Politicians comment on I77 from cyberspace

Politicians at all levels of government had something to say last week on the I77 HOT lanes.  Here are a few of the gems collected from cyberspace before and after the project’s financial close amid swelling opposition.

In an email to one area residents posted to the Exit 28 Ridiculousness Facebook page, US Senator and former Speaker of the NC House, Thom Tillis had this to say regarding the project.

From US Senator Thom Tillis - May 19th, 1:18pm-

“I understand your concerns about the NCDOT I-77 Express Lanes project.  However, the responsibility for this issue falls under the jurisdiction of the state, not the federal, government.  Therefore I would recommend that you contact your State Senator and State Representatives and share your concerns with them.”

It takes an impressive amount of chutzpah to send that to a constituent when you yourself had been the state Representative just a short time ago who had the most influence to actually stop the project.

One of my early blog posts on the HOT lanes project from way back in March 2013 was titled “HOT Lanes: The Empire Strikes Back”.  It recounts WidenI77.org activists trekking to Raleigh to do exactly what Senator Thom Tillis suggests in this email.  They went to meet their then-Representative, Thom Tillis, to discuss their concerns.  Instead of a meeting with their Representative, they were met by a room full of people including, NCDOT staff, consultants, and even media listening on the phone.

As you can imagine that meeting didn't go well.

Also last Tuesday, former Cornelius Mayor Lynette Rinker posted the below to County Commissioner Matthew Ridenhour’s Facebook page.  The post came as the County Commission prepared to vote unanimously asking for a delay in the project.

From former Mayor Lynette Rinker May 19th 6:18pm -

“Matthew If it were as easy to get money as the opponents say don't you think this would have gone away long ago. Also just putting GP lanes to exit 28 or 30 solves nothing. This is about winning for the sake of winning.‬‬”

As Mayor, Rinker cast the tie breaker in favor of tolls when it came before the Cornelius Board in a surprise vote in May of 2013.  She knows a little about “winning for the sake of winning”.  Ms Rinker now serves as the MeckGOP Vice Chair where that skill-set will likely come in handy.

The next day, the below appeared on Governor McCrory’s Facebook page after a speech to the Republican Governors Association.  It came just hours after the deal with Cintra was inked.

From Governor McCrory May 20th 2:43 pm –

“It was great to join fellow governors and leaders from across the country to discuss the need to invest in our state's infrastructure and transportation to prepare for the future. North Carolina is leading the way in finding innovative ways to fund those generational investments without raising taxes through initiatives like our Connect NC bonds.”

It is telling that the Governor specifically mentions the Connect NC Bonds while keeping mum on the HOT lanes.  If he was proud of what his NCDOT had done earlier that very day by signing a 50 year contract with Cintra, don't you think he would have mentioned it?

Finally, there’s this from District 1 County Commissioner, Jim Puckett.  His comments are a breath of fresh air in their directness after so much political double-talk.

In an email from Puckett posted on Facebook by former Cornelius Commissioner William Rakatansky, Puckett unloads and says what many in this area are thinking.

From Commissioner Jim Puckett on May 20th 5:02pm –

“I have been informed NCDOT has signed the final documents for I-77. I find this impossible to believe. To ignore the request to delay of five elected bodies and instead accelerate the signing of the contract that further obligates the State of NC to $80 mil. is the single most insulting and arrogant act of governance I have witnessed in my 18 years of politics. For the first time in my life I am ashamed of being part of the political process, Watergate, Clinton’s affair, Easley’s shady land deals Patrick Cannon’s bags of cash were all driven by personal gain, this however was government acting against the request of the governed without even the decency of a response.”


Puckett’s strong words call out perfectly everything that is wrong with this situation in particular.  At the same time, the other three comments offer up a trifecta of what’s wrong with our government at the Federal, State and Local levels in general.  It's government where politicians refuse to take responsibility for what they've done to those they supposedly represent

This post first appeared in the Herald Weekly at huntersvilleherald.com

Hudson Files for NC House 98

Thursday afternoon, things got a little more interesting here in North Mecklenburg in the race for the Republican nomination for NC House 98.

Conservative activist Sharon Hudson of Huntersville filed for office today seeking the Republican nomination in the race to replace Thom Tillis in the Legislature - bringing the total to three candidates on the Republican side.

Hudson is a founder of the new Lake Norman Conservatives activist group, and she has been active in Republican Party politics in the local area.  Last year she was involved in many of the efforts opposing the HOT Lanes project for widening I77 including the efforts to get a resolution opposing HOT lanes passed at the MeckGOP convention and getting a plank added to the NCGOP party platform opposing the toll lanes.

In the primary race Hudson faces John Bradford and Lynette Rinker of Cornelius.  Both Rinker and Bradford served as elected officials during last year's raging debate on the HOT lanes project - casting crucial local votes in support of the effort.

Even though anti-toll candidates generally came up short during the 2013 election cycle, a three way race where this is an issue once again could yield some excitement.  A split "establishment" vote between Bradford and Rinker opens up the possibility that no candidate gets to 40% of the vote in the May primary.  That would force a high-stakes, mid-summer, run-off in a low turn out second primary.

If Ms. Hudson makes it into a run-off as the sole anti-toll candidate, it could be a real toss-up and anyone's guess how that will turn out.

NC House 98 Fundraising: Abortion and Big Dollars Top Stories

The first round of campaign finance reports came in last week for the race to replace Thom Tillis in NC House District 98, and as usual when you follow the money some interesting things pop up.

On Democratic Party side of the race, Davidson resident Natasha Marcus reports a very respectable sum of $47,379.03 in total receipts with $39,435.95 on hand.  This comes from a donor base of over 140 including some Davidson politicos - Commissioner Rodney Graham, Former Commissioner Margo Williams, and Former Davidson Mayor Randall Kincaid. Notably, the total receipts includes only a $500 loan from the candidate, so if Ms. Marcus decides to put in any sizable amount of her own money she will certainly have enough to remain competitive financially.

Most of Marcus's donations came from the local area or from what appear to be family members, but one donation stood out - a $2528 contribution from the campaign committee of former State Senator Eleanor Kinnaird (D-Chatham, Orange).  A little research reveals that Sen Kinnaird has long been supported by Lillian's List - North Carolina's leading lobbying group opposing restrictions on abortion.  The group is modeled off of Emily's List, the national group that is Kay Hagan's largest supporter.  Here's how the organization describes itself on its website.

"Lillian’s List of NC is a statewide community of individuals who work to recruit, train, promote and support pro-choice progressive women running for public office in North Carolina. We are modeled after EMILY’s List and provide financial, strategic, and political support to women serving in the state legislature and the Council of State. We also strategically recruit new candidates committed to reproductive freedom and equality for women."  

The site also states that during the last election cycle Lillian's List and its supporters funneled over $250,000 to its favored list of candidates.  When Senator Kinnaird liquidated her campaign fund after resigning her office last year, the last two donations went to two other candidate campaign committees, those for Natasha Marcus in NC98 and Kim Hanchette NC49 - the two candidates currently highlighted on Lillian's List.

It remains to be seen if abortion will be a major issue in the NC98 race, but this donation combined with others from Lillian's List fundraisers and member donors likely will make this interest group the largest combined donor group to the Marcus campaign.

On the Republican side, the big story is the huge campaign war chest Cornelius Commissioner John Bradford has amassed - $154,000.  Yes, you read that right!  What makes this interesting is that it comes almost entirely in the form of a personal loan from Bradford to his campaign.  Certainly, the campaign will be bringing in quite a few donations, but at this point it's almost all Bradford's own money.

Self-funding of campaigns is not uncommon.  For example, when Thom Tillis ran for this same seat in 2006, he loaned his campaign a total of just over $100,000 out of total fundraising of around $150,000.  What makes the Bradford loan different is that he's loaning the money all at one time.  Tillis loaned the money in eight different installments over the course of the campaign.

And that's where things get even more interesting.  It appears Bradford may have been originally planning on taking that same approach of loaning money in chunks, but changed his mind.  According to the filing documents, Bradford loaned his campaign $10,000 on Christmas Eve.  However, the documents also show that the loan was repaid the same day.  Then, on December 26th, Bradford made the much larger $150,000 loan.  The information about the original $10,000 loan did not show up in the campaign finance reports until the report filed this past Monday, February 4th.  In the original paperwork filed by the campaign back in December, it looked like a single loan had been made when in fact there had been two.

So, why the change of mind?  Two possible explanations come to mind.

1.  $10,000 doesn't scare anybody in politics.  On the other hand, $150,000 sends a message.  For example, Bradford's only announced Republican opponent, former Cornelius Mayor Lynette Rinker, has only $3000 on hand according to her campaign finance reports for the same period.  Who knows? Bradford's war chest, might scare her off from even filing if it's clear she can't compete financially.

2.  Bradford likely has strong expectations of future fundraising, and maybe he expects to be able to pay himself back quickly during the campaign.  He has already lined up an impressive list of endorsements from elected officials, and he appears to be running an extensive campaign.  It's possible that he has been well assured of getting back some of his money sooner rather than later.  Again by comparison, it took Thom Tillis's campaign until 2013 to pay back just $50,000 of the loans he made his campaign.

Big-money is a big part of big-time politics.  Where that money comes from and how much is spent frequently drives campaign issues and the outcomes.  In this very Republican leaning district according to the latest Civitas Partisan Index, how this plays out will be something to watch.

A house divided...

cannot stand is the saying.

While I don't think that saying really applies to the Republican Party here in North Mecklenburg, things are going to get very messy over the next few months.

Tuesday saw the announcement of a new group forming in the area called Lake Norman Conservatives.  The group's first event is ambitious - a candidate forum for the US Senate race.  Three of the five announced candidates are apparently confirmed, but that list does not include Speaker Thom Tillis of Cornelius.  I'd be surprised if he does.

This new group has its genesis in the controversy over toll roads - a controversy that has its roots in the actions of our elected officials - primarily Republicans. (See here, here, and here for just a few examples.)  Those actions were bound to ultimately end in this result - a division within the ranks of the conservative movement in the area.  Regardless of what happens from here on out, people need to remember where the blame really lies for that.

There are good, committed people on both sides of this dividing line, and I hate to see them lining up against each other.

Wednesday saw the entry of recently re-elected Cornelius Commissioner John Bradford into the NC House 98 race to represent North Mecklenburg in the NC Legislature.  This is the second time in two election cycles where a Cornelius elected official announced plans to run for a higher office immediately after a municipal election cycle - the other time being when then newly re-elected Mayor Tarte jumped into the primary for NC Senate 41.  Tarte was successful and maybe Bradford will be too.  However, if I was a Cornelius voter I'd be pretty annoyed with my Town Board repeatedly being seen as a stepping stone to higher office.

During the last campaign when Bradford was the target of the "Fire Bradford" signs posted by the Widen I77 activist group, the campaign pushed back by releasing a long list of endorsements.  One of those endorsers had this to say...

Local businessman Joshua Dobi, expressed concern if Bradford were not to be re-elected. “Considering the amount of turnover we have had on the Commission this year I would be very worried if John Bradford were not to be re-elected to the Cornelius Town Commission. His service is vital to the health of our town government. 

Apparently, Bradford does not share that same "worry".

Expect to see comments coming out of the Bradford camp like "this just came up", or "people started asking me to run" etc, etc.  Do not believe them.  The rumor that Bradford was thinking of running has been circulating for a while now.  The first bit of evidence received here was less than ten days after the last election.  Also, comments by the other announced Republican in the race, Lynette Rinker, make it sound like she might have had the inside scoop a while ago.  In hindsight, her references in her campaign announcement to being "a full-time legislator and working for you will be my only job” may be an attempt differentiate herself from Bradford who owns a real estate management business.

This race will be interesting to watch, but frankly, as a conservative, neither announced candidate excites me all that much.  The biggest local issue this year has been the widening of I77 with tolls and both of these candidates come down on the wrong side of that issue.  They are in the same camp as the person who they are trying to replace - Speaker Thom Tillis.  It's hard to see many of the local activists I know supporting either of them enthusiastically.  What would make it more interesting is if a third candidate jumps into the race.

I can think of a few people who I'd like to see, but unfortunately, there is no chatter, swirl, rumor or innuendo to report on the possibility of that.

Setting the stage for who'll replace Thom Tillis in NC-98

The storyline of who will replace NC Speaker, Thom Tillis, as the North Mecklenburg Representative in the General Assembly started to officially take shape this week with outgoing Cornelius mayor, Lynette Rinker (Rep), throwing her hat in the ring.  Her announcement comes in the last month before she steps down to be replaced by Mayor-elect Chuck Travis.

When Ms Rinker decided earlier this year that she would not seek re-election to the mayor's post, one of her stated reasons included plans to seek higher office.  Speculation immediately centered on the NC House 98 seat that would be vacant with fellow Cornelian, Thom Tillis, deciding to run for US Senate.  In what was surely an unintended swipe at another fellow Cornelian, NC Senator Jeff Tarte, Rinker said at the time to CorneliusNews.net “As I consider other offices that are up for up for election in 2014, it just didn’t seem right to file and run for mayor if I’m looking ahead at something else.”  Rinker was elevated to mayor from commissioner when her predecessor, Jeff Tarte, decided to run for State Senate almost immediately after winning re-election as Cornelius's mayor.

How Rinker's candidacy plays with local Republicans remains to be seen.

As mayor her biggest achievement has arguably been carrying water for toll road supporters in Raleigh who want to widen I-77 with HOT lanes.  Those supporters include NC-98 current office holder, Speaker Thom Tillis. 

Back in January of this year, Rinker was fairly defensive in this video at being accused of supporting HOT lanes.  By the time spring rolled around, she had obviously changed her tune - casting the tie-breaker in a surprise vote on Cornelius's Board to officially support tolls on I-77.  Only time will tell, but this tie-breaking vote on tolls potentially puts Mayor Rinker in the same company as former Mayor Bill Thunberg of Mooresville - meaning, a mayor who cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of a highly controversial project that did not really pass the "common sense" test.   Mayor Thunberg cast the tie-breaker that effectively created the Mi-Connection cable company - a decision that has gone disastrously for the towns of Mooresville and Davidson.  We all need to hope that Mayor Rinker's tie-breaker for tolls does not lead to a similar result for the entire region.

In light of all that, another way to look at Ms Rinker's decision to not run for re-election as mayor is that she did not want to face a potentially tough re-election fight similar to what just played out in Huntersville.  In Cornelius's southern neighbor, Mayor Jill Swain, won re-election last week by a mere 27 votes after a bare-knuckle fight against toll road opponents.  With Cornelius also being a hotbed of anti-toll sentiment, running for re-election - and potentially losing - would not be a politically smart move for one angling for higher office.  Losing one office just before seeking another is not a winning strategy.  (See the results for Council/Congressional/Mayoral candidate Edwin Peacock as an example.)

Add to all of the above the fact that the battle over toll roads these past few months has in fact taken a toll on many conservative activists, and the stage is set for a closer and more interesting race than might be expected in this heavily Republican leaning district.

Enter stage left, Democrat Natasha Marcus of Davidson whose campaign sent out a press release Thursday indicating her intentions towards this open seat.

Ms Marcus has been a leading progressive activist in the North Mecklenburg area, and her home base of operation during the campaign will likely center around Davidson's Precinct 206.  The final stop of her campaign kick-off tour around the district will end at Summit Coffee on Davidson's main street with Davidson Mayor, John Woods, MCing the event. (See Davidson Village...Last Bastion for Democrats in the LKN Area. for background on this precinct.)

While any Democrat running in this district faces a steep up-hill climb, Ms Marcus will bring advantages with her.

Her leadership role in local progressive activist groups will provide a base of volunteers.  She knows the issues and will be able to capitalize on certain social issues if they enter the campaign.  For example Precinct 206, centered around Davidson College, cast more votes against Amendment 1 last year than any precinct in Mecklenburg County except for one.  Finally, she will have a solid team of people supporting her.

While I don't know Ms Marcus other than to recognize her from around Davidson - often seeing her registering voters at the farmers market, I do know some of the people who will be helping and advising in her campaign.  She will have a team that is both focused and dedicated.  Expect them to approach this effort with a steely-eyed professionalism.  Do not expect them to make any big mistakes.  They write checks.  More importantly, they know people who write checks.

Will they be able to pull it off?  Who knows?

One thing is for sure, this story is going to have a number of subplots before the curtain falls next November and the first of those subplots may very well be if/when another actor shows up to give either of these ladies a primary challenge.

With candidate filing only one week away, the surprises start...

Candidate filing for our local municipal elections starts in one week and the first surprise rolled in this Wednesday.  Cornelius Mayor Lynette Rinker sent out a press release saying she would not be entering the race for re-election.  Here's the story from CorneliusNews.net.

Mayor Rinker's stated reason for not standing for reelection is that she has her eye on higher office and didn't want to leave Cornelius in the lurch by running for Mayor if she was planning on leaving...

“If I’m looking at other options, I just couldn’t tell the people of Cornelius that I’m committing for 2 more years when I may not be,” she said. “That is my personal decision and the way (husband) Mark and I are. I didn’t feel as if I could look people in the eye and ask for their votes, knowing I was leaving.” - from CorneliusNews.net

That's an honorable position, but a somewhat awkward one considering that it almost sounds like a swipe at former Cornelius Mayor and now State Senator, Jeff Tarte, who did just that during the last round of municipal elections elections in Cornelius.   Ironically, his quest for higher office which started soon after winning reelection is what put Mayor Rinker in her current office.

However, one also has to wonder if there's more to this decision as mentioned in this piece over at the Huntersville Herald.  The Herald reminds readers that Mayor Rinker has been a solid supporter of the I-77 HOT lanes project.  She drew attention at the WidenI77.org event at Cornelius Town Hall back in January.  (See video of that here: HOT Lane Opponents Pack Cornelius Town Hall (Video))  She also drew some ire after casting the tie-breaking vote throwing the Town's support behind the project.  (See  Cornelius Commissioner Blasts Town Decision to Support I-77 HOT Lanes for details on that story.)

Adding to this story line is an email received by aShortChronicle where Mayor Rinker strongly pushes back on WidenI77.org and its intention to publish a voter guide stating where candidates stand on the HOT issue.  She obviously did not like the idea and made multiple intimidating references to "electioneering" in an attempt to get the citizens group to reveal any donors to their efforts.

One has to wonder if another reason for Mayor Rinker not defending her seat had something to do with the WidenI77.org group's efforts and that long, long list of petition signers they have been collecting.  

Regardless, stepping into the breach is another HOT supporter, Cornelius Commissioner Chuck Travis.  He immediately announced that he would be throwing his name into the Mayor's race.  So, maybe the real surprise in Cornelius will be if anyone challenges Travis for the seat and who ends up in what are now two open seats on the town Board.