Recently, I attended a public forum at Jubilee concerning the study and potential takeover of the Asheville city water system by a legislative “study committee” chaired by Rep. Tim Moffitt. A daunting majority of citizens attending were against the notion of the N.C. Legislature seizing this very valuable city water system and restructuring it as they see fit.
Mr. Moffitt noted that he felt publicly misjudged and appealed to the crowd to have “an open mind to get to know him better.” Never having met this man, I accepted this as a reasonable request.
Thus, I have gotten to know Mr. Moffitt better, alarmingly so. He is a first-term Republican legislator tightly affiliated with American Legislative Exchange Council. Essentially, ALEC is a group backed by corporate interests that writes model legislation for state lawmakers, often benefiting huge corporations. ALEC drafted the legislation on which 1,000 bills introduced annually in state legislature’s were based.
In an April 22 New York Times editorial “Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist,” one can further explore the tactics of ALEC.
I suggest citizens “get to know Rep. Moffitt better.” This legislator and his four handpicked water/sewage committee members all apparently attended the 2011 ALEC national convention. They have pursued ALEC’s agenda regardless of strong public opposition at hearings and favor for the Asheville water system in its present ownership/management.
We need to investigate the inappropriate ALEC lobbyist influence over Rep. Moffitt’s study committee, particularly promoting private corporate ownership over public assets, one of ALEC’s objectives. I have gotten to know Rep. Moffitt better, as suggested. I strongly question his objectivity and leadership to “study” public policy. His ability to listen and represent the public good is severely hampered by his personal “larger agenda.”
— Richard Koerber
Asheville
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