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Dear
Senators Chichester,
Wampler, Stosch,
Colgan: Copy:
Delegates
Callahan, Dillard, Thomas, Hamilton and Putney It
is my understanding that you may be serving on the committee to decide on
the Occoneechee
Land
Swap (SB700
#381).
This is one of the most controversial issues that we have
ever experienced in Southside Virginia.
For months there have been pages and page of articles and letters
to the editor (in
The Mecklenburg Sun and News Progress) debating
this issue openly. The
public in Mecklenburg County clearly understands the issue and 80 to 90%
of the people in Mecklenburg County are opposed to a privately owned Occoneechee
golf
course and/or land swap. These
include many of my friends and relatives that this land swap is “supposed”
to help economically. As
of November 7th, the public input to the DCR was 6 to 1 (3,675
to 650) or 83%
of citizens opposed to the golf course in Occoneechee State
Park. The Virginia Outdoors
Plan showed that 85% of citizens are opposed to similar ventures in
state parks. Bottom
line 10% to 20% or 3,200 to 6,400 Mecklenburg citizens support the land
swap and golf course out of 32,000 Mecklenburg County citizens.
In the rest of Virginia nearly
100% of the citizens are opposed to the golf course or land swap because
they stand to gain nothing from it.
So we have 3,200 to 6,400 people in the ENTIRE state of Virginia
that support the land swap/golf course out of 7,000,000 citizens.
Thus over 99% of the citizens of
Virginia are opposed to a golf course in Occoneechee State Park or a land
swap for the 23 acres. With
over 99% of the Virginia citizens opposed to the Occoneechee
Land
Swap/golf course why would you, as a public servant of the Commonwealth,
entertain the idea of going against what your constituents want?
If
your vote is yes on the Occoneechee
Land
Swap then you owe the citizens of Virginia an explanation regarding why
you voted against the will of 99% of the citizens of the State of
Virginia. Your answer
will be posted on our web site and emailed to thousands of Virginians.
If
ANY version of the Occoneechee
Land
Swap is passed we will ensure that the citizens of Virginia are reminded
of this well into the future and know the specific politicians who voted
for this. How
do I know that nearly 100% of Virginians are opposed to the golf
course/land swap? I
personally, along with others, have been randomly knocking on doors asking
people. We have been
collecting signatures for months from all over the state.
We have over 4,000 signatures.
Just this weekend while in Please
take a careful look at the public input from your constituents and the
input to other senators and vote the way that your constituents are
asking. Although only you
have these numbers I can virtually guarantee you that over 90% of your
constituent input is opposed to the Occoneechee
Land
Swap. We know this because we
are randomly going door-to-door asking people.
If you don’t believe your hot line numbers randomly call ten
people in your district or in Mecklenburg County and ask them.
We know what the answer will be.
Please vote with the citizens of Virginia. The
citizens of Virginia will also not accept any deals or comprise regarding
the 23 acres. The 23 acres in
Occoneechee State Park are non-negotiable.
Please understand that if any form of a land swap is passed this
will become a highly controversial and high profile issue throughout the
state of Virginia and the citizens will demand answers!! Barry
Carter Chairperson,
Southside Virginia Native American Descendants Association Chairperson,
Mecklenburg County Citizens for Democracy Clarksville
Business Owner, Occoneechee Town Trading Post |