Now that the County Commission has returned to our regular schedule, I wanted to take some time to update you on two items that I have been busy advocating on your behalf as taxpayers and as residents of the Lake Norman region.

At our September 1st meeting my request to direct the County Manager and County Real Estate Services to engage a private-sector energy savings company to complete an energy audit of all County-owned facilities received a unanimous vote from our Board.  This Energy Saving Performance Contract will enable the County to upfit its buildings with energy saving items at no cost to taxpayers and will likely result in significant cost savings to the County, and you the taxpayer, over time.

At our September 15th meeting our Board voted unanimously to lift the swimming ban on Lake Norman.  Public swimming on the lake has been prohibited for over 25 years.  I have been advocating for over two years for the ban to be lifted.  Thank you to the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Jeff Tarte of Cornelius for your efforts in moving this issue to the forefront. Next steps include public hearings and a lengthy review process by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. I anticipate this process taking 18-24 months.  Stay tuned for more news on this topic as we move forward.

As the summer comes to a close I realize there are many items on your agenda beyond political campaigns - especially those not occuring until next year. The current economy has spared virtually no one and I recognize household budgets are still limited with disposable income. However, the coming year will likely be the most difficult political challenge I will have faced in my four years of service.

Because of that challenge, I am working extremely hard to be prepared both politically and financially. In the past eight months, I've conducted more than 50 individual meetings with some of the top business leaders in Mecklenburg County. This task has been extremely time consuming considering my own work schedule, both professional and elected service. However, it has paid dividends in the various opinions I've been able to gather on how to successfully move our region forward into the next decade.

Now, I would like to solicit both your advice and financial support in building my foundation for the future. Construction has been underway for some time on my website - www.kb2010.com - and the "splash" version (or just the temporary site) is now available to update your information, make a donation or connect with me on some of the social networks which I am active. The full scale version of the site should become available very soon.

If possible today I need your assistance in helping fund the construction of this website which is being professionally designed. If you can contribute $250, $100, $50 or whatever your budget allows it would be most helpful in building our technological foundation. I'd love for you to be part of this exciting move forward. There are three ways to contribute:  1) select the PayPal feature below, 2)  contribute by credit/debit card directly on the website or 3) send a contribution made payable to: Bentley Campaign Committee, P.O. Box 1126, Huntersville NC 28070-1126.

Thank you for your support and please contact me if I can be of assistance.

 

Best regards,

Karen