Politics

Bryson City Democrat files for 11th District seat

Bryson City Alderman Rick Bryson announced he is running for Congress.

By Bill Moss, Published: December 7, 2015

Describing himself as a fiscally conservative "mountain Democrat," Bryson City Alderman Rick Bryson announced his candidacy for 11th District congressional seat on Monday.

"This is a campaign to determine the future of our mountain district,” Bryson said in a news release. “We can no longer endure a congressman who treats his home district—and the rest of the country—as if it were some child’s toy. Holding a seat in Congress is a sacred commitment to improving the lives of the people in our district. It is a bond of trust that must not be violated or ignored. With his shut-down-the-government stunt, our present congressman has done both. He has damaged us locally and embarrassed us nationally.”

“When public officials spend public money, the programs should have measurable benefits." he added. He cites his championing of a modernized water system in Bryson City as an alderman. “We were losing half the water we processed," he said. "With new meters, we cut our losses by 60 percent.”

He stresses four points in his campaign: (1) Make Social Security secure, (2) push for women’s rights, (3) give greater voice to veterans, and (4) create a huge jobs program by establishing an industrial complex across the mountains, patterned after the Research Triangle Park in Raleigh/Durham.

“This will be unlike any campaign witnessed in this region,” promises Bryson. “I ask all people of our mountain district to join me in a pilgrimage from Lenoir to Murphy. At last, people will have something to vote for, not just something to vote against.”