Former Asheville City Council member Carl Mumpower threatens to leave GOP over water system bill

From a Facebook post by Carl Mumpower:

From: Carl Mumpower, Ph.D.
To: Asheville City Republicans and other concerned citizens
Subj: Theft of Asheville City Water system

The Republican majority in Raleigh, under the local leadership of Republican State Representatives Tim Moffitt, Nathan Ramsey, and Chuck McGrady are in the process of conducting an act of malfeasance meriting challenge. “The unprecedented use of eminent domain to seize a city owned water system reveals a party power structure indifferent to the principles upon which that party is founded,” says Carl Mumpower, a former member of Asheville’s city council and his district’s 2008 Republican nominee for congress.

“This action is a follow-up to earlier misbehaviors by State Representative Susan Fisher (D) and Senator Martin Nesbitt (D) who led the charge to pass Sullivan Acts II & III which effectively seized control of the City’s water system, but fell short of transferring ownership,” says Mumpower. “Moffitt and his colleagues are simply finishing the job that their colleagues started.” “I expect political opportunism from the left, but to have members of my own party act with such indifference to our principles requires more than a passive response.”

Mumpower offer’s a short list of concerns and his intended follow-up actions—

1) Legislative theft of a city owned water system is bad policy, unprecedented action, and in direct opposition to the Republican Party’s stated principles. This action represents a specific violation of Principles 5 & 6.

• I believe the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations and that the best government is that which governs least.

• I believe the most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people.

2) This is a local governance matter being decided in Raleigh. Asheville is being singled out for action that has not occurred anywhere else in the state. The end result will have a dramatically harmful social and economic impact on the citizens of Asheville and by association, Western North Carolina. This effort represents the effective practice of eminent domain – a misapplication of elected authority antagonistic to everything the Republican Party stands for.

3) Legislation against Asheville is a patterned activity. Recent seizure of the Airport, being singled out as the only city in NC not allowed to share room tax revenue, Sullivan Acts II & III uniquely applied to Asheville, and other actions reflect a mismatch between word and deed in supporting the viability of chartered municipalities.

4) The reasons tendered for this legislative seizure of Asheville’s water system are dishonest and beneath the dignity of the elected officials offering those justifications-

• Asheville has not maintained its water system

Point of truth – Asheville’s system is no greater state of disrepair than most water systems across the state. Where differences exist, it is due to the size of the system and exceptionally difficult terrain issues that require a dramatically higher water pressure to insure service. High pressure equals more system problems. That consideration will be in place no matter who owns the system.

• Asheville wants to charge higher rates to non city residents

Point of truth – Of course it does. Asheville’s forefathers had the foresight to purchase two reservoirs standing as the foundation of the city owned water system. City residents pay roughly double the taxes of those living in proximity to the city. The use of city assets such as water to compensate for that doubled taxation is the majority practice for cities all over the state – including Weaverville, Hendersonville, Woodfin, and other municipalities in immediate proximity to Asheville. The issue of fairness should be how much difference is appropriate to help adjust for the doubled tax burden of city residents.

• The Metropolitan Sewer District will do a better job of managing the system

Point of Truth – The MSD is not an elected body and thus has reduced accountability and incentive to contain costs. If this point is true, why is Asheville being singled out? Why is there not a movement to seize all other city owned water systems? Why is this regional action essentially limited to Asheville?

• Asheville will be better off

Point of truth – Using eminent domain through legislative action to seize an objectively appraised billion dollar plus asset and then pretending the citizens victimized by this action will be rewarded is the height of audacity. There is simply no way an asset of this magnitude can be removed without significant penalty. There is a reason no other city in NC is being forced away from their water assets or offering to surrender those assets – there is no equation whereby it does not represent major harm.

5) Neither the Buncombe County nor NC State Republican Party organizations have offered any public challenge to the unprincipled actions of the Republican representatives (here or in Raleigh) who are initiating/supporting this action against Asheville. To failure to press for principled actions by Republican elected officials has resulted in the progressive erosion of the standards, impact, and integrity of the Republican Party. An indifference to stated principles represents a model of political opportunism versus political leadership. If my Party does not stand for something, continued participation represents opportunism on a personal basis.

6) Therefore, should my fellow Republicans in Raleigh chose to support this destructive, unprincipled, and unprecedented legislative action, I will take the only step I have in hand to express my concern for that act of misplaced integrity and resign from the Republican Party. I will further call on Asheville citizens registered as Republicans and others at large who are concerned with the erosion of principle in our party to do the same.

Sincerely,

Carl Mumpower
Asheville, NC

When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it” ― Frederic Bastiat

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0 thoughts on “Former Asheville City Council member Carl Mumpower threatens to leave GOP over water system bill

  1. Dionysis

    “…should my fellow Republicans in Raleigh chose to support this destructive, unprincipled, and unprecedented legislative action, I will take the only step I have in hand to express my concern for that act of misplaced integrity and resign from the Republican Party.”

    That threat will have them shaking in their boots, no doubt.

    Rep. Moffitt to Rep. McGrady: “Listen, Carl Mumpower is threatening to bolt from the Republican Party if we continue to use the force of government to usurp local control of water resources!”

    Rep. McGrady: “Carl who?”

  2. boatrocker

    No no no, please Carl, please don’t leave the GOP!

    You are the very GOP archetype that educated and articulate citizens laugh at. Too bad educated and articulate votes don’t win elections, but you’re still the best candidate that WNC can buy.

    You whine about BIG GOVERNMENT intruding upon our personal lives, except when GOP big money purchases you like a WNC version of Haliburton to do just that.

    As spineless as the Democratic party is when they win, you are the reason we vote the other way.

    Keep up the good work. We need you, Carl- you’re like the experimental to our (sane people)’s control.

    Your pro-free market capitalism (aka economic cancer) and anti- boobies posts are our mainstay- who could possibly replace you?

  3. bsummers

    I’ve butted heads with Carl over the years, but you can’t say he’s not a man of principle. Kudos, Carl. I wish more Republicans had the guts to say publicly what they think about the State theft of Asheville’s assets.

  4. Michael Hopping

    It’s scary to find myself agreeing with at least 3/4 of Carl’s points here. Had to read them over several times to be sure. But, yep. Almost anything is possible once in a great while.

    Lurking behind the headlines is the specter of a Republican machine bent on grabbing what amounts to 13th century baronal powers in this state. Not only do the Pope and his henchpersons seek to neuter the perceived monarch (the Federal Government) by asserting state’s rights. They also plant their boots firmly on the necks of local threats to Raleigh’s supremacy–so long as Raleigh pleases the Church of Greed, God, & Guns. Say hello to the princely machinations of neo-feudalism.

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