Hugh's Blog

11.07.08 
Dear Friends, Supporters and Burke County Voters,

It has been a long campaign, but it is so sweet that we've met with victory at the end of the trail.  Each of you who supported me, and especially those who worked and contributed in the campaign, can be sure that I understand this was not a win for me individually but a win for a whole team working together in myriad ways.  Be assured of my gratitude and of my commitment to truly work hard to justify the job entrusted to me for the next two years as a representative from Burke County to the North Carolina House of Representatives in Raleigh. 

For those who chose my opponent in the election, I hope you will accept as sincere my assurance that I understand my responsibility is to represent all Burke County citizens, not just those who voted for me.  I urge all to contact me with their concerns and suggestions.  I'll make every effort to respond within a reasonable time and, if you don't think I do, I hope you'll contact me at least one more time and let me know that I didn't.

While my supporters and I enjoy our success in this election, it is also right that we all join together and thank Rep. Walt Church, Sr. for the more than 16 years he gave to serve as our representative in Raleigh.  Though we have differences as may be expected to be highlighted in an election campaign, we can be confident that Walt had our county and state's best interest at heart.

Now that the campaign is over, my job is to work together with Democrats and Republicans in the legislature on behalf of everyone, Democrats, Republicans and Independents.  If we do that, hopefully we'll make progress in doing what's right for our county and state.  In doing that, hopefully, we can help turn around the local economy and start to rebuild jobs and local businesses that provide the jobs.

Again, special thanks to all who helped in our campaign.

Sincerely,

10.30.08 
Here's the skinny on my opponent's claim to have gotten $1 million for Western Piedmont Community College and the new Allied Health and Higher Education Center being constructed at the old Doblin plant in Morganton.

On March 6, 2007 Walt Church was one of the sponsors of House Bill 506 that would have appropriated $1 million to WPCC for the Allied Health building.  On March 7, 2007 the bill was sent to the House's Committee on Local Government II.  In the committee, all the language of the bill as introduced was removed and the committee substituted language merely authorizing WPCC and the Burke County Commissioners to enter into a joint agreement to develop and operate the facility.  This bill, as changed, ended up passing the House and then the Senate and became law.  Unfortunately, there was no appropriation made to WPCC as claimed by Walt Church because that too was removed in committee.  Walt didn't have the influence or clout with his fellow House members to keep the appropriation of even $1 million dollars in the bill.

After I pointed out that Walt's bill for the money never passed and that the college didn't get the funds as claimed, Walt's son, Walt, Jr., speaking on his father's behalf at a candidate forum held by the Community of Lake James, explained the claim differently.  Walt, Jr. told the audience that his father had gone behind closed doors and twisted arms to get WPCC a million dollars for the Allied Health project.  Presumably, Walt, Jr. was stating that his father twisted the arms of officials at the office of the North Carolina Community College System to cause them to make a "grant" to WPCC.  I wonder how those college system officials feel about a state representative making such a claim as to how they operate when they've advised community colleges across the state to make applications and the other colleges find out that the process is rigged because of back room arm-twisting.

As a member of the WPCC Board of Trustees, I and the other trustees were told that our college vice president had written a competitive grant application and that the college, on the basis of the merits of its application, had received a million dollars towards the project.  I'd prefer to think that's the way the system works.  If it doesn't and if Walt, Jr. is right about his father's actions behind closed doors, then, as I told the folks at the Lake James meeting, that's another reason to choose me to go to Raleigh to try to air out the place and do business in the open.  

To summarize, Walt Church failed in his effort to get the North Carolina legislature to appropriate money to Western Piedmont for the Allied Health project.  You be the judge of whether you think Representative Church had more clout with the community college officials than with his fellow house members so as to force the grant in favor of WPCC.

If you have any questions, please either email hughblackwellfomchouse@yahoo.com or call (828) 879-8454.

Thank you,

10.21.08

Dear Friends,

With less than three weeks remaining in the campaign, I am very upbeat about our chances for victory and the opportunity to make a real difference for Burke County in Raleigh.  I have been knocking on doors, meeting voters face-to-face on their doorsteps.  I hear a common refrain from them: they are tired of the business-as-usual backroom politicians and they want new leadership that works hard for them.

I believe that my family, professional, civic and church life have prepared me well for the challenges which lie ahead. Burke County’s economy is in need of serious attention.  We need jobs.  These issues demand active, engaged leadership on the part of all our elected officials.  We face unprecedented challenges in our healthcare and education systems. Our state budget is stretched as the population of our state swells to record levels.

I am ready, willing and able to roll up my sleeves and make a positive contribution to Burke County and the state of North Carolina.  I would be honored to have your support and your help in this endeavor.  Please let me know if I can respond to a particular concern or question for you or someone you know to help with the decision on this important North Carolina House race.

I hope I'll have your support.  If so, it would be an even greater honor if you'd share a recommendation of me with your email list of friends and family.

The election is November 4th but one-stop early voting (and even registration) is now available.  Regardless of your home precinct, you can vote at any one of 7 locations across the county.  For information on Early Voting go to http://co.burke.nc.us/departments/board-of-elections/new-seven-early-voting-one-stop-locations-now-available/.   In addition, applications for absentee ballots are still being accepted.  For information on absentee ballots go to http://northcarolina.votenaked.org/absentee.php.  Let us know if there's a question about any of these opportunities to make sure your vote and those of your family and friends count.

If you have any questions, please either email hughblackwellfomchouse@yahoo.com or call (828) 879-8454.

Thank you,

9.22.08

We were honored Saturday night to have Mayor Pat McCrory of Charlotte in Morganton to help us with our campaign for the North Carolina House of Representatives.  It was great of Mayor McCrory to take time from his campaign for Governor to help us.  I was especially pumped up by the excellent turn out of supporters and volunteers who gathered to both help me and to meet and hear North Carolina's likely next governor.

Pat, of course, stressed the need to bring change to Raleigh by a change in the Governor's office.  However, he also was particularly generous in praising me as the sort of new state representative Burke County needs in Raleigh if real, positive change is going to happen rather than more of the same.  I especially appreciated his compliments on my work on education- such as spear-heading the move to reduced class sizes in Burke County's 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades before just about any other county in the state and beginning more than 10 years ago.

I certainly agree with Mayor McCrory that a new governor is going to need hard-working, capable legislators to support positive change- the kind of changes that will revitalize economic and job growth here in western North Carolina and in Burke County in particular.  New legislators, not marching in lockstep with the existing legislative leadership from Chapel Hill and down east, will be essential.  I'm convinced I can be that kind of new legislator.  One that works for the right policies for Burke County and the state-- even-handed policies and appropriations based on merit- not on who's got the power and who you know. 

Pat McCrory understands he can't count on my vote for everything he may favor and I understand he's not going to try to punish the people of Burke County when principal and legitimate difference of opinion cause me to go against his wishes.  That's the right kind of respect and relationship we ought to have among our elected officials sent to Raleigh to serve the people and not to serve themselves.

It's exciting to think we can all be a part of a new day in North Carolina.  I'm optimistic Burke County is ready to move toward that new day with me working on everyone's behalf, Democrat, Republican or Independent, to support the changes that people across the county are telling me they want.  If you have any questions, please either email hughblackwellfomchouse@yahoo.com or call (828) 879-8454.

Thank you,

Hugh Blackwell

9.17.08

Well, we now have less than 60 days to go until Election Day on November 4^th.  I’m excited about our prospects for success in being elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives.  One of the reasons I’m excited is that I really do think I can help bring needed change to the way things are done in Raleigh and that can only be a positive development for the people of Burke County.

There are many things to be said on the topic of needed changes in Raleigh.  However, for today, I’ll just mention two items-

(1)  First, is there anyone remotely associated with Burke County who doesn’t understand our need for jobs and economic growth?  Burke Mills is the latest employer to announce it is closing and the Valdese town manager says, apart from lost jobs, residents will almost definitely see their water bills going up as a result.  Tonight I talked to a man from Salem who’d just learned from Molded Fiber in Morganton that his temporary layoff is being made permanent.  Burke’s unemployment rate is the highest in our Unifour area.

(2)  Second, for the life of me, I can’t understand why Raleigh can’t figure out how to manage Broughton Hospital so its accreditation doesn’t continue in question, from one source or another, after more than a year.  I know it’s not the fault of the hard-working, generally wonderful local employees who work there, frequently for low pay and with insufficient staffing.  I suspect it’s a management problem centered in Raleigh.

My opponent has been serving in Raleigh for 17 years now.  He’s a nice man and has done a lot of favors for a lot of people across the county.  But, unfortunately, his being nice and doing favors while supporting the same old Raleigh leadership and their policies just isn’t getting the job done.  It’s time to choose someone new if we want different and better results.

Those are some of my thoughts today on jobs, the economy and Broughton.  However, I’d sure like to hear what others in Burke County think.  One of the important parts of being a representative is to listen and not do all the talking.  So, I look forward to hearing from our voters.  If you have any questions, please either email hughblackwellfomchouse@yahoo.com or call (828) 879-8454.

Hugh Blackwell

08.25.08

Dear Burke County Friends,

I'm Hugh Blackwell and I want to be your next State Representative because I want to provide the effective leadership that Burke County deserves in the North Carolina House. I am proud to have served as vice chairman of our board of education of which I was a member for eight years, as well as a vice president of our county's Chamber of Commerce and as volunteer legal counsel and board member in the founding of Hospice of Burke County.

Hugh Blackwell