Shanahan Letter to the Editor: Constitutional Amendment Needed

The following is the text of a letter to the editor from Kieran Shanahan, Chairman of the N.C. Property Rights Coalition (pictured at right). Kieran's letter has appeared in numerous newspapers throughout North Carolina.

Constitutional Amendment Needed to Protect Private Property

On Tuesday, a State House Committee refused to even hear a bill calling for a constitutional amendment to prevent government from using eminent domain authority to take our private property for economic development purposes. Instead of allowing this important bill to be heard, it was sent to the Rules Committee to die without fair consideration. The legislators who voted to kill this important bill would have you believe that legislation passed earlier during this session ensures that our private property is safe from the long arm of eminent domain; nothing could be further from the truth. That legislation is a mere band-aid, and it does not provide North Carolinians with the level of protection we deserve. Legislatures come and go, and laws can easily be changed. That’s why we need a state Constitutional amendment to ensure that North Carolinians’ private property is safe from eminent domain abuse. Please contact your legislator and encourage them to support this amendment if it comes before the House.

Kieran Shanahan, Chairman N.C. Property Rights Coalition