their mouth is,” so to speak. I’m talking about whether or not to provide water to a low-income housing project […]