What a difference a week makes!
Just last week I was asking people to be safe while driving in the snow and now it feels like summer outside. In this week’s newsletter we will be covering two topics: Senator Martin Nesbitt’s appointment as Chair of the new Economic Recovery Committee, and how my office can try and help you with problems that you are facing.
Sen. Nesbitt to Chair Economic Recovery Committee
Miami Dolphins General Manager Bill Parcells is successful because of his keen sense in identifying talent and placing it where it can best help the team. In a move characteristic of Parcells, Senator Mark Basnight has appointed Senator Martin Nesbitt to lead the new Senate Select Committee on Economic Recovery. Senator Nesbitt is as honest and open as any human being. He was the first Senator I called when I was elected in 2004. I thought very highly of him after following the crusades he led in the General Assembly on behalf of working people. He has served as my mentor during my time in the Senate and I proudly count him as a friend.
During my first week at the legislature Senator Nesbitt cautioned me about former House Speaker Jim Black. Senator Nesbitt warned members of the Senate that former Secretary Carmen Hooker Odom’s lack of leadership was a key problem in making necessary reforms in mental health, long before the News and Observer began aggressively covering mental health issues. The bottom line is that Senator Nesbitt tells it like it is. This trait will help facilitate transparency on the stimulus package, help to clearly and honestly explain its relationship to our budget crisis and clearly show how we can best maximize the package to stimulate job growth. We can be certain, with Senator Nesbitt heading up this committee, that our state will make full use of the stimulus package to strengthen our economy and create jobs for all of our citizens.
Success Stories: How Our Office Can Help You in Tough Times
I would like to share with you two stories as examples of how my office can be of assistance to you in these tough times. These are by no means an exhaustive list of our capabilities. They are just a sample of the things that we can do. We cannot solve every problem, but we will always try. But if we do not know there is a problem, we will never be able to help. The most important thing is that you, as my constituents, do not hesitate to let us know what your problems are.
DMV Problems: Recently I had a constituent, Mr. Finch, who came into my office. He was having problems with his Commercial Driver’s License. Obviously this was of dire importance as without his driver’s license Mr. Finch could not earn a living and support his family. Mr. Finch had been having problems for many years with the DMV regarding his medical condition. He was given a medical waiver 13 years ago by the DMV, and is required to undergo a medical evaluation every year. He has abided by the DMV’s rules and has passed every medical evaluation. Then the DMV, without much explanation, revoked his license due to medical reasons. Mr. Finch could not understand how his license had been revoked when his medical condition had not changed, nor could I. My office began looking into the matter and found out that the review board had begun implementing federal policy regarding Commercial Licenses. This policy had not been implemented before and was not part of the regulations that the North Carolina DMV follows. My office, after discovering this, was able to get Mr. Finch’s license reinstated and he is now back to work and earning a living. We will continue to follow the situation to try to ensure that Mr. Finch does not have to face this problem again.
Cutting through Bureaucratic Red Tape: Another example involves a constituent, a Mr. Jordan, who is a sales representative. He was forced to seek unemployment when his sales area was eliminated. Mr. Jordan, like many others, is a casualty of the economic downturn. But Mr. Jordan could not get the unemployment relief he qualified for. For 4 weeks Mr. Jordan went without his unemployment. He called, emailed and personally visited the Employment Security Commission in attempts to fix the problem, but it was to no avail. Finally he turned to the legislature. My office was able to find and fix the problem with Mr. Jordan’s unemployment. It turns out his qualifications were incorrectly classified, and that was holding things up. Within a week of his first email, Mr. Jordan’s problem was corrected. Here’s a quote from Mr. Jordan, “I appreciate the fact that you took time [to look into this]. It restores my faith that someone is listening!”
Please remember that I am always listening. I will work diligently on your behalf to try and solve your problems, so please do not hesitate to call my office. I consider it an honor to represent you and I consider it my duty to try and help you with the problems you face.
Sincerely,
Doug Berger