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Letters to the editor: 04/27/00 |
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Abolish Forest Hills
To the Editor: Let's face it. Forest Hills is strictly a subdivision that was a payoff from Gov. Jim Hunt in exchange for political labor. This payoff from the state of North Carolina includes taxpayer funds yearly for the town to operate. The only reason given for the incorporation was to give the residents preferred treatment in zoning. Preferred treatment (otherwise know as discrimination) is not legal according to the U.S. Constitution. Why was it permitted here? The political recipients of Jim Hunt's favor department are attempting to place another layer of unnecessary and expensive government on the residents of Jackson County. Are we going to permit this or will the representatives we elected to help Jackson County progress slap us down? This is a form of discrimination, where one small subdivision is trying to reach out and tell its neighbors what they can do with their property, and the state of North Carolina is currently permitting them to do so. Forest Hills has made application for another large piece of our state taxes. They want a traffic light, which will cost the taxpayers $50,000 to install and several thousand dollars yearly to maintain. At this time there are at least 15 intersections in Jackson County with greater traffic counts than the entrance to Forest Hills. Why must we pay for the privileges of friends of Jim Hunt? A recent ruling by the U.S. Highway Department refused to give Jim Hunt an unneeded interchange on Interstate 95, near his property. Will we suffer from Jim's favors? I request that the state bill that permitted the incorporation of Forest Hill be withdrawn as a town. We can supply a petition to remove the corporation Charter of Forest Hills with at least five times the number of signers than Forest Hills has residents. Frank Young Cullowhee What have we done? To the Editor: Many people who live in the proposed Forest Hills ETJ area are asking themselves "what have we done to those people to deserve the outrageous zoning requirements they propose for us?" Or is there political pressure from another source? For many years we have lived in harmony with our neighbors respecting the rights of others and received the same respect in return. Now it's a new day. Our adversaries who support the Forest Hills ETJ proposal prefer, and count on, us to stick our heads in the sand and allow them to proceed with their plans, for whatever reasons, without any interference from us. It seems that we are looked upon mainly as local people on the bottom of society without the wit to stand for our rights. Well, this is how it is. Most of the residents surrounding Forest Hills are landowners by virtue of land having been passed down from generation to generation and "blood is thicker than water." And those who are not "locals" live in the outlying area because they chose not to live in a zoned development. What is justice to you? And who pays the taxes on this property? Those who would advance their conduct among themselves with no regard for the consequences on the landowners are referred to Matthew 7:12. "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do it to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets." It is unbelievable that a few people in a small housing development researched and found a law of some merit, General Statute 160A-360 (obviously intended for legitimate incorporated cities and towns) to hide behind and be held blameless for their actions by law. In my view, this is a dishonest act. This does not make it constitutional and protect the rights of the people involved. (I am reminded of the man who lived in Russia and owned a cow. The government took his cow and gave the man half of the milk.) We have a right to make our case and present our view. But I understand that the Forest Hills leaders do not want to discuss this with us until everything is in place and ready to hold a public hearing. Is this the justice we learned about in school? We want to understand both sides of the problem if given the opportunity. We also want to stop the same thing from happening in Tuckasegee, Glenville or Cashiers. We weren't the first landowners to be confronted with this problem and certainly will not be the last. Harriett Parker Cullowhee Take a step back To the Editor: This is the first time I have ever written to you. It is not something I would ordinarily do, but I simply cannot let something I read in last week's paper go without a reply. Let me say right away that I do not live in Forest Hills, nor am I affected by the proposed ETJ. I have good friends on both sides of this issue. Our community here in the mountains is made up of people from many different places as well as people who have lived here all their lives. For the most part everyone respects our diversity and choices concerning where we live and what we do. My concern lies in the letter written by Mr. Fred Bumgarner. In it two very fine people living in our community were singled out. It makes me very sad that this was turned into a personal attack on them. John and Jean Adams are two of the most honest, moral and upright people I have ever had the privilege to call friends. To insinuate that the boundary of Bo Cove road was somehow chosen with an ulterior motive that would benefit them is wrong. Had they included their property on Bo Cove Road in the ETJ, that would have caused criticism as well. John Adams was simply the chairman of a committee charged with looking into the possibility of an ETJ for Forest Hills. The Bo Cove proposal was, just that, a proposal. There were others as well. No decision has been made about what the folks in Forest Hills will decide to do. The people I know from there are not monsters trying to take others rights from them. Their intent was to do something good for the community. I don't believe for a minute that they would do anything that the majority of those affected did not want. I hope that everyone concerned in this matter will take a step back and at least give your neighbors from Forest Hills the benefit of the doubt. I'm grateful that we live in a country where each of us is able to express our views, but in the interest of respect for one another we need to refrain from making personal attacks. Marion Beegle Cullowhee ETJ opponents seek Forest Hills meeting To the Editor: As requested by Rep. Phil Haire and Sen. Dan Robinson during our community meetings with them, the citizens of Speedwell and Long Branch communities have tried to reach out to the representatives of Forest Hills and establish a dialogue. I received no response from Dr. John Adams. Mayor Irene Hooper called me and informed me that the representatives of Forest Hills would not be willing to meet with the committee established at our public meeting until sometime after the May 1 meeting of the Forest Hills council. She also indicated that she thought it unlikely that she could "squeeze" us in on their agenda. Mayor Hooper also told me, "You people just don't understand what this is about." I am told that Dr. Adams has made several statements to the effect that the residents of the proposed ETJ are simply incapable of understanding that ETJ is for their own good. Enough! We understand that ETJ is not annexation. We understand that ETJ is not taxation. We understand that under ETJ we have representation on a planning board whose recommendations are not binding on the council. We also understand that ETJ is fundamentally undemocratic. We understand that the council of Forest Hills can use ETJ to regulate and govern us even though we cannot vote for the members of the council. We understand that Forest Hills offers us no services or any benefits other than a most questionable vision on growth management and zoning. We understand that leaders in Forest Hills may have a financial interests in property just outside the proposed ETJ. We also understand that some of these same people benefit from rental properties (trailers) that they would exclude from their own back yard. We understand a lot but most of all we understand that ETJ is a bad law that permits an unjust exercise of power. We understand that the only choice we have is to seek a change in the ETJ statute. ETJ ought to offend every fair-minded person in this county who cherishes democracy regardless of their position on planning and zoning. We ask every citizen's help in overturning this law. Please let your state legislators know that you don't believe in government by dictate. We would also ask that anyone who is concerned with this issue attend the next meeting of the Village of Forest Hills Council at 7 p.m. Monday May 1 at Cullowhee Valley School. Mark Jamison Cullowhee Vote in primary To the Editor: I am concerned about the nearly half of the eligible voters who simply ignore their obligation to vote. I recently heard a person exclaim, "I will not vote! My vote makes no difference! Anyway, it is the government that fails to function according to the will of the people." That person's reasoning is similar to he who declared, "The tire was only flat on one side." A person who does not vote fails to fulfill his or her obligations to our fellow man in this country. Every vote that is not executed takes away from those who have fulfilled their obligations. Elections are made up of millions of single votes just as a beach is made up of billions of single grains of sand. Failure to elect the right person could be due to the fact that several single votes were not cast. The government can not be right if we do not do our part. Vote May 2. It should make you feel better. Lowell Barclay Sylva |
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