The Mint Hill Times

Tucker: design bill lacks ‘teeth’

Jun 092011

Sen. Tommy Tucker

A bill that would limit the guidelines municipalities can have in dictating the look of homes is now in committee in the state house. If passed, it could have repercussions for municipalities across the state.
Senate Bill 731, named the Zoning/Design and Aesthetic Controls bill, passed the senate on May 17 by a vote of 38-10. It was introduced by Mecklenburg County Senator Dan Clodfelter and seeks to “clarify when a municipality or a county may enact zoning ordinances related to design and aesthetic controls.”
The bill is now in committee in the state house awaiting a vote that will send it to the floor. Representatives will then vote again and send it back to the senate for the final vote.
State Senator Tommy Tucker (Dist. 35), who represents the Mint Hill area, said the version of the bill that came of the senate was softened and lacked the “teeth” it once had. He said that is why he voted for it.
“The paragraph that was limiting to municipalities was taken out,” he said. “This is a gut check for both entities—builders and municipalities.”
He said there has been very little response to the bill from the public or towns and acknowledged that towns don’t always know what’s happening in Raleigh.
Both Mint Hill and Matthews town leadership crafted a letter that voiced opposition to the bill. It will be sent to state legislators who represent the area. Continue reading »

June 9, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 12:48 pm Development, Matthews, Raleigh, Town Hall No Responses »

Tucker: ‘We have the resources to become energy independent’

May 092011

Tommy Tucker (R-35), who represents the Mint Hill area in the North Carolina Senate, released this video about an energy bill he is co-sponsoring with Bob Rucho and Harry Brown.

The bill, predictably called the Energy Jobs Act, will make off shore drilling for natural gas possible in the state, as well as other energy exploration.

May 9, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 12:54 pm Environment, Raleigh No Responses »

Myrick responds to the death of Osama Bin Laden

May 022011

Despite a time of hyper-partisanship, politicians across the nation are putting aside differences to congratulate the troops and intelligence personnel who found and killed Osama Bin Laden over the weekend. US Representative Sue Myrick (NC-09) released this statement today:

“We owe a debt of gratitude to our troops and our intelligence officials for finally bringing Osama Bin Laden to justice, and I want to thank them for their tireless work and untold sacrifice in keeping our country safe.

“However, as the President said last night, we must not waiver in our commitment to bring an end to terrorism around the world, especially in the Arabian Peninsula and Yemen where al-Qaeda continues to gain strength. While we can celebrate the end of Osama Bin Laden’s reign over al-Qaeda, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure the safety and security of the American people”.

May 2, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 11:47 am Washington No Responses »

Lottery winner signs check over to mother-in-law

Apr 262011

If only all mothers-in-law could be so lucky. Last week, Paula Milwood, a store clerk from Gastonia, was excited to see that her son-in-law scratched off the top prize in the N.C. Education Lottery’s $200,000 Cash game just a day after her grandson was born. Moments later, she was shocked when he handed her the winning ticket, saying “You keep it.”

“He just handed it to me and said I deserved it,” Milwood said. “He told me that I would know what to do with it. I didn’t know what to say.” The ticket was purchased at the Kingsway on Kendrick Road in Gastonia, where Milwood works. She plans to use her winnings, worth $136,001, to purchase a home for her family and possibly season passes to Carowinds amusement park.

“I feel like a big weight has been lifted,” Milwood added. “This is fantastic.” As of Monday afternoon, three top prizes remain to be claimed in the $200,000 Cash game.

In other lottery news, Carolina Cash 5 players in the Charlotte area need to check their numbers. One ticket matched all five numbers (9 – 11 – 14 – 31 – 37) in the Thursday, April 21 drawing and is worth $773,609. The jackpot had rolled since the April 9 drawing. This is the highest top prize in the game since the June 4, 2010 drawing when two players from Mebane and Hillsborough split the $823,652 prize. The largest single-winner Carolina Cash 5 claim occurred in November, 2007 when a player from Greenville matched all five numbers and won $856,988.

April 26, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 3:02 pm Good deeds, Raleigh No Responses »

Myrick has many questions about U.S. involvement in Libya

Mar 292011

It should come as no surprise U.S. Representative Sue Myrick (NC-09) was not a big fan of President Barack Obama’s speech last night on Libya. In a statement released today, she said the U.S. needs a clear concise plan as the U.S. and other countries ramp up involvement in the Muslim country.

“Conflicting reports and interviews have been coming from members of the Administration on what exactly the goal is regarding Libya and how to achieve it. Last night’s speech from President Obama didn’t really help in finding an answer. We don’t need speeches; we need a clear, concise plan. We need to know the extent of U.S. involvement, the ultimate goal, and how long U.S. involvement will last in order to accomplish this goal. Success in Libya needs a definition. Continue reading »

March 29, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 7:49 pm Washington 1 Response »

House Majority Whip To Join Myrick In Charlotte

Mar 212011

House Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy will join Congresswoman Sue Myrick for a luncheon in Charlotte on Monday, March 28.

Congressman McCarthy was elected as the Republican Whip, the third-highest position in House leadership, by his colleagues at the beginning of the 112th Congress. Congressman McCarthy also represents the 22nd Congressional district of California.

“I’m excited to welcome Congressman McCarthy to Charlotte,” said Congresswoman Myrick. “I know that his insight into the serious issues our country faces will be much appreciated by all who attend”.

The luncheon will take place at The Westin Charlotte from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm on Monday, March 28. For more information, go to www.suemyrick.com.

March 21, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 12:54 pm Washington No Responses »

Tucker, other senators, seek change in state constitution

Mar 072011

Tommy Tucker, who represents the Mint Hill area in the North Carolina state senate, is partnering with Sens. Tom Apodaca of Henderson County and Pete Brunstetter of Forsyth County in an attempt to change the state constitution so that the governor would run with a lieutenant governor as a team. This is similar to the way the president and vice President run on one ticket. The bill would also limit legislature leadership to three consecutive two-terms.

March 7, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 1:49 pm Politics, Raleigh No Responses »

Myrick Named Chairman of Intelligence Subcommittee

Mar 072011

US Representative Sue Myrick (NC-09) has been named the chairman of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence.

“I am excited and honored to have been selected to serve as Chairman of the Subcommittee,” Rep. Myrick said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the important issues under its jurisdiction, and ensuring the safety and security of the American people”.

Rep. Myrick was first selected by House Leadership to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2009.

March 7, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 1:39 pm Washington No Responses »

Goodall thanks former colleagues for passing charter school bill

Mar 012011

Former State Senator Eddie Goodall, who represented the Mint Hill area before he chose not to run again last year, had some kind words for his former colleagues last week when they passed Senate Bill 8. The legislation would lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state. Goodall is now President of the North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools. As a senator, he pushed tirelessly fought for lifting the cap on charters. Here’s his letter to the State Senate:

Honorable Senators,

The Alliance Board of Directors asked me to thank you all for your historic support of the education “little guys”, the public charter schools. Special thanks to the leadership of the sponsor, Sen. Stevens, as well as the Education Co-Chairs, Sens. Tillman, Preston, and Soucek. We are also proud of those of you speaking on the senate floor for SB 8 at the second reading Wednesday. Continue reading »

March 1, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 12:02 pm Raleigh, Schools 1 Response »

Longtime Myrick Aide To Depart

Feb 232011

US Representative Sue Myrick announced that her long-time Chief of Staff, Hal Weatherman will be leaving in March to become National Communications and Marketing Director for Act for America, a national non-profit organization dedicated to national security and terrorism related issues. Weatherman has been with Myrick since 1995, having served the last 12 years as her Chief of Staff.

“It’s been an awesome experience that I will treasure the rest of my life, but I’m ready to do something else, and this opportunity will allow me to focus on the national security issues that I care most about on a much larger scale,” said Weatherman.

“It would be impossible to exaggerate Hal’s value to my office. This move affords him the ability to pursue a vital shared objective without government restrictions,” said Myrick.

February 23, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 2:42 pm Washington No Responses »

Welcome to Raleigh, Tommy Tucker

Feb 222011

State Senator Tommy Tucker (Dist 35), who represents the Mint Hill area in the N.C. Senate, took a drubbing from the folks at The Progressive Pulse, a liberal public policy organization. Tucker’s questions at a recent HHS Appropriations Subcommittee drew consternation from The Progressive Pulse because they “showed just how far he has to go to get up to speed.”

Today, he posed a series of questions and statements that showed just how far he has to go to get up to speed.

His first question, posed to HHS Secretary and former Republican legislator Lanier Cansler, was about how many “illegal aliens” the Department served.

Really, Senator? That’s your first big question about North Carolina’s safety net programs?

Tucker doesn’t have a lot of political experience, and will probably admit that he has a lot to learn. But asking how much the state invests in illegal, or undocumented, people in North Carolina is a perfectly reasonable question to ask. Yes, illegal immigration is mostly a federal issue, but Tucker is asking a question that the constituents who elected him want him to ask. He may not be up to speed the way the Progressive Pulse wants him to be, but the people in Union County and Mint Hill who he represents probably don’t care.

February 22, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 12:00 pm Raleigh No Responses »

County proposal could increase Mint Hill’s ETJ taxes

Feb 182011

Mecklenburg County Land Use and Environmental Services Director Cary Saul gave a presentation at last Thursday’s Mint Hill Board of Commissioners meeting about creating fire districts to help the county offset the $2 million a year it gives volunteer fire departments.
However, Town Manager Brian Welch expressed a lukewarm reaction to the plan and said he would like to run more numbers before he recommends for the board of commissioners to sign on to the plan.
The county is looking to create fire districts that will be administered by five towns within the county. A new tax would be imposed on those living within the Extraterritorial Jurisdictions to help offset the cost of running VFDs. The towns would then be responsible for divvying up the funds to the VFDs. Continue reading »

February 18, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 6:08 pm Around Town, Development, Government No Responses »

Matthews wins Centralina Council of Governments award

Feb 142011

From left: Hazen Blodgett, Matthews Town Manager; Annette Privette Keller, Matthews Communications Director; Jim Taylor, Mayor of Matthews; Jeff Miller, Matthews Town Board Member

The Town of Matthews won the Excellence in Service to Citizens for their Library volunteers Program. Centralina Council of Governments (CCOG) presented their Annual Awards at the Meeting of the CCOG Board of Delegates on February 9, 2011. The awards celebrate the work of member governments and honor the outstanding achievements which work collectively to achieve regional goals.

CCOG member governments were encouraged to nominate innovative projects from their jurisdictions which have contributed to significant and positive advancements in the area.

In the spring of 2010, the Town of Matthews received word from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library System that they would not be able to meet budget needs and the closing of the Matthews branch library was imminent.

The Matthews branch, along with others in the county, were slated to close and the library system was asking the Town as well as other municipalities in the county to make significant funding contributions in order to save the closing of the branches.

Each year the library pays rent to the Town for occupying the space. During a Special Meeting of the Town Board on June 21, the Town offered to forgo the rent for the library for 2010-11. This amounted to $204,000. The Town also agreed to recruit and help train volunteers, which would allow the branch to stay open a minimum of five days a week.

Centralina Council of Governments is the state-designated lead regional organization of central Carolina’s nine-
county region.

February 14, 2011 Posted by Tim Long at 5:57 pm Government, Matthews No Responses »

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