As I wrote on Sunday, Coy Privette, republican Cabarrus County Commissioner, plans to introduce a resolution at next Monday's commissioner meeting recognizing English as t
he county's official language. The resolution doesn't just want to proclaim that we speak English (I'm sure nobody needs a resolution to know that English is the dominant language here) but it also calls for all ordinances, programs and policies adopted by Cabarrus County to be done in English only. In addition, it says all documents, regulations, orders, transactions, proceedings, meetings and publications should be in English.
I have since then done some online investigating and came up with some interesting findings.
Apparently Mr. Privette doesn't read studies and reports about the biggest project in his own city since decades.
Last October the city of Kannapolis revealed a study it had ordered that investigated how well it was prepared for the arrival of the North Carolina (biotech) Research Campus.
The study, made by the Atlanta research company Market Street Research, thoroughly investigates the strong points and weaknesses of Kannapolis when it comes to catering to this huge new project. One of the weaknesses it lists is "in terms of its citizens being able to welcome a diverse group of newcomers".
"There is no question that an influx of researchers and scientists to NCRC will make Kannapolis more diverse. It is critical for Kannapolis to create an atmosphere that is open and welcoming to people with different backgrounds and lifestyles. This requires new services and programs (i.e. publishing documents in multiple languages)."
You can read the whole study right here.
The biotech research campus is expected to deliver 35,000 new jobs to our area. Since he's from Kannapolis i'm sure Mr. Privette doesn't want to give the impression he's working against the biggest new employer his city will have. Then why does he introduce a resolution that's the exact opposite of what the new Research Campus needs?
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