week of 4/17/02
 
 
 

Forum focus was on zoning, taxes
By Don Hendershot
About 60 people attended a Macon County League of Women Voters’ luncheon and county commission candidate forum despite the fact that no date has yet been set for the primary.

Seven candidates vying for the two District 2 county board seats attended the April 11 event. That included Democrats Bob Simpson, Al Ledford, Bob Scott and Jay Dee Shepherd, along with Republicans incumbent chairman Harold Corbin, Mickey Duvall and Norman Roberts. Republicans Jim Davis and Larry T. Turlington were unable to attend. Democrat incumbent Janet Greene is not seeking re-election.

The other seat up for grabs this year, District 1, has only one Democrat, incumbent Allan Ricky Bryson, and one Republican, J. B. Coram, competing. They will square off in the general election.

Duvall, Roberts, Ledford, Shepherd and Simpson all opposed the recently debated draft zoning ordinance and all felt it should be put to a county-wide vote.

Duvall said zoning was one of the reasons he was running. He said he was the first county planner hired by the Appalachian Regional Council 10 years ago to study land-use planning in Macon County. Duvall said he asked the communities for their input and all communities opposed it. He likened zoning to communism and totalitarianism.

Roberts said that individual rights of property owners should not be shifted to the courthouse.

“I’m not for zoning. I don’t like anyone telling me what I can do with my property,” was Ledford’s response. He said he didn’t think five people should make that decision on behalf of the county.

Shepherd said he didn’t think anyone who owned property would support zoning. He said there must be better ways of controlling growth.

Simpson said he supported commercial regulation and corridor protection but not the present draft ordinance.

Scott said he supported land-use planning and felt the current zoning issue rested with the sitting board. He said unregulated growth in the county needed to be checked.

Corbin said a county-wide land use plan was one of his promises four years ago and, “I stick to my guns on that.” He said talk about communism was nonsense.

“I own 23 guns. I support personal rights and property rights, but there is a fine point where these rights infringe on your neighbors,” said Corbin.

Regarding county finances, Roberts said, “Spending and taxes are spiraling out of control at the courthouse.” He said there had been a 25-percent increase in population since 1992 and an 80-percent increase in spending.

“I make no apologies for having raised taxes two years in a row,” Corbin said.

He said he didn’t think building new schools, a new airport terminal and a new transit services building indicated spending was “spiraling out of control.”

Duvall said raising taxes was the easy way out. “The growth rate in this county will allow the board to provide services without raising taxes,” he said.

Simpson said tax hikes should be a last resort. “We should learn to operate on bare necessities before cutting services or raising taxes.”

Shepherd said the county should be self supporting. He said everyone should know where the money is going.

Cost of government rises in proportion to growth. We’re gonna have to pay for growth,” Scott said.

Ledford said the county couldn’t run without taxes, but projects would have to be worthy before he would support an increase in taxes.

The disposal of the Needmore Tract also found its way into the discussion. Scott, who said he was an environmental candidate, said he felt Duke Power should deed Needmore back to the people of WNC.

Corbin said he began working for the preservation of Needmore two years ago. “Even though only 800 acres of the tract is in Macon County, we should do what we can to see it preserved.”

Roberts said the county should be careful. “We already have 46 to 47 percent of the county in public lands. We have to make sure that property stays under county control. We don’t want to restrict it in such a way that it becomes non-usable.”

Shepherd and Simpson both said they would like to see the land go to the original heirs or to the county.