Matt Mittan has risen quickly through the ranks of the radio world in the Asheville area and hosts the number one rated radio show, “Take A Stand,” from 3pm-7pm every weekday afternoon on AM570.
For the uninitiated, Mittan’s show is a mix of grass roots activism and public debate on issues on local, state and national importance. He and his “cave dwellers” (followers of his show) led an uprising that resulted in the defeat of a sales tax for storm relief in the mountains and to the eventual recognition by the state that storm relief was overdue.
Mittan recently held a political gathering at a local pub in Asheville called Barley’s in which he brought together a variety of political groups to share information and have a public debate. Because of his approach, CLI felt that Mittan’s message would be useful to our readers as well. His belief in people and governmental accountability without confrontation make him unique to the state and a pleasant change from the norm of national talk radio.
CLI: Center for Local Innovation, Director, Chad Adams
Mittan: Matt Mittan, host, “Take A Stand”
CLI: “Take a Stand”, your show, has become the number one rated show in western NC. Many of the issues you and your listeners deal with are local issues.
What would you say are the top three issues on your show?
Mittan: I’m not sure what would qualify as the top three “issues” on the show. But I could definitely tell you what the top three “ideas” are for listeners of the show.
1) Accountability in govt. 2) Civic Action. 3) Open, honest and respectful debate – across a wide political spectrum. The “issues” we deal with can be anything from small town alderman meetings, to philosophical debates in the state legislature, to exposing corruption in the highest offices in North Carolina. But you know, it’s all local when you approach it from a “role of government” perspective.
What happens in the city of Durham impacts the precedent that is set for local governments in Asheville and vice-versa. The “Take a Stand” show has grown in popularity and impact because of the combination of these three ideas. Also, people know truth when they hear it and they are drawn to it. I believe God programmed us that way. Once someone gets access to this kind of forum, they instinctively spring into action.
CLI: This past summer, three storms decimated much of western NC. In November the Governor called a special session of the legislature to cut a deal for Dell. Recovery was never brought up. What have folks in western NC done to get disaster recovery?
Mittan: Disaster recovery was most definitely brought up in November, as it was in October and September. It was also brought up in December, in January and in February. Unfortunately, for the people of WNC, it was continually pushed to the back burner. It’s still being brought up now. Disaster recovery hasn’t fully happened yet. The state is still dragging its feet in red-tape to this day.
Communities have to fight for every inch forward and that’s a shame. People can debate the proper role of government in disaster relief all they want. Following Floyd, the state decided to create a safety net for times of disaster, we paid for that “safety net” and we expect the state to deliver on that investment like they have for other areas of the state. So far the checks are bouncing, in a manner of speaking. So many strings have been attached to what little relief the state has released that it is “impotent” to deal with the harsh realities many mountain communities face in the wake of the terrible devastation of 2004.
CLI: Beyond the storm situation, westerners tend to believe that they are widely ignored by Raleigh. What are your thoughts on that subject?
Mittan: I don’t think that it’s an exclusive feeling to the western counties. I hear these same thoughts from people across the state. “If you’re not in the big 5 cities, you don’t exist.” I think the lack of a statewide forum for us to compare notes on a regular basis has something to do with the lack of acknowledgement many feel from their state government.
I believe that is one of the reasons you’ve seen the western counties have so much political impact in the past several months, people DO have a place to talk about their frustrations, expectations and plans of action on a daily basis. The “Take a Stand” radio show is an good example. Our discussions cross the old, tired and predictable political lines and focus on measurable ideas and solutions to issues facing real people. It would be great to see that kind of forum available across the entire state.
CLI: Annexation is a very contentious issue across the state. Asheville, Cary and Fayetteville have all had battles on this front. What is happening on the annexation front in Asheville and what do you think is next in that fight?
Mittan: I am watching, with great interest, the fight over the “Big Bang” annexation in Fayetteville. The legislative and judicial dialogue on forced annexation is one that is long overdue in this state, in my opinion. North Carolina finds itself on many short lists in this country and allowing involuntary annexation of properties, without giving the residents a say on that matter, is one of them. Why does North Carolina have to pull up the rear so consistently when it comes to protecting self-determination and empowering citizen involvement?
CLI: Western NC is on the forefront of the environmental movement in NC. Property rights advocates also say their rights are threatened by this movement. With so many parks, trails, rivers, buffer zones and diametrically opposed groups in play, how do you think substantive discussions will take place to find common ground?
Mittan: I reject the notion that property rights and environmental stewardship are “diametrically opposed”. We’re finding more common ground every day. It’s really quite simple.
There are people, you have called the environmental movement, that want to see land, water and air protected and there are people, you refer to as property rights advocates, that don’t want to have their land taken, regulated or taxed without just compensation. In these facts is the common sense solution to both sides of the matter, and it doesn’t even need to involve government.
Many groups have fostered mutually beneficial arrangements between landowners and conservation groups. All that was needed for these discussions to be substantive and fruitful was for the two entrenched partisan sides of the debate to keep their noses out of it. The “diametrically opposed groups” you refer to are the people that have aligned themselves to the agenda’s of political parties, not to the environment or to property rights. They only use those banners as their megaphone to whip up emotions on the left and/or right. You’d be amazed what good can be accomplished when people come together with sincere concerns and well defined limits.
CLI: Your show seems to focus on people’s issues. And through your show, you had a tremendous impact on the storm recovery effort. So many folks think they can’t make a difference with their local or state leaders. What do you think motivates people to act and literally “Take a Stand?”
Mittan: I say this all the time, measure your validation not in what happens with the stands that you take but with the fact that you take a stand. In self-government it is our duty, honor and obligation to be informed and articulate in what we think, feel and desire in the political process. Take pride and happiness in the process of forming and then sharing your observations, concerns and ideas in a respectful, sincere and frank manner.
When you concern yourself only with how effectively you present your solutions and how well you consider other people’s ideas, then the rest just seems to fall in place naturally. This was the essential example that people like Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan and Thomas Paine tried to show us. Be true, just, blunt, sincere and passionate in communicating your beliefs and things will proceed as they should. That is how regular people can change the course of history.
Our state motto is “To be, rather than to seem.” That’s good advice. Worry less about what people will think and more with sharing what you believe. Then just let the chips fall where they may. There’s immense empowerment in that.