NCLM.ORG 21 having the years of experience and having the passion for the basic infrastructure needs of most municipal governments and understanding those needs … I know what it takes to put in a mile of road … I just feel like having that experience as we navigate through legislation in committees … I can bring a wealth of knowledge to help navigate that. I think, as a freshman, I’ve been able to do that. It certainly is a commitment. To be effective you’ve got to be willing to put the time and energy into educating yourself and making sure that you’re putting the time in to be an effective leader. It takes time and education. But again, we’re all there to serve the citizens of North Carolina and to make it a better place to live and do business and retire. And that’s the sort of landscape that we’re trying to achieve while serving local governments. And the beauty of having the League experience I think … it’s important to understand the differences within the state, different local governments. Challenges that we have in Jacksonville are much different than the challenges in Charlotte or Duck. But similarly, the same. And to know those differences, to know that there’s 230 cities and towns that are under 5,000 in population and the challenges that they have, to understand how many cities and towns that are not able to meet budget requirements, and the challenges that they face and how we play a role in that, to know how many cities and towns have failing water and sewer infrastructure and being thought leaders on how we correct those issues. At the end of the day, whether we agree or disagree how they got there, the impact is on the citizens that we serve, and we have a responsibility to find solutions to these problems. And you wouldn’t know unless you served in the right areas. continued from page 19 Catching Up with Senator Mike Lazzara
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