week of 4/24/02
 
 
 

EDC chairman has been source of many problems
SMN
Last Thursday evening at the Jackson County commissioner’s meeting, I reluctantly found myself forced into a political corner where I felt there was no other choice left than for me to make some very critical and serious remarks about the competency and integrity of recent actions and decisions of the Economic Development Commission and the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

As chairman of the citizen’s action group based in the Qualla area, I represent a large group of people who have worked very hard over the last year toward a goal of trying to protect everyone in Jackson County from a very serious threat we have come to know only too well. We do not believe that certain types of industry which produce unusually large amounts of pollution, noise, and/or foul odors should be able to move into any of our peaceful neighborhoods without restriction and destroy the quality of life of residents who live there.

We have tried over the last year to participate in a process with county government to create a polluting industries ordinance. However, we have all too often found ourselves ignored or been forced to stand by and watch while a process that was originally scheduled to last for the summer, and then until December, has been allowed to drag out for nearly a year.

Frankly, I was so angry, frustrated and saddened by what I’d heard and witnessed at various county meetings last week,that I cannot be certain of exactly what all I did say at the county commission meeting. I had no time to prepare or consider my words. And yet, so far as I am aware, I meant every word I said. My civil rights, and the rights of all the citizens I represent, were repeatedly ignored last week by the EDC. I also observed a gross example of incompetence in the process of drafting the ordinance we have worked for.

However, it is not my intent to repeat myself here. I suspect the press will report on what happened and what was said at last Thursday’s meeting. I write this letter to make it clear that words I spoke in frustration last week do not necessarily apply to all members of the EDC, or to all commissioners, or any other members of county government. There are people who deserve much credit, and this letter is intended to try to balance my criticism of last week.

I believe the volunteer members of the EDC to be good people, donating their time to improve the quality of life in Jackson County. I suspect that most, if not all, of the EDC members had little or no knowledge of the fact that Mr. Tom McClure, the chairman of the EDC, has resisted or neglected giving us notification of public government meetings, and more recently, to allow us access to public documents.

I wish to make it perfectly clear that I totally accept the explanation of Joan Stillwell, who is secretary to the secretary of the EDC, about a simple mistake made by her that resulted in my not being notified of the EDC’s Wednesday night work session by mail, as would be standard procedure. However, while I believe that mistake to be perfectly honest, it was not she who forced our group to go through a humiliating experience of filing under state law for notification of meetings, even when our local commissioner and the county manager assured me that such was unnecessary.

And since I came to the Monday night meeting of the EDC, where I asked the chairman of the EDC numerous questions about the progress of the ordinance, he had every opportunity to inform me of the planned Wednesday night special work session on the ordinance or the Thursday night joint work session between the EDC and the commissioners. Inexplicably, he neglected to do so.

At least three members of the EDC have, in my opinion, made special efforts or demonstrated particular political courage, in speaking out for the rights of people in Jackson County to try to protect themselves from polluting industry. Mark Leonard, Jay Coward, and, Ron Stephens have all very clearly struggled with their responsibility to be fair to business interests while preserving quality of life, and yet have tried especially hard to support preserving our rural neighborhoods. And despite my concerns about several actions of the chairman of the EDC, and my frustration that much of the important information gathered by the EDC was never relayed to the commissioners, or was represented inaccurately, it is clear to me that all of the EDC members do want to preserve the quality of life in Jackson County.

I also need to anonymously thank a few people who work in connection with county government who have greatly helped us understand and exercise our rights as citizens and helped us obtain information about what was going on “behind the scenes.” I am reluctant to publicly name such people without having time to get their consent, but I need to express that there are many people who believe in an open and fair county government, who will come to the assistance of people struggling for positive change.

I want to make it perfectly clear that although I was very critical of the board of commissioners as a group, at least two of our county commissioners — Stacy Buchanan and Roberta Crawford — are clearly trying to support the wishes and concerns of the overwhelming majority of people in Jackson County to protect the quality of life in residential neighborhoods. The other three commissioners, through some inexplicable logic I have yet to hear explained, appear to believe that the people of Jackson County should be happy to live, potentially, less than a tenth of a mile from an asphalt plant, although they are to be protected from having a junkyard, mining operation, or other heavy industry within a half mile of any residence under the proposed ordinance.

I am completely supportive of the concerns recently expressed about junkyards in Jackson County, and am very happy, personally, to see future junkyards restricted by this standard. But to suggest that a junkyard is somehow a worse neighbor than an asphalt plant is simply absurd. Asphalt plants put out literally tons of air pollution, foul odors, a constant drone of loud noise from a mixer tumbling gravel and a burner comparable to a jet engine roaring continuously. Asphalt plants also require a constant procession of heavy dump truck traffic bringing gravel in and asphalt out.

The Ashe County ordinance that has already withstood federal court challenges and is being used as a model calls for a minimum 1,000-feet separation between asphalt plants and any residence. Surely the people of Jackson County deserve at least that level of protection and cannot allow it to be diluted in half.

To his credit, commission Chairman Jay Denton generously volunteered to remain late after the commissioner’s meeting, and offered to explain his reasoning and listen to the public. We heard his concerns about needing to fairly represent all interests in Jackson County. He was willing to listen to information we have heard over the last year that seems to have gotten lost in this long process and never made it to the commissioners. Mr. Denton promised to give our words careful consideration and reconsider whether he could vote with commissioners Buchanan and Crawford to provide more substantial protection regarding the siting of asphalt plants.

Throughout this past year, and especially in this last week, members of the press have greatly assisted our group by reporting or otherwise sharing information that was very important to our desire to participate in local government. A Smoky Mountain News article originally alerted us to the fact that the EDC had made very little effort to provide public notice of their meeting with Mr. Fortner last summer. Lisa Duff and Rose Hooper of the Sylva Herald have each several times shared information that kept us from being left totally in the dark on actions of the EDC. Had it not been for their assistance, we would perhaps never have found out about several important EDC meetings, including two this past week, nor discovered that public documents I was told didn’t exist were actually readily available.

Hopefully, this letter will serve to make it clear that neither I nor the group I represent believe that the Jackson County government as a whole is incompetent or dishonest. We have received valuable assistance from more people than we have received resistance from. Yet, I have to say that in this case, I believe too much power and responsibility was given to an appointed body of volunteers, and especially to their chairman, without appropriate oversight. And it has significantly hurt our cause, creating mistrust and tension between citizens and their government that was completely unnecessary.

On May 2, from 5-7 p.m., there will be a public hearing on the proposed new ordinance that we have been working for. Our group intends to attempt to present a summary overview of information collected and presented over the last year. We fear much of this information was forgotten or otherwise misplaced somewhere along the way and never made it to the people making the decisions. I urge everyone in Jackson County to recognize that this ordinance effects us all, and to lend support to our effort to get the best protection we can for our neighborhoods. Please attend the May 2 public hearing and join us in asking for protection from undesirable industries invading our quiet residential neighborhoods.

Robert Franz
Chairman, Qualla Community
Development Council