N.C. Rep. Joe Kiser of Lincoln County is stepping down as minority leader in the House. He has held the position for four years and is the highest-ranking legislator from the Hickory Metro region. A graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College, he has represented parts of Catawba County during his career and has helped promote Northwest North Carolina.
During the past election, the GOP lost four House seats. Kiser has said it is time for a change. He also helped former Co-Speaker Richard Morgan (GOP) in the historic bipartisan session of 200l-2003. With a sharply divided caucus, Kiser must have felt he was walking on a frayed tightrope 59 stories high. There was no chemistry between Kiser and multi-millionaire Art Pope, a former legislator who has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to purge the Republican party of moderates.
Kiser’s decision to step down is not good news for the Hickory region, which needs strong voices in Raleigh more than ever.
LOBBYIST MOVES UP: Michael Houser, a native of Catawba County and Fred T. Foard High School grad, is among the 50 most influential lobbyists in the North Carolina General Assembly. Houser is the top lobbyist for the North Carolina Association of Educators and helped steer legislation for late summer school openings. He also promoted important initiatives for teacher salary increases.
Houser grew up in the Banoak area of Catawba County where his parents still live. He is a graduate of N.C. State University and worked in the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms office for several years.
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TWO STEPS BACKWARD: Up until 2001, the City of Hickory had the reputation for its innovation and vision. Then came an election that brought in a mayor who determined he had a turn-back-the-clock mandate. And he did. But some of the concepts advanced by former City Manager Gary McGee now are being embraced by the City of Raleigh, which is booming.
Raleigh has unveiled a new plan for busy Hillsborough Street that links downtown to NCSU campus. Three roundabouts (traffic circles) are included. Seven years ago McGee has presented plans for a traffic circle where Geitner Road intersects with the Old Lenoir Road in Hickory. In Hickory, that plan faded into the advancing fog.
Since 2001, the mayor has chased away the city manager, an assistant city manager, the planning director, and the finance director. In the meantime, the mayor proudly determines who gets a key to the city and monitors stores that sell suggestive apparel and sex toys in the interest of family values.
McHENRY RETURNS TO WASHINGTON: U.S. Rep.Patrick McHenry will find Washington a changed place next year. And with the chip on his shoulder he will find it a cooler place. In his comments to local media, McHenry has no patience with bipartisan cooperation. (Can’t work with those libbberaals). His most cherished appointment has been to the Financial Services Committee which regulates banks and financial institutions. The new Democratic chairman of that committee is Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, one of the openly-gay members of Congress. The Frank-McHenry dialogue should be interesting.
McHenry also has expressed his distain for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He can only yearn for the good old days with his mentor Tom Delay.
