Gene Wilson Wants to Make Mischief with Boone City Elections

If you can't beat 'em, rope in some no-zoners to vote 'em out.

Introduced into the N.C. House last Wednesday is a bill co-sponsored by our own Rep. Gene Wilson ... "ETJ Residents Vote for Council" ... which would mandate allowing residents in municipal "extra-territorial jurisdictions" to vote in municipal elections.

That would mean that residents who don't pay municipal taxes would get to vote to spend city tax-payers' money. But more to the motive: this bill would mean that residents who live under the zoning jurisdictions of those cities, but who hate zoning with a purple passion usually reserved for homosexuals and young women who have sex out of wedlock, would presumably get to vote in city elections for people with similar philosophical aversions to any controls on growth.

In the case of Boone, the residents in the ETJ would be sufficient to sway any election (and we'll try to get exact numbers soon). The no-zoners have not been able to win a majority on the Boone Town Council in a couple of election cycles now, so we see this as Rep. Gene Wilson's attempt to give 'em a leg up (like a dog against a hydrant) by means of state-wide legislation.

This hair-raising legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Election Law & Campaign Finance Reform. You can read the text of the bill here. Below are the e-mail addresses for all the Democratic members of the committee. We urge you to write 'em about this dangerous law:

Tim Moore, Chairman ... Timm@ncleg.net
Deborah Ross, Chairman ... Deborahr@ncleg.net
Paul Luebke, Vice Chairman ... Paull@ncleg.net
Mickey Michaux ... Mickeym@ncleg.net
Walt Church ... Waltc@ncleg.net
Mary Price Harrison ... Priceyh@ncleg.net
Hugh Holliman ... Hughh@ncleg.net
Edd Nye ... Eddn@ncleg.net