By Andy Matthews
Editor
The Yadkin Ripple
Saying that government is often the problem and not the solution, the Fifth
Congressional District’s new representative, Virginia Foxx pledged last Wednesday
to help streamline federal bureaucracies.
“The primary role of the federal government is the defense of the country,”
Foxx told a group of business and political leaders at the Yadkin Center of
Surry Community College. “The best thing we can do in most cases is get
government off our backs.”
Foxx, who was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives last week, was in Yadkin County
as part of her listening tour. Foxx said that she is committed to staying in
touch with her constituents’ needs in the 12 counties that stretch from eastern
Forsyth in the Piedmont Triad to Watauga county in the Blue
Ridge Mountains.
Foxx, a former state senator from Banner Elk who defeated Democrat Jim Harrell
Jr. of Elkin in the November election, replaced Richard Burr, who was elected
to the U.S. Senate. She fielded questions Wednesday about retraining for
displaced workers, assistance for the local viticulture industry, funds for
schools and economic development, and a plea for less federal red tape.
County Manager Cecil Wood told Foxx that Yadkin
officials are often bogged down in a layer of bureaucratic regulations that can
slow or even kill projects. The county is currently dealing with two federal
agencies on a $12-15 million reservoir.
“We need some help with red tape,” Wood said. “We get caught in the middle of
it.”
Foxx said that it’s often difficult to determine the right contact person in a
massive state or federal agency.
“It’s awfully hard to hold
bureaucracies accountable,” Foxx said. “Sometimes I have to threaten them like
a bulldog. It shouldn’t come to that. They should be responsive to their
constituents.”
In addition to making government more accountable, Foxx said that she would
lobby for federal money to assist Yadkin with economic development projects.
Wood said that Yadkin has applied for a federal grant to help finance the
extension of water and sewer lines to U.S. 421 and Interstate 77.
Barry Hennings, chairman of the county’s chamber of commerce, also urged Foxx
to support the local viticulture industry. Hennings noted that several
vineyards and wineries have sprung up in Yadkin and surrounding counties in
recent years, making it the fastest growing industry in the area.
Yadkin commissioners, however, have refused to endorse a referendum that would
allow vineyard owners to sell their products countywide. Currently, Lowe’s
Foods in Yadkinville is the only area business (with the exception of
vineyards) that sells wine. The town of Yadkinville
approved wine sales in August 2003.
“They bring a much needed economic impact to the community,” Hennings
said.
Foxx, who was appointed to the House Committees on Agriculture, Government
Reform and Education and Workforce, said that the wine and tourism industry
would help to replace lost textile jobs.
A former community college president, Foxx also said that community colleges
could play a crucial role in shaping the local economy, retraining displaced
workers in a new information-oriented economy.
Wayne Matthews, director of Surry Community College’s Yadkin Center,
said that the college helps retrain workers, finding them employment as
certified nursing assistants, truck drivers and various construction and
craftsman jobs. The college also allows high school students to obtain up to
one year’s worth of college credits.
“If I were 50-years-old and lost a job, I know it would be hard,” Foxx said.
“But the people of northwest North
Carolina have been surviving for generations. They
are hard workers with a great entrepreneurial spirit. If you give them the
tools, they can meet the challenges.”
