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To the editor:

I celebrate with my neighbors in Davie County that the Board of Adjustment ruled to protect our RootsNDavie from an unwanted and dangerous zoning change this week. I also wanted to let my neighbors know that Keith Townsend, a candidate running to represent our county in the NC Legislature District 77, strongly supported the RootsNDavie efforts and physically showed up to attend the first meeting at the Brock Sept. 15. Like a lot of us, he was in the overflow area even though he arrived at 5 p.m. to show his support for keeping our county safe and quiet. If our current representative was there, I did not see her, and remember well that in 2018, she neglected to attend the various opportunities to meet with the citizens and discuss the issues important to the people of District 77 starting with the Senior Services meeting.

Even though Keith Townsend is in a high risk group for COVID-19, he felt so strongly that he should be present for this important meeting that he made the drive from his home in Mt. Ulla, Rowan County to join us in protecting our county. I am looking for a candidate who will actively support legislation to support our rural qualify of life and our environment. Our current House representative and many others in the General Assembly have continued to vote in ways harmful to North Carolinians.

To quote Mr. Townsend’s recent letter, “It should be clear that our current Republican legislators have been voting to protect corporate profits rather than the health and safety of North Carolinians.” He is correct. Too often it is the developers and the big corporations who are gaining wins over the people. The current legislature supported laws prohibiting local governments from creating their own restrictions, making it illegal to demand that fracking operations reveal the chemicals they are using. This was done in spite of the fact that those unknown chemicals could end up in our well water.

Legislators might disagree about fracking, but should any responsible representative ignore the safety of our drinking water? Those currently in the legislature have also limited the rights of neighbors to file lawsuits while protecting corporations like Smithfield Foods (now part of the giant Chinese pork producer WH Group Ltd.) We have learned the hard way that the actions of the NC General Assembly can hurt us in many ways.

We were successful in being heard by our local government and they honored the rights of rural residents to maintain our quality of life, rather than to give away our rights to the corporation wanting to make money at the expense of a beautiful and peaceful rural area. I care about my home and my state. I want a representative who is willing to do the research needed to understand the immediate and long-range needs for our way of life here in Davie and throughout District NC 77. I have found that candidate in Keith Townsend and hope you will look him up on Facebook and reach out to him with your concerns and questions.

Bonnie D. Clark,     Harmony