A wise man once said, “all politics is local.”
On Friday, three of Highlands political representatives showed why that phrase, uttered first in 1932, still rings true today.
In a world where we are all inundated with politically-charged soundbites from Washington D.C., and popular political talking heads make seven figure salaries, it was refreshing to see three elected officials get together in public and share a laugh.
Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor invited North Carolina Sen. Kevin Corbin and Rep. Karl Gillespie to his monthly “Coffee with the Mayor” program to discuss a pair of state grants and their impact on the town. There is no doubt that Highlands getting millions of dollars for a new clarifier tank at the water treatment plant, and millions more for Mirror Lake’s much needed dredging, is great news.
But beyond the pats on the back, it was clear that Taylor, Corbin and Gillespie all genuinely like each other and they understand each other’s roles in the governing of Highlands and the surrounding region.
Gillespie illustrated that concept when he read an email where Taylor reached out for help getting the water tank funding from the state. He pointed out that the email was “direct, factual, and explained the impact of the project without making a demand or threatening that ‘Highlands was about to fall off a cliff’ without the funds.”
In front of a capacity crowd at Hudson Library, with a wide array of political viewpoints, Corbin and Gillespie outlined their work on the budget. Corbin noted that when he discusses pending budget items, he doesn’t look just to his fellow party members for a numbers advantage. Instead, he and Gillespie work together to best serve their constituents – A statement that drew an audible “what a novel concept” from a member of the audience.
“I represent roughly 220,000 people in Western North Carolina, and that includes Republicans, Democrats, Independents, people who aren’t registered, children too young to register, everyone,” Corbin said.
It’s sad to think that representing the will of the people is a “novel concept.”
We can agree with Taylor, Corbin, or Gillespie’s political ideology depending on the issue at hand, or disagree with it accordingly, but it was nice to see reasonable political leadership on display in Highlands. Imagine if that were the case everywhere.