Category Archives: Fayetteville Politics

Fayetteville Florence Update: Cross Creek is Falling; Cape Fear Might be O.K.

September 17, 2018 By in Fayetteville Politics Leave a comment

They said Florence would be a “Mike Tyson punch” compared to Matthew.   Well, they were wrong.  It was many Mike Tyson punches, for four long days. Southeastern North Carolina woke up today bruised and swollen.  The good news is that we’re catching our breath as the sun peaks out between the clouds.

Cross Creek (the namesake of this blog and the colonial village that eventually turned into Fayetteville) is falling in downtown.

Here’s some additional good news, something you might miss in the coverage:  The Cape Fear River, the subject of an unprecedented, mandatory evacuation is not reaching its predicted levels:

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We’re about four feet below the predicted level.  You can keep up with the rising water using this link.

Pray this good news stays good news.

 

 

 

Meredith Breaks (R)ank – Senate 19

July 31, 2018 By in Fayetteville Politics, NC Politics 1 Comment

Last week, I wrote about controversial Senate Bill 3 that was passed in the recent special session.  The bill makes it easier for a Republican to win the upcoming race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court by preventing another candidate from running as a Republican and splitting the Republican vote.  For more detail and the text of the bill, use this link.

News outlets caught on to something during the vote.  A few Republican legislators in competitive districts broke with their party and voted against the bill.  Wesley Meredith was one of them.

Meredith is the definition of a party-line voter.  As the “Majority Whip” in the Senate, his job is to keep others on that same line.  He was one of only five senators to score a 100% rating from Civitas for his “conservative effectiveness” in 2017.  So what gives???

There’s only one thing that can explain Meredith’s novel attempt at moderation:  he’s worried.  His district has been “un-gerrymandered” by the federal courts, and now he must appeal to swing voters if he wants to beat Kirk deViere in the fall.

Senate Bill 3 has been vetoed by Governor Cooper.  There will be a vote in Raleigh on Saturday, August 4 to override Cooper and make the bill law.

Do you think Meredith will side with Cooper or have another change of heart?  I have a feeling he might stay on vacation this Saturday.

 

McCready’s Choosing the Battlefield (NC-09)

July 16, 2018 By in Fayetteville Politics, NC Politics Tags: 1 Comment

Andrew Dunn over at longleafpolitics.com wrote an interesting post criticizing Dan McCready’s response to controversy surrounding a sermon given by his opponent, Mark Harris.  McCready (D) and Harris (R) are set to battle it out in November for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District.

Harris gave the sermon in 2013, but it found its way to the internet and made national news.  In sum, it lays out traditional “biblical womanhood” with man as “head” and woman as “helper” and criticizes society’s treatment of young women:

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Do Downtown Stadiums Create New Growth?

June 22, 2018 By in Fayetteville Politics Leave a comment

400-06208163c_998_380According to the City of Fayetteville’s website:

“The baseball stadium is expected to be an economic home run for the local Fayetteville area.”

The UNC School of Government has cited a recent study that suggests that it may not be.  The study tracked the economic impact in sixteen cities that placed minor league stadiums in their downtown areas.  A summary of the findings:

Stadiums can revitalize a city’s downtown, but data suggests they merely concentrate development around the new stadium and don’t create new growth. 

The gist is this:  a new downtown stadium works like a magnet, drawing people in from other parts of the city and leaving vacancies where they once lived and worked.  There is little net impact to a city’s economy as a whole.

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