One for all: Eastern North Carolina voting bloc not such a bad idea

There is strength in numbers -- and when you have numbers, you get attention.

And for years, more than anything else, that is what eastern North Carolina lacked -- attention.

Lawmakers in Raleigh worried about Charlotte, Raleigh and other major cities, but issues affecting those who lived below the beltline were left for the second string.

And then some legislators from this area began to work together and boom, projects and money.

But the fight is not over yet.

Having an organized and like-minded assemblage of eastern North Carolina leaders gives the area a voice that is too loud to be ignored.

The members of this group do not have to agree all the time -- but they have to be willing to sit down and talk about what is best for the region and to prepare legislation that puts that interest as one of its major goals.

That doesn't mean there won't be arguments or that district interests won't clash.

But it is a smart step forward at a time when money is tight and state attention spans are short.

Published in Editorials on September 6, 2013 11:28 AM