My neighbor writes a letter in today's ACT regarding my comments on election night that I was outspent 7:1. My intent was not to disparage my opponent in any way, only to state the political reality that if you (regardless of partisan affiliation) are outspent in a campaign by that margin in an even district, most likely you won't be successful. If you recall seeing the nonstop TV ads targeting myself and two other legislators since late August plus the over 30 direct mail ...flyers that arrived in your mailbox, independent groups spent around $2.5 million attacking me. When added to the other side's campaign spending, the total is around $2.8 million. That's how the 7:1 ratio was derived. During the campaign, I repeatedly said John and his family are good people and I wish them well. Like all of my neighbors, John and his family have made many positive contributions to our community. I've never said otherwise despite what some say about me. May God bless John during his service to Buncombe County in the NC General Assembly! The campaign is over and now is the time for our state to work together to help move our community and NC forward!

Wish Representative Elect Ager and Representative Elect Turner all the best as they serve the people of Buncombe County! And sincerely appreciate Buncombe County Commission Chairman David Gantt's kind words about me in this article. I understand that Mayor Mannheimer and Chairman Gantt's partisan views would support the election of candidates from their party. But for the first time in history, Buncombe County will not have a legislator in the majority party in the NC Hous...e. It is challenging enough to pass legislation when you are a member of the majority. It's far more difficult in the minority. State Senator Tom Apodaca is now the only member from Buncombe County who will be in the majority and he serves in the powerful role as Senate Rules Chair. Those interviewed in this article failed to mention legislation passed to help AB Tech, Buncombe County Schools, local brewers, GE Aviation, I-26 Connector, or other important bills passed in 2013-14 to help our community. Without Rep. Moffitt's work, none of these bills would have passed. Some including the Mayor may disagree, but NC is not going to allow involuntary annexation and ETJ or change course on the matters the Mayor disagrees with under the current majority in Raleigh. Hopefully our legislators will reach across partisan lines to pass legislation helpful for our community. Both John and Brian have a difficult job before them and they need our prayers and support as they begin this new role. May God bless them and their families and keep them safe on the travels from home to Raleigh! It's been a tremendous honor serving you and now its up to others to work on behalf of our community!