NCLM.ORG 17 continues on page 18 becomes my direct interest. When I first became a member, there was an issue—a road at home in the old district (during an earlier iteration of the district’s lines), the 43rd House District, it’s called Brawley School Road, it’s a dead-end road, and it dead-ended down on a lake. I had a lady contact me, she wanted the road widened—it’s since been widened—and I said, “Well, ma’am, I’ve been in office two weeks. My predecessor was a Brawley, and he lives in Iredell County, and he’s been there 18 years. We don’t have jurisdiction over the roads.” But I’ve learned a lot and if it wasn’t for the opportunity to help people, I wouldn’t have run for a second term. But you can help people. You’re in a position that, at times, you can get people where they need to go. I enjoy that. Are there issues that local governments, when they’re forming their legislative agendas or in conversation, tend to bring to you? MS: The (NC Association of County Commissioners) forms a legislative agenda. The League does. You have those. And then more real-life is what the municipal entities need. I spend half my time down here at times trying to kill things that hurt the municipalities as opposed to help facilitate them along. We have a process for de-annexation and some people want to circumvent that. Even when people know they’re in the municipal limits when they bought the property, they still want to use us as a battering ram against the cities, and I don’t support that. You have to keep the cities vital. They have to be maintained as a vital entity. Because every one of them is an economic engine in the state. And if you destabilize one, there’s a domino effect that’s going to start. It’s interesting. You hear about anything from de-annexations to interbasin transfers, sub-basin transfers, all kinds of things that never came across the table when I was mayor of Catawba. But if it affects one city, it affects another. It can snowball. That’s why we have to be really careful about what we do here. In your time here in the legislature, have you seen changes in dynamics or trends? MS: There’s one member here in the House now who was here when I came. That’s Representative (Julia) Howard, from Davie County, my seat-mate. Everybody behind us, they weren’t here when I came. It’s sort of like watching your family pass away, at times. We are a dysfunctional family. We call ourselves a family, but we are dysfunctional (laughter). It has evolved and hit changes and it’s different people in positions but it still operates the same way. The committees, the palace intrigue, as you might want to refer to it, the caucus, and things like that, you just never know what’s going to happen next. But the institution as a body, as an entity, has not changed. You have the balancing act between the chambers, regardless of which party has control. And that’s a good thing. I’ve said for years that the state’s safer when we adjourn (laughter) and away from this building. But, by and large, you have a lot of good people here and everyone means well in their own perspective… It’s just getting the votes. Q&A with Rep. Mitchell Setzer I've learned a lot and if it wasn’t for the opportunity to help people, I wouldn't have run for a second term. But you can help people. You’re in a position that, at times, you can get people where they need to go. I enjoy that.
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