At Its 1st Meeting with 2 New Republican Members, Watauga CoCommish Votes To Spend Money Advancing the Cause of Affordable Housing

 

Castle and Eggers last night

Last night, with newly installed Republican members Braxton Eggers and Todd Castle and presided over by new Commish Chair Larry Turnbow, the board voted unanimously to approve $52,300 for an affordable housing study of an 8-acre tract of county-owned land near Brookshire Park. The proposed study is the result of the interest generated for affordable/workforce housing at last spring's "housing forums."

As a result of those well attended forums, the dormant Watauga County Community Housing Trust was reactivated with County Planner Joe Furman serving on the board of directors. Furman initiated discussions with the UNC School of Government's Development Finance Initiative (DFI), which is charged with helping counties with economic development projects. 

The DFI subsequently presented a proposal for technical services to the county "to attract a private development partner for the development of housing for low- and moderate-income households" on the Brookshire Road site. The proposed "technical assistance" was priced to the county at $62,300, but the High Country Assoc. of Realtors and NC Realtors Assoc. have pledged $10,000 to help underwrite this study. The DFI estimates the study and recruitment of a private partner to take seven months. (The full scope of the "technical assistance" that DFI is promising gets outlined on pages 29-30 here.)

If people were expecting the election of Republican members to the Commish to signal cantankerous wrangling over the spending of public money, it certainly didn't happen last night. Affordable housing appears to retain its salience for both sides.

An Unexpected Republican Retirement from NC House

John Blust

John Blust, Republican member of the NC House (District 57), has just announced that he will not be running for reelection this year. That suddenly opens the door a little wider for Democratic challenger Ashton Clemmons (who was written about here on February 1).

That retirement seems like a pretty big deal and it comes rather late, on the opening day of filing, which means Republicans in Guilford County may be scrambling about now.

While John Blust retires, his brother David Blust intends to take another shot at Watauga County commission. He'll be running against Democrat Larry Turnbow, who beat him in 2016.

The Change-Over in Watauga County Government

This morning the Watauga County Commission came under Democratic control after six years under the Republicans. With the swearing in of newly elected Democratic Commissioner Larry Turnbow and the seating of Democratic Commissioner John Welch as the new Chair of the Board, Watauga enters a new era.

Equally consequential: the firing of the Eggers Eggers Eggers and Eggers law firm as counsel and the hiring of the di Santi, Watson, Capua, Wilson, & Garrett law firm. No more "Four" Eggers, and for that, we thank you!

Everything was harmony and light this morning. Republican Commissioner Perry Yates nominated John Welch for the chairmanship and expressed his eagerness to work together with the new Democratic majority. All votes after that were unanimous (granted, there was nothing controversial on the agenda).

North Carolina Gets a New Governor

The winning margin is razor thin -- 2,281,851 for Roy Cooper v. 2,276,850 for Pat McCrory -- but there are some 100,000+ provisional ballots still to be counted, including 500 in Watauga County, so we expect that margin to grow wider with Cooper still on top. Plus the narrowness of the win will trigger an automatic recount in all 100 counties.

Everyone will be watching the opening of the provisional ballots and the recount, perhaps no one with more self-interest than Bill Aceto, chair of the Watauga Board of Elections. We believe his four-year reign over ballot access in Watauga is over.

The four-year reign of Four Eggers as county attorney is certainly over, as Larry Turnbow defeated David Blust for the County Commission. Control of the commission passes to the Democratic team of John Welch, Billy Kennedy, and Larry Turnbow, so Eggers will be history as county attorney.

There may have been a red tide in North Carolina but not so much in Watauga.

Congratulations to Mr. Trump for winning the presidency, the first man in history to win the office without serving a single day in any elected office nor a single day in the military. Those who have felt unjustly stymied from expressing racist attitudes will now feel free. And we'll look forward to Mr. Trump's mid-term election in 2018.