The fight continues for Widen I77, a group of citizens who have been fighting the toll road project for more than two years and, despite the recent deal between the state and Spanish-owned firm Cintra, are still trying to put an end to the project. The state moved ahead with the contract despite the passing of resolutions by four cities and two counties asking it to back out of the deal or answer questions about the contract before moving forward. Davidson resident Sharon Hudson was one of five people to attend a meeting to discuss opposing the toll road in late 2012. Since then, the movement has grown. The Widen I77 Facebook page has over 6,000 Likes, and on Tuesday, May 26, Hudson and a group of other activists delivered more than 5,000 signatures opposing the project to Gov. Pat McCrory's office. She spoke with Creative Loafing about how she got started in this battle and her hopes for Widen I77's current lawsuit against the state:
Creative Loafing: What made you want to get involved in the fight against I-77 tolls?
Sharon Hudson: I have always been involved with citizen activism. I had been a delegate for the Republican party. In 2012, I was vice president of the North Meck Republican Women's Club and we had just lost an election to President Obama. I attended a meeting advertised in a local paper and there were four others there. And I would just like to say that after that first meeting, if our elected officials had met with us and answered our questions and acted in our best interests, this whole movement would have never even started. If our elected leaders had addressed the concerns and questions of the people they represent, we would never have gotten to this point.
What has the response been like from state legislators?
(Chairman of North Carolina House Transporation Committee) Bill Brawley told us Thom Thillis asked him to push through the legislation. We said, "Great, we know Thom, he's one of the good guys, we helped get him elected." We asked to meet with him and he put us off for three or four months. Four members went to Raleigh. We had found out that this was really a bad thing, did a lot of research, and thought we were doing a good thing to help our leaders by giving them info. It turned into more of an ambush, where (the members) walked into a room with 40 people, DOT people and media, and Thillis turned the meeting over to those people.
What has the experience been like for you, personally?
There are aspects that are exhilirating and exciting, and I believe very strongly in our cause, that we're fighting for our freedom and for our economy and our lifestyle in the Lake Norman area. It's also been extremely depressing because people I've believed in and helped get in office are turning their backs and people who have been friends for years are now not speaking. This is a divisive issue; some people stand to make money, influence, or build their resumes, and others don't believe in asking questions of your elected officials, just be loyal to your party. If you step outside the party and say, "No, this is wrong," a lot of people get angry.
What's next?
If you fight these things, as many fronts as you can fight on, the better. As far as I know, our best hope is probably the lawsuit (filed by Widen I77 against NCDOT, I77 Mobility Partners and others). I believe this has potential to be really big. There are so many toll projects being fought around the state and country and few court cases like this. There are moneyed interests across the country who will be very interested in the outcome of this.
