Letter to the Editor: County Commissioner Eric Rouse in support of Chris Humphrey
Chris Humphrey began providing assistance to a greater cause over a year ago when he got involved with hurricane mitigation relief meetings. Rural North Carolina champions like N.C. House Majority Leader John Bell and N.C. Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown were pushing hard for the governor’s office and their fellow lawmakers to do more for the victims of Hurricane Matthew.
Chris Humphrey reached out to Rep. Bell to see how he could help speed the process for local victims, and so that he could learn more about the inner workings of disaster relief.
Rep. Bell helped Chris to become better informed about some of the inefficient processes he had discovered as chair of the Disaster Relief Committee. Chris was heartbroken about how Hurricane Matthew relief was handled. He was frustrated that leaders like Bell and N.C. Sen. Louis Pate were not getting more support from small-town lawmakers in our local area.
Bell urged Chris to channel his frustration by helping him take action at the state and federal level. I believe this is one of the issues that finally convinced Chris to run for office. He saw people in our community devastated by Hurricane Matthew, and he felt they deserved better treatment from the administrations of former Gov. McCrory and Gov. Cooper.
He believes governors and lawmakers have an obligation to the people. When they fail to meet that obligation, they deserve to be held accountable, regardless of their political affiliation. Chris believes people should be put first.
Chris chose to not publicize this information for political gain. He does not want to be someone who talks a lot, but delivers no results. I am only aware of his interactions because of my state level conversations seeking help for our area. I may embarrass him by sharing this information, but I think it is important for voters to know.
I have already seen Chris’ easy communication style be very effective in getting others to listen to conversation about our area and the issues we face.
The Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader and the Rules Chairman of the N.C. House of Representatives have already traveled to Lenoir County where they sat with Chris and a group of business leaders for discussions surrounding Lenoir and Pitt counties.
We need someone who can bring people together to help our community. Lenoir County, like all rural areas, faces many headwinds. We need someone from District 12 with the energy, commitment and ability to make a difference in Raleigh.
Chris Humphrey is that person. Don’t wait, please go vote for him today!
Eric Rouse
Lenoir County Commissioner
Kinston
