JeffJackson (NC Dem for US Senate) on importance of passing infrastructure bill: [View all]

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“Jeff, it’s about water.”

That’s what I love about mayors - they always cut to the chase.

People tell you what they want. Mayors tell you what they’ve *gotta* have.

We just finished eight town halls in counties east of I-95, and we heard a clear theme from the mayors who joined us: water, sewer, and broadband.

Yes roads, yes bridges - but water, sewer, and broadband. They’re overlooked because they’re underground, but they’re crucial to creating so many other opportunities.

You can lump them together and call them “subsurface infrastructure,” but it’s really about laying an economic foundation. And if you’re missing one piece, you’re not going to build much on top of it.

Example: People talk about the lack of affordable rental options. Then the mayor says, “We can’t build an apartment complex on a well and a septic tank. Gotta have water and sewer. That’s what’s holding us back.”

Then someone asks, “How can we keep young people from leaving?” Before I can answer, a mayor says, “Can’t keep ‘em here without broadband. Just not possible. Gotta have it.”

These things are expensive, and lots of our rural counties don’t have the tax base to really build out water and sewer on their own. They need state and federal partners to do it.

But here’s the thing: We spent $2 trillion in Afghanistan. And the vast majority of that was unnecessary.

If just 0.5% of those funds had found their way to the rural counties east of I-95 (or west of Asheville, for that matter), you’d have a brand new economic foundation across the entire region. Water, sewer, and broadband would be strong enough to support all kinds of business growth, from entrepreneurs to major industries.

You’d be looking at a dramatic upgrade in the economy of the region. Lives would be much better, and probably longer.

And that’s roughly the amount that we’re slated to get as a state if the bipartisan infrastructure bill passes. But here’s the thing: It’s going to be spread across the whole state.

(Incidentally, all three of our state’s GOP Senate candidates said they would have voted against it - because it’s too big of an investment.)

Bottom-line: If this infrastructure bill passes, we’re going to be able to make large investments in our state. That’s a good thing and it’s going to mean a lot for a lot of people. But we’re still going to have major unmet infrastructure needs, particularly in rural counties. Finding ways to help those counties invest in their economic foundations is going to remain a priority.

And that means mayors need to keep telling senators what they need, and we need senators who will listen.

- Jeff Jackson

Jackson just posted this on FB, probably Twitter, too.