Gov. Josh Stein was in Western North Carolina on Tuesday to promote a program aimed at helping small businesses.
The governor visited a florist, a hair salon and several other stores in downtown Clyde and urged state lawmakers to provide more post-Helene aid.
The General Assembly appropriated $55 million to the Small Business Infrastructure Grant program in the latest Hurricane Helene relief bill, which Stein signed into law last month.
The program provides grants of up to $1 million to local governments on a first-come, first-served basis. During his visit to Clyde, Stein said the town had applied and received more than $737,000 through the program.
“It will be used for sidewalk, curb repair, parking,” he said. “It’s all about making this town as attractive and welcoming to customers as it can possibly be, so that all these wonderful small businesses that are on Main Street here can serve them.”
That funding is focused mainly on infrastructure. Local small businesses had been set to receive $60 million in direct aid, but Republicans in the state Senate stripped that money out of the final version of the bill, arguing that it would violate the state constitution.
Stein questioned that explanation and said the Senate needs to do more.
“Well, clearly they don’t believe that it’s unconstitutional, because they’ve been giving grants to farms, repeatedly,” he said. “I mean, hundreds of millions of dollars, which I fully support. … But farms aren’t the only types of businesses that suffered.”
Stein called on the state Senate to “be like the state House and provide some funds to help Western North Carolina’s small businesses get through this slow (summer) time,” so that they are prepared when fall tourism is in “full force.”
Clyde Mayor Jim Trantham was among those who met with the governor during his visit. Trantham said the grant money will play a key role in the town’s recovery from Helene.
“This is, I’d say, the start of us building back,” he told BPR. “And we intend to build as much as we can and work toward getting our population built back.”
The town of about 1,400 sits along the Pigeon River. Trantham said he’s worried that the frequency of flooding is increasing.
“It was 64 years between major floods the first time,” he said. “It flooded in 1940. Then again in 2004. Then, 17 years later, again. Now, three years later, again. … That concerns me.”
Trantham said he’s keeping his fingers crossed for the rest of hurricane season.
“The sad part about it is, it looks like it’s going to happen more,” he said.
During his visit, Stein also was asked about U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis’s (R) recent announcement that he will not seek reelection. Former Congressman Wiley Nickel (D) announced his candidacy for the seat in April. But many Democrats are publicly and privately urging Stein’s predecessor, former Gov. Roy Cooper, to enter the race.
“I’ve known Roy Cooper for 25 years,” Stein said Tuesday. “Worked with him. He’s a good friend. I think the world of him. And I know he would be a tremendous United States senator. So, here is one North Carolinian who hopes that he says ‘yes’ and gets in the race. But of course, that’s his decision to make on his own time.”
Asked whether he has personally urged Cooper to run, Stein declined to say.
“We don’t talk about our personal conversations,” he said.
For more details on the Small Business Infrastructure Grant program, click here.
