Republican State Legislators Call On Governor Stein To Clear Red Tape Blocking Aid For Western NC Bridge And Road Repairs

This week, a group of Republican state legislators released a statement calling on Governor Stein to eliminate red tape in North Carolina government’s bureaucracy that is leading to an unacceptable delay in Hurricane Helene recovery.  

The statement said, “While the NC General Assembly has appropriated a historic amount of funds to help Western North Carolinians rebuild private roads and bridges, Governor Stein has presided over a stifling bureaucracy utterly lacking in common sense and resourcefulness. Overly complex bridge and road designs have slowed projects to an unacceptable pace and dramatically increased the costs of repairs and replacements. We are working to remove these barriers so Western NC can recover more quickly and more households can receive state funds.” 

The statement was issued by: Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Macon), Rep. Dudley Greene (R-Avery), Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood), Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), Rep. Jake Johnson (R-Polk), Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), and Rep. Ray Pickett (R-Watauga). These state legislators represent most of Western North Carolina. Noticeably, absent from this statement is Democrat Representative Lindsey Prather, who was touring with Stein, praising him.