JLF’s John Hood weighs in on legislative efforts to regionalize Charlotte’s airport and Asheville’s water system:
I would also observe that many of the same people criticizing the Asheville water and Charlotte airport bills have for decades advocated regional authorities to deliver water and transportation services, as well as merged school systems to replace separate city and county systems, often arguing that state government should encourage or require such outcomes through state budgetary or regulatory policies.
I’d count the N&R as one of those critics, considering the local paper of record references those initiatives when putting N.C. cities on alert. Never mind the fact that the Triad is the capital of regionalism, with the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority and the Piedmont Triad International Airport Authority (in place since 1941 to be fair).
Any economic development initiative here in the Triad is based on regionalism. That’s all we seem hear in the Triad: regionalism, regionalism, regionalism. Now suddenly it’s not so cool. Wonder what’s changed?
