Swain County Manager Kevin King and commissioners David Monteith and Phil Carson paid a visit to Washington, DC to lobby not legislators, but decision-makers in the Department of the Interior. The subject was the age-old quest for compensation promised in a settlement for damages caused by flooding when the Fontana Dam was constructed. Travel expenses were rather modest for politicians. The three had to split a budget of $2000 for three days. The Smoky Mountain Times relates how the lobbying played out:
A July 31 meeting to discuss the matter with the Department of Interior was cancelled with no reason given, King said.
