Congressman Murphy hears from locals at roundtable
Saturday morning’s roundtable was held at Lovick’s Cafe. Attendees: Rep. Greg Murphy, NC Rep. Chris Humphrey, Commissioner J. Mac Daughety, Miranda Hill Wiggins, Michael James, Brent Williams, Timmy Mooring, Rod Smith, Rodney Smith, Ray Collier, John Howard and Leon Steele. Photo by Catherine Hardee / Neuse News
The newly-elected congressman for North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, Rep. Greg Murphy, participated in a roundtable discussion Saturday morning in Kinston.
According to Lenoir County Commissioner J. Mac Daughety, he helped organize the event at Lovick’s Cafe by inviting members of the community with different perspectives.
“Rep. Murphy wanted a roundtable with constituents to talk about the issues our county is facing, and to show his determination to be accessible despite the political turmoil in Washington,” Daughety said.
Members of Lenoir County’s agricultural community, small business owners who have been affected by flooding, Lenoir County Public Schools Superintendent Brent Williams, County Manager Michael James, Pride of Kinston executive director Leon Steele and NC Rep. Chris Humphrey were among those who gathered to help Rep. Murphy get a better understanding of the county’s needs.
Flooding was a major concern for many present, and Murphy said he has already discussed the possibility of dredging area rivers with the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Rodney Smith is the owner of Pleasant Hill Grill, which was flooded in both Hurricane Michael and Florence. Smith is in the process of trying to relocate and expand the business, and he alerted Murphy to the difficult position he and other small business owners faced in being ineligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance and the complexities of the paperwork involved in applying for disaster loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Williams and James discussed the impact of flooding on the school system and local government, especially the ongoing effort to receive FEMA funding for hurricane-related damage.
Murphy said he plans to have offices throughout the district to ensure constituents are able to easily contact him for assistance with problems.
“This area hasn’t had a vocal representative for a while,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he was glad to have a chance to hear directly from constituents, and he believes he will be able to get to work on helping with some of the issues when he returns to Washington.
