FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] U.S. 421 highway project for Shady Valley ?????

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Bristol Area Birders:
Take a look at this campaign goal announced in Western North Carolina.  About 
midway down there should be boldface copy in red.  It deals with what might be 
a tremendous highway impact for U.S. 421 in Shady Valley and Johnson County, 
TN.  Of course this is a long ways off.  He has to get elected then he has to 
get support and funding and design and construction.  Strange things happen.  
Read on and lets hope not.  Thanks to Bill Grigsby for finding this and 
forwarding it on.
Let's go birding...
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
Ed Broyhill makes campaign swing through region
05/03/2004 By Scott Nicholson
      Ed Broyhill believes his mountain heritage gives him an advantage over 
other Republican candidates in the hotly contested race for the Fifth District 
seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

      Broyhill made a campaign swing through Watauga County to commemorate his 
filing for office on Tuesday. 

      Broyhill said it was "very important to visit Watauga during my filing 
date to show a commitment to represent Watauga County." 

      He said his campaign had been going door to door over the past three 
months and tied his heritage to his father James T. Broyhill, a former U.S. 
Senator from Lenoir. 

      He said he issued a cookbook as a political tool and message that 
reflects the traditional stance of his campaign and said his beliefs were 
shaped and molded in the mountains.

      He said jobs and higher-paying jobs were important issues and he has a 
goal of diversifying the economy. He also said he wanted to assure the safety 
of troops in the "escalating war in Iraq" and provide the best equipment and 
sophisticated weaponry for the troops. 

      He said he had an advantage over other Republicans in the crowded field 
because he shared the "heart and soul of the culture" with voters and had 
established faithful friends and relationships in the region that go back 
generations. 

      "I have a clear understanding of what it is to be a Congressman and 
respond to constituents," he said. 

      He also added that he already had developed important relationships in 
Washington that would help him serve the district's residents. 

      Among Broyhill's economic plans are to provide regulatory relief for the 
state's businesses, secure industrial development funds and federal grants for 
local governments, reduce business and personal taxes and focus on 
infrastructure renewal. 

      He said he had taken interest in a grant application by the town of 
Blowing Rock to upgrade its water system. He said transportation concerns had 
caused headaches for downtown Boone drivers and harmed tourism. 

      One of Broyhill's goals is to connect U.S. 421 to U.S. 81 in Tennessee 
near Johnson City and Bristol. Broyhill believes this will speed up commercial 
traffic and open up a gateway for tourism as well as improve safety. 

      He also wants to develop a stronger relationship between Appalachian 
State University and local citizens and expand health care curriculums in local 
colleges. 

      "I think the issues are Homeland Security and jobs, preserving freedoms 
here, and health care," he said. "We need to invest in infrastructure for 
education, health care, transportation, and water and sewer." 

      He said he realized there were numerous plans floating around to 
accomplish some of these goals but said it was time to execute them. He also 
said it was important to maintain the environment and "provide economic 
prosperity without trampling on others' rights and privileges." 

      One of his goals is to designate the Yadkin River as a federal landmark 
and bolster tourism and recreational offerings along it. He said the mountains 
were important in molding the entire state's philosophy. 

      He describes himself as a strong Pro-Life supporter and a strong 
supporter of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. He supports the right to 
practice school prayer and faith-based initiatives. 

      Other Broyhill platform issues are modernizing Medicare with private 
competition for lower prices and better services, allowing seniors to stay 
within their current coverage if they wish, providing a more comprehensive 
prescription drug benefit, allowing states more flexibility with Medicaid 
waivers and working to reduce excessive lawsuits. 

      Broyhill lives in Winston-Salem and is a managing partner in the Broyhill 
Group, an investment banking organization. His slogan is "Preserve and Protect 
Faith, Family, Friends and Freedom." 

      According to the North Carolina Republican Party web site, other party 
candidates for the office are Joe Byrd, Sen. Virginia Foxx, Jay Helvey, Ed 
Powell, Vernon Robinson, Nathan Tabor and David Vanhoy. 

      Fifth district Democratic candidates are Andrew Winfrey, David Crawford, 
and Jim Harrell. 


      .Scott Nicholson can be contacted at nicholson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
     

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