Big
win for our state to
tell you about.
Here’s what happened:
Back
in July, I stood at
a sewage pump
station in
Hillsborough that
had just flooded
during a tropical
storm. Millions of
gallons of sewage
spilled into the
river.
What
made this especially
frustrating was that
this same station
had already been
approved by FEMA for
funding to fix the
problem. FEMA had
selected it for a
grant to move the
station up a hill so
it wouldn’t flood
again.
Then
FEMA canceled the
money.
And
this wasn’t an
isolated case. FEMA
had pulled the plug
on 60 water and
sewer projects
across North
Carolina - projects
it had already
approved. Overnight,
our state was set to
lose $200 million in
infrastructure
funding.
So we
took FEMA to court
- and
we just won.
Our
argument was
straightforward:
this wasn’t FEMA’s
money to cancel.
When Congress gave
FEMA these funds, it
was very clear the
funds had to be
spent on water and
sewer projects in
disaster-prone areas.
Congress basically
said, “Here’s money
for a specific
program that we want
you to administer.”
That meant FEMA
didn’t have the
authority to cancel
the program entirely,
which is what it
did.
The
court agreed with us
- strongly. So
strongly, in fact,
that we won at the
summary judgment
level.
What
does that mean?
It
means the court
essentially said,
“Before we even go
to trial, the
evidence here is so
strong that we
believe there’s no
way FEMA can prove
that it didn’t break
the law, so we’re
making a decision
without having to go
through a full trial
- and FEMA needs to
pay what it owes.”
A
huge thanks to our
team at NCDOJ who
took this case on
and delivered a
result that will
make a difference
for dozens of
communities. A big
win to lift our
spirits as we head
into the holidays.
Anthrax
Donuts
While
our FEMA lawsuit was
pending, I visited
some of the towns
whose projects had
been abruptly
canceled to see the
impact on the ground.
One
of them was the town
of Whiteville,
population 5,000.
A lot
of people came out
to greet me. The
creek behind me in
this photo floods on
a regular basis,
damaging homes and
businesses.
This
is a long-standing
issue for the town
and they wanted me
to know how
important it is to
them.
This
included a very nice
woman who owns a
local donut shop,
which floods on
occasion. The last
flood was just in
October, and she
told me she lost her
whole inventory.
She
very kindly brought
me a box of donuts.
As
she handed it to me,
one of my staff
members immediately
swooped in and
grabbed the box out
of my hands. That
struck me as odd, so
I made a mental note
to ask about it
later.
Here’s how that
conversation went
back at the car:
Me:
“Why’d you grab the
box?”
Staff: “I didn’t
know what was in
it!”
Me:
“It was a box of
donuts. She was the
donut lady.”
Staff: “Well, it was
a security issue.”
Me:
“It was a donut
issue. I want my
donuts back.”
Staff: “Well, we
don’t know what’s in the
donuts.”
Me:
“What could be in
the donuts?”
Staff: “I don’t know.
Anthrax.”
Me:
“You think those
are anthrax
donuts?”
Staff: “They could
be!”
So
here’s what happened:
We
put the donuts on a
table in our office
until we could
resolve the
situation, and
before I knew it,
all of them were
gone. Somehow, the
same staff who was
concerned these
donuts might contain
anthrax also decided
they might be
delicious, and
promptly consumed
them all.
And
for the record, I am
sending a check to
the nice lady for
the donuts. She’s
had a hard couple of
months, and she
doesn’t need to give
me anything for
free.
Even
if I didn’t get to
eat them.
In
Appreciation of Gov.
Jim Hunt
The
first time I met
Governor Jim Hunt, I
made a joke about
how I had once been
a very low-ranking
soldier.
He
immediately grabbed
me by the wrist and
said, firmly, “And
that’s who you’re
fighting for, Jeff -
people who are on
the bottom, who are
trying to move up!”
I’ve
never forgotten that
moment, because it
captured him
perfectly. He
believed public
service meant
looking out for the
little guy, finding
ways to move
everyone up, and
leading with
compassion.
That
same spirit showed
up in personal ways,
too. I never saw him
happier than when he
was campaigning for
his daughter,
Rachel. He was her
star volunteer. I
once saw him tell a
voter, “Yes, it’s
really me - now you
need to vote for my
daughter!” I know
she made him
incredibly proud
with her public
service.
And
even after he’d done
everything he’d done
- after all the
offices, all the
accomplishments - he
kept doing the
small, human things
that make leadership
real. He used to cut
out newspaper
clippings and send
them to me. Most
were about early
childhood education
- one of his central
legacies as Governor.
I always read them,
and I always showed
them to my wife,
just to let her know
I was pen pals with
the Governor.
In
the coming days,
it’s going to be
difficult to
summarize everything
he accomplished for
our state,
everything he meant
to people.
But
it isn’t going to be
hard to sum him up
as a person:
He
was simply a great
joy to be around,
and he really cared
about people, and he
had a vision for
ways he could bring
people together to
do big things that
would serve them
well.
When
that’s your
character and you’re
given the chance to
serve again and
again, the impact
compounds and the
good you can do for
people lasts for
generations.
We’re
grateful - and we’ll
miss him.
Time with
Family
For
the first time,
Marisa and I are
hosting our families
for the holidays.
Our house is about
three days away from
being absolutely
full, with kids
running around
everywhere. We’ve
got a trampoline in
the backyard that’s
about to get a lot
of use.
I
hope you get to
spend time with your
loved ones as well,
and that this
holiday gives you
the space to relax,
unwind, and not talk
politics unless
that’s what makes
you happy.
And
remember: it’s ok to
take a break from
the news, just as
it’s ok - even good!
- to take a break
from work.
Wishing you all a
wonderful holiday.
Best,
Jeff
Jackson
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