[Durham INC] Veto the Billboard Bill

[Tom Miller]

Dear Neighbors:

 

This week there were really ugly developments in the fight over the
billboard bill.  The industry and the sponsors took all the fee provisions
out of it.  Under the bill as it is now written, a billboard owner would
have to pay nothing to cut a huge swath of trees from the public right of
way to "improve" the visibility of his billboard.  The bill would prevent
state or local government form being able to prevent this cutting with
beautification measures or tree-save ordinances.  North Carolina will become
another billboard state like South Carolina or Alabama.  How short sighted.

 

The sponsors and the industry have refused to consider including language in
the bill that expressly preserves a local government's right to regulate the
size and placement of billboards within the local jurisdiction.  Without
such language, billboards will become the "sacred cow" of laws designed to
protect neighborhoods, the environment, and our state's incredible scenic
beauty.  The billboard industry is like the "little foxes" of Bible fame.
They want to eat the grapes that belong to everyone and spoil the vineyard.

 

As the General Assembly session winds down, legislative business becomes
frantic.  Committee meetings are held in the evenings with little or no
notice.  Changes get made before anyone has a chance to see them, read, them
, or object.  It appears that the billboard folks having been waiting for
this moment to out-maneuver the opposition.  The billboard bill may pass
next week and go to Governor Perdue's desk for ratification or veto.

 

It's hard to believe that this legislation has got this far when polls show
that by a four-to-one margin, North Carolinians oppose it!

 

Here's what you can do:

 

1)      Email every member of your community's legislative delegation.  It
doesn't matter what district you live in, e-mail all the members of the
house and senate from your town or county (changing district lines under the
current redistricting have all members nervous).  Tell them to vote "NO!" on
the billboard bill.  You can get your senate and house members' e-mail
addresses at www.ncleg.net.  If you want, e-mail every member of the General
Assembly!

 

Also

 

2)      Email Governor Perdue's office and ask her to "Veto the billboard
bill!"  The governor's e-mail address is governor.office at nc.gov.

 

Visit www.savetheview.org for more information on the billboard bill battle.

 

Together, NC neighborhoods will make a difference!

 

Thank you very much.

 

The InterNeighborhood Council of Durham

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://rtpnet.org/pipermail/inc-list/attachments/20110610/b6c78c5c/attachment.html>