The 2023 legislative achievements of Ward and Smith's Government Relations team were recently highlighted in an article by the Asheville Citizen Times.
The article captures the proceedings of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting held on February 6, where Whitney Campbell Christensen and Trafton Dinwiddie shared the County's legislative triumphs of 2023 and discussed advocacy plans and strategy for the upcoming session.
Among the team's notable accomplishments, as detailed in the Citizen Times, are several of the County's 2023 legislative priorities that were achieved in 2023. These victories include:
Buncombe County lobbyists secured $2.83 million in funding to alleviate flooding that plagued part of Barnardsville, including an elementary school, small business and post office in the area, Dinwiddie said.
The lobbyists also secured $2 million dedicated to a pilot program that allows farmers to move their operations away from the French Broad River to improve water quality. Dinwiddie said he hoped the pilot would lead to expanding the program throughout the state.
Dinwiddie said that Ward and Smith worked to give Buncombe County access to a $59.4 million statewide fund created with federal dollars for teacher pay. He said that around 90 state school districts are eligible for the money.
Christensen said that the firm took the county’s direction on raises for school employees, which became a point of contention in Buncombe County.
“We took that message back to Raleigh and joined a choir of other groups,” she said.
To discover more about the work of Ward and Smith's Government Relations team on behalf of Buncombe County and to delve into more detail about the upcoming legislative session, click here and continue reading the full article. Ward and Smith sincerely appreciates the Citizen Times' generous coverage of our firm's lobbying team and their work for the County.
