The school bond referendum passed with 60% of the vote. Commissioners immediately raised taxes to pay for them - millions of your tax dollars to pay for the bonds we voted for that Chapman now wants to refuse to issue.

• Email each commissioner and let them know where you stand on the school bonds.

• Tell them you expect the BOC to issue the bonds as approved by voters: construction at Rosman High, Rosman Middle, and Brevard High.

Between a massive vaccine roll out, and historic investments in infrastructure, President Biden accomplished a lot in his first year. But we still have work to do - lets keep the momentum going into 2022!

Republicans have chosen autocracy over democracy.

There is one side to Democracy, not two sides. There is no other issue that matters. For without a democracy, we will all suffer.

Transylvania County’s jobless rate in November was 3%, down from 3.2% the previous month, according to the latest figures from the N.C. Department of Commerce.

As of December 2021:

- Unemployment dropped to 3.9%

- Fastest drop in unemployment in US history

- Topped 200m Americans vaccinated

- Hit the all-time record for Americans with health insurance

- All thanks to President Biden and the Democratic Party for passing the American Rescue Plan ARP -- which every single Republican voted AGAINST!!!

Republicans are against:

1. Expanding Medicaid

2. The Child Tax Credit

3. Covid Vaccinations

4. The American Rescue Plan

5. Infrastructure

Happy Holidays!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the remainder of your holiday season is joyful. This has been quite a year for Democrats. President Biden has been moving forward on a number of important fronts:

County Commissioners Welcome Record Amount of Funds Passed by Democratic Congress — But Refuse to Acknowledge Source.

Enable North Carolina to provide access to child care for 629,956 young children and ensure these families pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care.

The U.S. House passed a key part of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda Friday, delivering an infrastructure package that is estimated to bring nearly $9 billion in federal funds to North Carolina over the next five years.

All five Democrats in NC’s congressional delegation voted for the measure, while all eight Republicans representing our state voted against it.

Republican NC lawmakers voted for new, “breathtakingly” gerrymandered congressional and legislative voting districts across our state.

In spite of NC voters being roughly split 50-50 statewide, many of our state’s Democratic voters will now find themselves packed into one of just three districts…

And what of the Ecusta Trail? Commissioners refused to either endorse the concept or help the City of Brevard with a federal grant to pay for rail planning and development because some of them have “concerns”?

The refusal of three of our county commissioners to close the coverage gap hurts working North Carolina residents. Our elected officials need to raise themselves up above simple party ideology and act with common sense and knowledge of the facts. The county commissioners who derailed this resolution have done neither, and that will hurt our friends and neighbors in Transylvania County. Remember this at election time.

In the last 2 months, 6 other WNC Republican County Commissioners PASSED resolutions in favor of expanding Medicaid BUT Transylvania County Republicans said NO -- this is an embarrassment. Their vote demonstrated their lack of compassion and understanding of the needs of their constituents.

Local elections have one of the biggest impacts on your day-to-day life -- because the farther down the ballot you get, the closer the impact to your front door. Don’t sit them out! Make your plan to vote.

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all weary, wishing for an end to this global virus. Let us come together to show our appreciation and our admiration for teachers and school staff. The least we can do is require masks and encourage vaccinations for eligible students.

Republicans will cut taxes for big business and the wealthy but deny healthcare for working people. Their policies have caused rural hospitals like ours to cut services (our birthing center closed in Feb 2015). Across North Carolina, 7 rural hospitals have closed completely.

The Transylvania County Board of Education voted twice, on August 2, 2021 and August 16, 2021, to have an official “masks optional” policy in Transylvania County Schools despite rising numbers of COVID-19 cases. These votes are against the recommendations of the CDC, numerous other medical and scientific based organizations.