More Hatteras Village

Nick B offers:

The solution to this problem is the incorporation of the village. As stated in the article, the village finally has an adequate tax base to support itself. All planning and zoning decisions for tis people are currently made by the county government in Manteo (roughly 1 hour north). Citizens obviously do have a say in these matters, but do not ultimately have the power that they could in determining the outcomes. Currently, Hatteras Island as a whole only has one elected official (a county commissioner)who even represents them in the county government. And in my opinion, our representatives in the past have been too concerned with their own personal wealth to put much effort in to supporting the cause of a small part of their constituency.

Incorporation in the past has been a hot button issue in this village because of zoning issues and the prospects of higher taxes. However, if the local people structure a municipal government around their ideals and visions, the regulations do not have to be oppressive on the native people. An elected board of native peoples could and should be tolerant to the culture and lifestyles of their own people.

It is too late to stop the Slash Creek development. It's already well under way. Regulations have been passed in the county to stop similar developments from occuring in Hatteras Village, but the islanders still need to have vision and realize that something else could come along that they are strongly opposed to and they still would have little say with the outcome. The island people's destiny is in their own hands, but if they keep fighting over whether they should incorporate, decisions will continue to be made for them.

One last thing, I myself had less opposition to Dixon's development than some. With that being said, I felt like he handled himself very unprofessionally in this piece. I realize that some heated exchanges between the developers and locals occured, but his comments were quite asinine. If he hopes to sucessfully develop on Hatteras Island, I'd hope that his attitude changes. Islanders are a tight knit bunch, and that could have sealed his developing fate on that end of the Outer Banks.

Well said, Nick. The best solution is always for members of a locality to join together and decide their own fate. Too bad it didn't happen before all the uproar. Unfortunately, government has always been a defensive measure. It would be nice if people behaved themselves without it, but as I said before, if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.