House of Representatives appoints Allen to Military Affairs Commission
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on September 25, 2015 1:46 PM
Goldsboro Mayor Pro-Tem Chuck Allen was recently appointed to be a voting member of the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission by the state House of Representatives.
Allen's appointment to the commission was voted on by the House of Representatives, and was approved by Speaker of the House Tim Moore.
He will serve on the commission alongside two other Wayne County representatives, Jeremiah Daniels and Col. Joe Marm. Marm is a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and serves on the commission's Base Sustainability and Community Affairs committee. Daniels serves on the commission's Legislative Affairs committee.
The three will work together to represent Seymour Johnson Air Force Base on a statewide and nationwide level.
"I took the place of Efton Sager, who retired," Allen said. "One thing I would like to do is thank Efton for his service to the committee."
Allen said being a voting member of the Military Affairs Commission allows him to represent the needs of SJAFB and fight to keep the base in Wayne County in the face of military-wide budget cuts.
"What the state MAC does is, it's the governor showing that North Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the country," Allen said. "The purpose of the state MAC is to try and coordinate all the armed forces in the state. You've got the Air Force, you've got the Marines, you've got Fort Bragg, the Coast Guard, so they're all appointees to it. You meet and try to do things that are good for the military."
The state's military affairs commission also acts as a liaison between all of the military bases in North Carolina and the federal government.
The scope of things covered by the military affairs commission is broad, Allen said, and will enable Wayne county to have a seat at the table when important decisions related to the military are being made at the state and federal level.
"It's a big deal to have us on there, I think, because we're fighting for Seymour Johnson all the time," Allen said. "It lets us ask for things like wind farms, the bombing range -- this is a place for us to go to and engage and involve all the resources we have as a state. That's what the purpose of this thing is."
By having Wayne County representatives on the state military affairs commission, it provides SJAFB with a more solid foothold as a necessary base in the state and nation, Allen said.
"I want to do whatever I can to protect Seymour Johnson, its flight pattern and all of our military," Allen said. "The intent of this board is just to make the relationship between the state of North Carolina and the bases more friendly."
The entire military affairs commission meets quarterly, making Allen's first meeting on Dec. 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Camp Lejeune.