So Called "Conservatives" Playing Bureaucrats

Womack, Shook, Parks Maintain 100% No Votes For Jobs
 

"GOP Triumvirate" Tries New Tactic To Block State Grant Additional Jobs & $1.1 M Investment At WST Industries

 Sorry, folks.  This is later than promised due to legal developments.

Visions of a driver license office came to mind as the Triumvirate of three Reactionary Republicans sought to nitpick a grant of $85,689 in state money to partially finance $1,100,000 in capital improvements at WST Industries, a Lee County industrial contracting company.  The expansion would create 12 new jobs--complete with benefits-in Lee County.   And there is no net money out of county coffers or any property tax rebates. (More grant details at the end of this post.)

In fact the arrangement seems to meet every objection that the Triumvirate of reactionary conservatives ( Linda Shook, Jim Womack, and Charlie Parks) have previously used to vote against any measure that would create economic investment in Lee County.  That wasn't enough to justify abandoning their pledges to defeat such measures and go with this one.  Ideology over jobs, again.

The first wave of assaults came as Jim Womack attempted to roll his tank of "legal concerns" to demolish the proposal at the outset.  Womack claimed it was illegal based on his interpretation of training related to economic development incentives provided by the UNC School of Government.  It was not the first time that Womack had practiced law at the commissioners' table, but it failed to work this time.

  

His arguments were refuted both logically and legally. In defense, it was noted that the money had been appropriated for the long standing grant program under the same provisions in numerous sessions which would suggest the program was within the intent of the General Assembly.  Legal counsel noted that the program was part of a completely separate statute than incentives program that has been much maligned by Shook and Womack. That prompted another angry snarl from Womack at the notion that the County Attorney knew more about the law than Womack.  That got silenced with a quick return shot by Commissioner Robert Reives.  

Intent on a last ditch effort, Womack argued that it this was a community development project it should have been presented by the Community Development staff instead of Bob Heuts of the EDC.  That got no traction.

Linda Shook demanded to know how the county would be able to have the paper work to verify that the jobs were created.  When it was pointed out that the documentation would come from access to state unemployment records, Charlie Parks (a certifiable retired federal bureaucrat) weighed in questioning the details of the employment records.  Shook took back the ball and led the argument that the process of getting the documentation and administering the grant might overburden county staff wasting tax payer money.  She had overlooked the fact the $85,689 coming back to Lee County was actually getting back from Raleigh money paid in by Lee County tax payers and ignored the increase in tax revenues from the completed investment.

Finally, Commissioner Richard Hayes was peeved enough to move the approval.  He gave his usual optimism and future comradely remarks contributing little to the specific defense of the issue. Jim Womack demanded the last word, as usual, as Chair Shook tried to close debate.

As predicted, the GOP Triumvirate  voted no, the three Democrats voted yes, and Republican Doc Oldham decided what was best for Lee County and voted yes.

Such votes have put Oldham in the cross hairs of the Reactionary clique in the GOP that is working hard to recruit enough candidates to force Oldham into a primary.  (More on this in another post.)

Additional Grant Details:

The state funds are distributed through the Rural Economic Development Center which will loan the money to the County as a pass-through to WST Industries under a  Loan/Performance Agreement.  The agreement to will require WST to create within 24 months, and maintain for at least six months, twelve new, full-time jobs. Failure to meet the job creation objective will require WST to repay the amount loaned on a pro rata (per job) basis, i.e. $7,140.75 for each job created or maintained. Under the program counties usually provide a ($4,284) cash match, but in this case the match will be provided by the company instead of Lee County taxpayers.