Martin Nesbitt

Good Morning, BlueNC. It's been ages since I voyaged onto this front page, and I want you to know I've missed you! The following was posted at Scrutiny Hooligans earlier today, and I'm posting it here as well because I would like to broaden this conversation to include everyone who cares about progressive politics in North Carolina.

Like many of you, I received this email solicitation from Martin Nesbitt today. Though I have written to him several times, this is indeed the first communication I've ever received from the man, who happens to be the majority leader in the North Carolina Senate, representing Buncombe County.

Both sides of the debate have problems with the referenda aspects of the bill:

Those opposed to involuntary annexations who have been lobbying for changes in the law since 2008 now say the 34-page bill makes the situation worse for home and business owners.

And they say their brass ring - requiring a referendum as a prerequisite for involuntary annexations - is tarnished because the threshold for such a vote is too tall for anyone to reach. Fifteen percent of registered voters within the existing city limits and the area to be annexed would have to sign a petition seeking a vote.

I just received this e-mail from Martin Nesbitt:

Tomorrow at 1:00pm, the North Carolina Senate will officially convene for the 2010 "short" session.

Since the Senate adjourned last August, Democratic Senators from across the state have been meeting with constituents throughout their districts to learn about their top priorities. As we begin to draft bills important to the state, and take critical votes important to you and your families, we want to hear from you on what your top priorities are for North Carolina.

Take the survey, and let us know what you said.

Most of what I can find about Senator Martin Nesbitt leans in the direction of positive in my view. I hope that bodes well for his tenure as majority leader in the NC Senate. A discussion I found on the Asheville Citizen Times website is encouraging.

Another post covered the important issue of wind power recently, but now the deal is done. Martin Nesbitt and Joe Sam Queen, two Democratic Senators from the mountains, apparently don't have the sense god gave a box of animal crackers.

At the urging of some mountain senators, the state Senate Finance Committee added the restrictions to a bill moving through the General Assembly that will shape where windmills are allowed to be built statewide. Wind-energy advocates say the change will cripple efforts to harness the power of gusts along peaks.

“It's horrible. They just banned wind,” as a source of energy in the mountains, said Crystal Simmons, a Newland resident and Appalachian State University student who manages a project that has erected a 150-foot windmill on campus.