Henderson County Politics
Nearly 200 people gathered at the Historic Courthouse downtown Friday afternoon in a spirited protest against HB2, the state law on sexual-orientation discrimination that has sharply divided North Carolina voters and provoked vocal national opposition.The Rev. Jim McKinley, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Hendersonville, urged the protesters to set aside the “language of opposition” and focus on how they can change things by showing up and making their voices heard.“I want to think the sponsors of House Bill 2 for all they’ve done to awaken our awareness of transgender concerns and LGBT rights in North Carolina,” McKinley said.
Sponsored by the Campaign for Southern Equality and theHenderson County chapter of the NAACP, the rally aimed to stoke opposition to HB2 but also to explain its broader implications. Organizers handed out copies of the bill in an effort to show that it was broader than just a "bathroom bill" affecting transgender men and women.
“We want to give the community a chance to protest against this bill, which is about discrimination against many people including the GLBT community,” PFLAG chapter president Jerry Miller said in advance of the protest. “Prohibiting people from using the bathroom of the gender to which they identify is just one small part. To name a few others — it prohibits communities from passing ordinances which affect wages, and other working issues.”The most personal appeal came from Archer Faust, a transgender male.“There was a lot more to it that I was very angry about,” he said of the bill. “The whole bathroom issue was just the first page or two. There are more sections covering employment and public employees. I was very upset to learn that now that HB2 had passed it was considered a religious freedom bill.”“They’re using fear of trans people and I’m upset that they’re using that,” he told the crowd of 175 people. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re just people, right?”The crowd cheered and applauded.He called on the audience and other speakers to send a message: “We won’t tolerate hatred. We won’t tolerate it in Henderson County or anywhere else.”“Repeal that law,” the crowd chanted as the next speaker, Rabbi Phil Bentley, came to the lectern.Bentley read a letter he said “rabbis all over the state” had signed opposing what it called “state-sponsored discrimination.”“We will not stand idly by as the North Carolina Legislature weakens the legal protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters,” Bentley said. “Our prayers are with the thousands of North Carolinians whose humanity is under attack. We stand with them and against those who would strip them of their legal guarantees under the law.”“I just got back from a family event in New York,” Bently told the crowd. “North Carolina has become a national joke.”The most personal appeal came from Archer Faust, a transgender male.“There was a lot more to it that I was very angry about,” he said. “The whole bathroom issue was just the first page or two. There are more sections covering employment and public employees. I was very upset to learn that now that HB2 had passed it was considered a religious freedom bill.”“They’re using fear of trans people and I’m upset that they’re using that,” he added. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re just people, right?”The crowd cheered and applauded.
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Henderson County Politics
The Flat Rock-Hendersonville Chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) will hold a rally protesting HB2 at 5 p.m. Friday at the Historic Courthouse.
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Henderson County Politics
Hendersonville businessman Chuck Edwards surged to victory in the Republican primary for the 48th state Senate District on Tuesday, turning back a spirited but underfunded challenge from Tea Party favorite Lisa Carpenter Baldwin.
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Mills River Politics
MILLS RIVER — Mills River taxpayers could face a property tax increase as high as 10 cents per $100 valuation as the Town Council scrambles to provide a “core service” to replace a sheriff's contract the county is terminating.
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Henderson County Politics
Democratic candidates for Congress debate
The Henderson County Democratic Party will host a debate between Tom Hill of Zirconia and Rick Bryson of Bryson City, candidates for Democratic nomination for the 11th Congressional District, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at the West Henderson High School Auditorium. Maureen Copelof of Brevard, Democratic candidate for state House District 113, and Norm Bossert of Pisgah Forest, Democratic candidate for state Senate District 48, will also be on hand.
GOP women host legislative candidates
The Henderson County Republican Women’s Club luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at The Cedars will include state Senate District 48 candidates Lisa Carpenter Baldwin of Fetcher and Dennis Justice and state House District 113 candidate Coty Ferguson.Baldwin graduated summa cum laude from UNCG and earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland and is a member of MENSA. She served four years as a Buncombe County school board member, is on the N.C. School of Science and Math Strategic Planning Action Team and is an active volunteer.Justice, of Fletcher, got his start in politics with United We Stand, America. He considers himself a Lincoln conservative and pushed for common-sense school construction solutions. He was president of the Henderson County Republican Men’s Club and is a former precinct chairman. He has a master’s degree in Sports Management and is a volunteer for local sports teams and youth outreach programs.Ferguson, of Brevard, has served on multiple deployments to Iraq. He is a real estate broker and serves on the Brevard Planning Board and is an active volunteer. He worked with the Division of Employment Security to help veterans gain employment in Henderson and Transylvania counties and wants to see improvements in economic and workforce development.To attend the lunch send a $15 check made payable to The Cedars by Feb. 19 to P.O. Box 2734, Hendersonville, NC 28793.
Democrats set precinct meetings
The Henderson County Democratic Party announced the annual precinct meetings will be held Saturday, Feb. 27, at the city Operations Center, 305 Williams Street. Times and precincts are:• 10 a.m. to noon: Grimesdale, Hendersonville 1, Hendersonville 2, Hendersonville 3, Long John Mountain, Laurel Park, North Blue Ridge, Northeast, Pisgah View, South Blue Ridge, Southeast, Southwest.• 12:30-2:30 p.m.: Bat Cave, Brickton, Clear Creek, Edneyville, Fletcher, Hoopers Creek, Moores Grove, North Mills River, Northwest, Park Ridge, Rugby, South Mills River.• 3-5 p.m.: Armory, Atkinson, Crab Creek, East Flat Rock, Etowah South, Etowah Valley, Flat Rock, Green River, Horse Shoe, Raven Rock.Carolina Village has not yet been set and will be announced.
Apodaca, McGrady named to redistricting panel
State Sen. Tom Apodaca and Rep. Chuck McGrady have been appointed to a Joint Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting that legislative leaders created to redraw the political boundaries if they lose their appeal of a decision that invalidated the current map.“Even though the State of North Carolina maintains that its Congressional maps are constitutional and remains confident the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately issue a stay, legislative leaders are taking steps to prepare for a possible special session to comply with a federal trial court’s ruling,” legislative leaders said in a news release. “These steps are necessary since the Supreme Court decision is expected to come within days of the lower court’s Feb. 19 deadline to redraw the maps.”Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) announced the appointment on Friday of Rep. David Lewis and Sen. Bob Rucho as co-chairs and Rep. Bert Jones and Apodaca as vice-chairs.The General Assembly is seeking a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court of a federal appellate panel’s ruling that threw out the congressional districts as racial gerrymandering.“Due to the extremely tight deadline imposed on us by the federal trial court, we are being forced to hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” Lewis and Rucho said in the news release. “Hopefully, this is an unnecessary exercise since the overwhelming majority of times our redistricting plans have been reviewed, they have been validated as fair, legal and constitutional – and we remain confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will issue a stay.” Read Story »
Henderson County Politics
Advocacy groups are fighting voter confusion over the new photo ID law amid a shifting landscape of the spring election season brought on by a court decision invalidating the state's congressional map. Read Story »
Henderson County Politics
State Sen. Tom Apodaca and Rep. Chuck McGrady have been appointed to a Joint Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting that legislative leaders created to redraw the political boundaries if they lose their appeal of a decision that invalidated the current map. Read Story »
Henderson County Politics
State Rep. Chuck McGrady predicts the upcoming legislative session will be free of political fireworks and legislators will come home in time for the real fireworks. Read Story »
Henderson County Politics
U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows on Wednesday endorsed Ted Cruz for president, calling the Texas senator "the best-positioned leader to restore power to the people and uphold the Constitution."
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