A news release from Metro Mayors partner, the North Carolina League of Municipalities:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2021
Contact: Scott Mooneyham
(919) 715-9768
[email protected]
Mayors Urge Approval of Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan
Mayors from five North Carolina cities, representing cities and towns from across the state, on Tuesday called on Congress to work together to pass the $579 billion bipartisan infrastructure plan.
Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander, president of the N.C. League of Municipalities; Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, chair of the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition; Kinston Mayor Don Hardy, chair of the North Carolina Mayors Association; Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer; and Mooresville Mayor Miles Atkins spoke to reporters as a bipartisan group of U.S. senators continued negotiations regarding the package.
The plan, as outlined in an earlier preliminary agreement, includes funding for transportation, transit, water and sewer, energy independence and renewable energy, broadband, and general infrastructure resiliency.
“In so many of our towns and cities, by working with our residents, we create a vision to know where we want to go, but we need the resources to get there,” Alexander said. “This infrastructure plan can help provide us with those resources.”
Atkins and several of the mayors thanked U.S. Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis for their efforts to push for a bipartisan infrastructure solution.
“It is time for Congress to put aside partisan concerns and recognize this as an opportunity to meet a critical need that will help all Americans. But also, this is an opportunity to show the American people that government can still work together, in common purpose, without thinking of the next election, in a way that benefits us all,” Vaughan said. “Our two U.S. Senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, did that when they joined in this bipartisan effort. We need them and all members of Congress to complete the journey and see this legislation to the finish line.”
Hardy noted how critical the federal plan could be in improving infrastructure in eastern North Carolina to be more resilient in the face of increasing storms and severe weather. “I don’t know that there is an area of this country that could benefit more from making our infrastructure more resilient to climate change and the weather events that we now experience far too frequently,” he said.
To view a recorded video of the entire news conference, click here:
Here are some additional comments from Tuesday morning’s news conference:
Kinston Mayor Don Hardy, Chair, N.C. Mayors Association
We can do better. We can make our roads and bridges more resilient, make our water and sewer systems less susceptible to the damaging effects of flooding.
Mooresville Mayor Miles Atkins
As the final mayor speaking, I want to thank Senators Burr and Tillis for being a part of this bipartisan group as this effort began. As Mayor Vaughan mentioned, in local government, we are fortunate to avoid a lot of the partisan rancor that we see at the state and federal level … We have to recognize that it is not easy for our members of Congress to step outside of that partisanship.
Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer
It is crucial that we all work together to come up with innovative infrastructure solutions so that all of our communities continue to thrive. We must do so while finding sustainable ways to meet growth and maintain community character that made our city or town attractive to residents in the first place.
Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander, President, NC League of Municipalities
Cities and towns are where the rubber meets the road when it comes to determining infrastructure needs and then facilitating the meeting of those needs. We depend on the state and the federal government to be partners in this effort.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, Chair, N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition
It (infrastructure) is not a partisan issue. It helps everyone, all of us – the public and private sector, business owners and their employees, young people and retirees, and all those in between. It allows commerce to flourish, and it connects us to one another.
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About the League
The North Carolina League of Municipalities is a member-driven organization representing the interests of cities and towns in the state. Through their collective efforts, League member cities and towns better serve their residents and improve quality of life.
For more than 100 years, the League has been one voice for cities and towns working for a better North Carolina.
