TODD — On Aug. 8 at the Todd Mercantile Store, candidate Ben Massey held his second of five planned listening sessions. Twenty-six Ashe County citizens attended to express their concerns to Ben about issues that are important to them in the upcoming elections. Ben is running for state representative for District 93, serving Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga counties, and he wants to hear from the people he will represent in Raleigh. The folks from Todd were concerned with four main issues: education, healthcare, affordable housing, and accountability for our local and state elected representatives.
Attendees’ greatest concern about public education was the amount of money spent for private school vouchers, especially when tax dollars that should come to Ashe County schools are going to schools in other counties that accept vouchers. Inadequate teacher pay and overemphasis on test scores were also concerns.
Regarding healthcare, several attendees shared personal stories about concerns and frustrations about long wait times to get an appointment with specialists outside of Ashe County, and about the impact of large health care systems taking over local hospitals. The need for expansion of mental health services was also a priority for several attendees. The issue of affordable rent and housing costs in Ashe County came up several times. Citizens want to see a plan for getting the housing crisis under control and dealt with both locally and at the state level.
Frustrations were also expressed about the impact of political gerrymandering and partisan school board elections. Making sure that elected officials are held accountable for truly representing the needs of those who elected them was at the top of the list for these voters. When asked what Ben intended to do about these concerns, he replied, “when I’m elected, I will seek out like-minded senior legislative leaders, members of both parties willing to work together, and local leaders to address these local issues.”
As a closing thought, several attendees suggested that they decide who to vote for not by party, but by facts. Their advice was to find out who has your interests at heart, find out what your elected officials’ voting records are, and learn who has truly worked for you. Look at the candidates, not the party.
Would you like to let Ben know what concerns you? His next listening session will be at the Democratic Headquarters at 642 Beaver Creek School Road, West Jefferson, on Thursday, Aug. 29 from 6:30-8 p.m.
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