BooneCountyGirl
skyler the weird
Rick Barton
Joe
Wiley Coyote
Let Them Eat Cake: 2011
A disconnection exists between the people and their government these days that only seems to be growing worse at the local level. Many taxpayers wonder, “What do we have to do to get these politicians to wake up?”
Mike Fryer, an Asheville area resident and occasional political activist who has run for office, recently highlighted an alarming fact to the residents of Buncombe County; their commissioners are the best paid of any board’s in North Carolina. In fact, according the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, each part-time Buncombe County Commissioner took home more than $41,000 in average annual compensation — slightly less than the annual median household income for the community they govern.
So what did these “representatives of the people” have to say when confronted? Long-time commissioner and current board Vice Chairman Bill Stanley told the Asheville Citizen-Times, “I wouldn’t work for a penny less.”
Good thing Mr. Stanley doesn’t live in the Queen City. Mecklenburg County, the most populated county in the state, compensates its commissioners a little more than $30,000 — a third less than Buncombe County commissioners are paid.
Does this mean Buncombe County is in sound financial shape? Hardly. The county is considering cutting the budget across the board by as much as 10 percent.
Surely the commissioners are willing to feel the pinch too? Wrong again. Stanley also was quoted as saying, “I don’t think we get paid enough.”
So what are commissioners doing to earn all this money? Members of the commission will tell you they travel a lot and serve on multiple boards. Commissioner Carol Weir Peterson even suggested that their job is harder than most places because “Buncombe County has great diversity,” Jon Ostendorff reported in the Citizen-Times.
Some commissioners point to the harsh demands of understanding agriculture, governing in the mountains, and attracting tourism. Maybe they are right. No other communities deal with such things … (Note sarcasm.) As an aside, though, neighboring counties in the west pay commissioners anywhere from $13,000-$17,000 annually. Yet, those counties have more agriculture, more mountainous terrain, and fewer tourism dollars streaming in than Asheville.
What do the residents of Buncombe County think about this injustice? Some have gone after the reporters and the people who helped bring this information to light. One online post asserted that this was nothing more than “a hatchet-job by the Asheville Citizen-Times, which has become nothing but a mouthpiece for the far-right.”
How far left does one have to be to consider the Gannett owned daily paper far right?
What is on display is the irresponsibility, the apathy, of voters who have let their government run amuck. The string of arrogant abuses of power and the mismanagement of other people’s money in the Tar Heel State is long enough to cross the state three times and back. Whether it’s the corrupt actions of state or federal officials or the ivory-tower attitude of some local politicians, we should no more show outrage toward them than we should cast on ourselves. We, in fact, are the government.
For too long, when it came to holding people accountable, many have allowed themselves to get caught in tribal encampments: Democrat vs. Republican, liberal vs. conservative, rich vs. poor. These labels not only keep people apart, but also lull citizens into a blind sleep where the ineptness and misdeeds of people who belong to the same tribe become immune from redress.
When Buncombe County Commissioner and former president of Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College K. Ray Bailey responded to this controversy by saying, “[The pay] seems to be reasonable based on what I do,” we can assume that he doesn’t know what his constituents do on a daily basis.
It’s little wonder there’s a growing disdain for public office in general when many in office seem unable to understand what everyday citizens value. Their inability to relate and prioritize in a manner reflective of the general population’s expectations is astounding.
Want to cure this destructive disconnection between the people and their government? Get more of “the people” into government. Look at yourself as a manager rather than an employee. Sharpen an assertive tone and demand no less from your elected officials than you apply to your own home and business.
Maybe it’s less about getting politicians to “wake up” than it is about us taking a stand, united in common sense and accountability. After all, professional journalists didn’t bring this issue about exorbitant pay in Buncombe County to the public’s attention; an astute and assertive private citizen did.
Matt Mittan is host of “Take a Stand!”, heard Mon-Fri from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. in Asheville on News Radio 570 WWNC-AM and is a regular fill-in host on News Talk 1110 WBT-AM in Charlotte.
We need your help! If you like PunditHouse, please consider donating to us. Even $5 a month can make a difference!
Short URL: http://pundithouse.com/?p=5063
Recent Posts by Matt Mittan |
Matt, I would like to add a couple of ideas here.
The “labels” used to actually mean something, I think. (at least to a degree on major principles) So people were used to what those labels meant and did not catch on to the subterfuge behind them until recently. I blame the media for that. You know….that reliable, ethical, “watchdog over the government” that also stopped adhering to its “label” of watchdog over the government.
On people standing up to their local leaders…I honestly believe that people are terrified of the power these local leaders have now taken on by virtue of such things as NGO’s collaborating with local government on unelected initiatives like Smart Growth and Greenways, etal. Local governments, county commissioners and city councils are in charge of zoning, fines, fees, taxes, among other things. Should you stand up to these lords and (ahem) ladies, the next thing you know you might have your property condemned, rezoned, or some other handy punishment will find its way to your door. I think people are bullied by the actions local councils and commissioners are taking. (ever see the movie “Gangs of New York?) If you see it happen to a couple of other people, you are not likely to be the next one standing up, if you catch what I mean. The other thing is this; What is happening at the Federal level, is happening at the local level…voices of the people are falling on deaf ears. You can tell them all you want, stand up to them all you want, but unless the election imminent, they don’t give a flip about the concerns of the people. And even then all they do is give lip service until they are back in office.
The trouble with small government people…i.e. conservatives, is we don’t like to tell other people what to do and how to live….so we don’t want to be in political office. It’s the bureaucratic, ruling type of personalities who run for office. And that is a “Catch 22″ conundrum. I do see some stellar people standing up in Charlotte. Matthew Ridenour for one. But the numbers of people on the government dole is a fact that will keep conservatives from being elected.
Anyway, just a few thoughts here for you. I’ve enjoyed listening to you fill in for Pete….
Thanks.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
6 
0
Cheryl, Thanks for the kind words.
I certainly understand your points and they are well taken. For my own account though, I have seen first hand what it takes some times to tip the balance of the people rising up against an arrogant council or board. Some times it is the steady barrage of residents refusing to back down, sometimes it is a personal tale of emotional hardship that pulls at the heart strings of the media and other times it is flat out defiance that ignites the populace to action.
We have seen each of these tactics change the course of events in Asheville. Whether it was turning back the tide on forced annexations, rallying a petition to get a measure on the ballot that changed the city charter (against the will of the Council majority) or just re-opening an essential pedestrian bridge that had been abandoned for political reasons.
Then of course in the instance that motivated my column, one citizen made the effort and now there will be changes in Buncombe County on the matter of compensation.
Thank you again for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the dialogue.
-Matt
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
I have seen this retaliation (Tea Party activist, Tim Peck) was living in a large (former boarding house) in Montford. I believe the heavy handed manner in which 3 of the 7 tenants in that house were forced to vacate, was retaliation.
Still we have to band together against the blatant cavalier attitudes projected in the story. The more people realize that divisions among us are hurting us, that we need to stick together and root out corruption, the better. This type of thing unites folks from all sides. Personally, I’m an independent…and feel both sides need watching.
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
Interesting comment on “small government people”……i could say the same for a lot of “liberal” types…..we don’t want to tell people what to do, either, and are more often for smaller government than the “labels” would indicate……i have often wondered why so many conservatives talk about small government, but always seem to be the ones wanting to tell people what to do, who to marry, how to behave, etc…..it would seem that the types from both of these “labels” that are attracted to public office are the very ones most likely to betray these important core values…..one of the great statements from Ross Perot: “Anyone smart enough to do the job well, is smart enough not to want the job.”…..
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Right, Rob….liberals haven’t told us what car to drive or not drive, what light bulb to use, what to eat, what size house we should live in, what smart growth facades our businesses are allowed to have, how much profit is allowable, what films we should like, what creeps humans are for wrecking the planet, now what health insurance we are or are not allowed to have, and that we exhale a pollutant. Yep, those liberals, they just mind their own business.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
This is the problem with the liberal/conservative paradigm. The fact is that there are plenty of people on both sides of that divide who want to control certain aspects of other people’s lives. There are far too many liberals who want to control how other people spend their money. There are just as many conservatives who want to control the personal associations of others and what sorts of substances they choose to put into their bodies.
The sooner people of principle from both camps…people who truly believe in the “live and let live” philosophy that formed the basis of this nation…stand up to the control freaks and say, “Enough is enough! It’s no one’s business what kind of car I drive, what kind of light bulb I buy, who I marry, or what deity I worship” the better off we all will be.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
This is just awful. Elected official flagrantly taking advantage of the tax payers to their own financial gain and doing so unrepentantly. Good for Mr. Mittan for writing such a well thought out piece and I would love to see more of his stuff here.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
More Matt Mittan…..
Like or Dislike:
4 
0
Welcome to the PunditHouse family, Matt! Thanks to everyone who has commented thusfar for his warm welcome.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Thanks Christian. I’m not confident that reactions to future opinion pieces will all be so warmly embraced, but I welcome it now. LOL
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Don’t be down on yourself or doubt yourself Matt. So long as you don’t start writing fluff pieces on irrelevant issues (perish the thought) you will always evoke strong opinions and response for and against anything you say on your show or write for publication. Pundit House made a good decision to invite you to contribute and I am sure it will be one they never regret.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Thanks John. We’ll find out either way. I have accepted Pundit House’s invitation to be a contributing columnist. Thanks for the encouragement.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0