Congressman brings mobile unit to county
Robbinsville – Around 15 constituents turned out for U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards’ mobile unit visit to Robbinsville on April 12.
Edwards and his traveling cabinet of four set up shop in the corner of the Ingles parking lot, right at the busy intersection of N.C. 143 (Sweetwater Road) and U.S. 129 (Rodney Orr Bypass). Scheduled for just one hour – but ultimately lasting about 90 minutes – the visit was part of a loop through southwestern North Carolina, which featured stops the rest of the week in Cherokee, Clay, Jackson and Swain counties.
“I’m liking it. I mean, look how many people are out here to talk to me, that I would not hear from otherwise?” Edwards said. “I’m enjoying this. I like doing things different; especially when they’re proven winners.”
It was also Edwards’ chance to debut a Thor Dodge Ram Sprinter Class B van, which he dubbed the “Carolina Cruiser.” The spacious vehicle allows Edwards to meet one-on-one with voters across the 11th Congressional District, which encompasses 15 western North Carolina counties, in a relaxed environment.
The “Cruiser” was first announced Feb. 9. It’s the only congressional mobile office in the United States.
“I get to claim credit for this one,” Edwards said with a light-hearted smile. “So many things that we do, I count on the advice and thoughts of my staff. I simply looked at what had been taking place in this district over the last few terms. It was very obvious to me that the practice of leasing a bunch of office space across the district and staffing those offices – which are most of the time, in the dark corner of a courthouse somewhere, and expecting people to find us – just didn’t seem to be working.
“We found that we can service anybody, if they get to the phone or the internet. But there’s no replacement to being out among the people. We’ve met people in every place that we’ve gone that I never would’ve met, otherwise. None of these folks would have sought us out in the back room of a courthouse, but they knew we were going to be here and wanted to come out.”
But the van serves more of a purpose than a place to air grievances: Edwards’ staff can assist with questions about Veterans Affairs, Social Security, the Internal Revenue Service and – in one circumstance that pre-eminently sticks out – even help resolve issues with utility bills.
“I look at this in terms of bringing the government to the people,” Edwards said. “In Haywood County, we had a lady who was really struggling with (how to use) her Medicare card. One of the benefits that was on her card was that she could pay her utility bill with it. Fortunately, one of my staff members had experience dealing with Medicare, and I caught up on the fact that the power company was just a couple of blocks from where we were. One of my people took her up there and helped her get her light bill paid.”
Future stops may not always feature Edwards – as he pointed out, he also has to spend time in Washington to discuss the needs of western North Carolina – but any updates on the “Carolina Cruiser’s” schedule can be accessed online at edwards.house.gov.
“I come out every chance I get, but I’m in D.C. more than I’m home,” Edwards said. “But we’ve got staff here working for the people when I can’t be here. I don’t get to enjoy it as much as they do, but I do know that we are serving the public that we would not be able to otherwise.”
Edwards previously served three terms in the N.C. Senate. The Hendersonville native was elected to serve the 11th Congressional District in November.