Most members of Iredell County's legislative delegation — none of whom actually live in Iredell County — have chosen sides.
And drawn the ire of the Statesville City Council.
Reps. Julia Howard, Darrell McCormick and Mitchell Setzer have all signed on as sponsors of a bill that would essentially repeal a 1971 law that gave Statesville and Mooresville police officers countywide jurisdiction.
Iredell County Sheriff Phil Redmond supports confining the powers of city police to city boundaries. Statesville Police Chief Tom Anderson believes the expanded jurisdiction helps his officers investigate crimes in the city and is an asset to all county residents.
In unanimously passing a resolution on Friday in opposition to the proposal, the city council expressed its unequivocal support for the police chief's position.
During a discussion of the resolution, council members also rebuked local legislators for not consulting with them before sponsoring the bill, which was approved by the N.C. House and forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
That rebuke was well deserved.
In considering any so-called "local" bill, state lawmakers routinely and wisely seek the advice of local officials who better understand "local" issues and are more connected with their constituents.
In this case, Howard, McCormick and Setzer either think they know what's best for Iredell — even though they don't live here and rarely make public appearances unless it's election time — or believe that the sheriff's well-oiled political machine can deliver all the votes they need on Election Day.
Regardless of where you stand on this particular legislation — and both sides have their merits — the performance of these lawmakers in this matter illustrates that Iredell County has very little actual representation in Raleigh.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement