The North Carolina Supreme Court's recent refusal to address Asheville's suit against our local legislative representatives endorsed their right to take control of our city water system - it did not endorse the rightness of the action.
NC REP. MARTIN NESBITT
NC REP BRUCE GOFORTH
Our representatives, through Sullivan Acts II and III and the leadership of Senator Martin Nesbitt and Representative Bruce Goforth, has almost succeeded in legally stealing the City of Asheville's water system. That asset is currently valued in excess of one billion dollars and exists through the foresight of city fathers who wisely purchased the two primary reservoirs that represent the heart of this system.
By legislating control of what we can and cannot do with this asset, they are treating Asheville differently than every other city in North Carolina that owns its own water system. That action, in deference to personal, political, and special interests, represents a betrayal of responsibility and an act of unconscionable misconduct for which they are not being presently held accountable.
Asheville City Council's majority is about to enter into an agreement with Buncombe County (whose staff helped draft Sullivan Acts II and III in collusion with our state representatives) and our representatives to in essence surrender control of our water assets. This action will insure that the citizens of Asheville are permanently subjected to an inequitable arrangement that gives them pennies on the dollar for water assets that will be one of the most important commodities of the twenty first century.
In determining the validity of this call for action, several questions merit attention-
1) If the state assumes legislative control of Asheville's water assets, does that not in effect represent realistic ownership of those assets?
2) Are there any rational reasons that Asheville should be treated differently than any other city in North Carolina in managing its own water resources - including Weaverville and Hendersonville in our own back yard?
3) Is the point of contention Sullivan Act I (that was passed in the early thirties and has little or no relevancy to current water system realities but that Asheville has agreed to support in any case), or Sullivan II and III that were passed within the past few years to legislate special interests?
4) Should Asheville citizens continue to bear the burden of doubled property tax rates because they are not afforded the same rights as citizens of other communities with similar resources?
5) Should the citizens of Asheville accept this mistreatment and not hold our local legislative representatives, commissioners, and council members who are presently crafting a surrender document accountable?
Contrary to spin offered by our representatives and others, the solutions to this conflict are clear. We simply need to negotiate the same rights to Asheville that our representatives support for other cities. We can spread out implementation of that plan over a 10 year or longer period and make sure that no one is treated unfairly through excessive rate increases or other factors. Any endeavor to make this matter more complicated is simply an effort to put lipstick on a pig to conceal this reprehensible act of legislated thievery against the citizens of Asheville.
Carl Mumpower
Asheville City Council
