Brian Turner - NC House 116

05/19/2026

I wouldn't know CEO Sam Hazen if he walked in the room and slapped me. Like an absentee landlord that only fixes the roof when there are threats to call code enforcement HCA puts a bandaid on gaping wounds and then hopes everyone thinks the problem is solved meanwhile infection spreads and festers.

For the life of me I don't know why they were awarded new beds but I support the appeals by AdventHealth and UNC Hospitals and hope that we are able to have alternatives to HCA Healthcare's iron grip on WNC.

City of Asheville and Buncombe County resolutions have called for him to visit the region and meet with officials.

05/13/2026

Today a number of farmers came down from the mountains to show support for N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services's Farmland Preservation Advocacy Day, a program critical to preserving farmland for future generations. I met with Kim Palmer and his niece Casey, both multigenerational farmers in Haywood County, and they shared why they put their land in conservation. You can read Kim's story here:

https://appalachian.org/buckskin-branch-farm/

But that is just the beginning...

"Who are your people?" is a question a lot of folks get in WNC. Are you a Ponder, Surrett, Shelton, Woody? The list of longheld mountain names goes on and on.

I asked Kim if they were of the Cataloochee Palmers (a branch of our family tree is from there, the branch that connects me & former Rep. Joe Sam Queen) and in fact they were, they gave the land the historic Palmer Chapel is built on.

We talked about the Cataloochee Descendants reunion that happens in August and how we will probably see each other there. Then I learned Kim's wife's name is Tracey McCracken Palmer and is an accomplished felted wool painter. Our family also claims the McCracken name and her art is beautiful so I'm proud of my distant relation.

Our shared history is one of WNC's strengths, but it is our shared future that is probably our greatest strength. I'm proud to share the former with Kim, Tracey, and Casey and the latter with everyone who calls WNC home because the Palmers were willing to preserve their land for generations yet born.

05/06/2026

This week the team from MountainTrue came to Raleigh with a dual purpose. The first was to celebrate the success of a partnership with NC Dept of Environmental Quality that has resulted in the removal of over 1 million pounds of Helene debris from WNC rivers and streams. DEQ Sec. Reid Wilson and GROWNC (WNC Recovery) joined the celebration and spoke to the importance of the work to clean up the river which is critical to animal habitat, economic development, and quality of life.

The second was to advocate for funding to continue the program for another year because while progress is being made the job is far from over.

Last summer I joined Maggie Ullman, Roberto Hess, and Eric Ager for a day of river clean-up which gave us the chance to understand the magnitude of the challenge and was honored when Mountain True presented me with sections of rubber and PVC pipe removed from the French Broad.

If you are interested in helping visit https://mountaintrue.org/

04/29/2026

Current North Carolina law requires a one year separation before being able to file for a divorce. This is an antiquated paternalistic requirement and under normal circumstances it creates unnecessary burdens on people wanting to move forward with their lives.

But for people trapped in relationship where there are instances of domestic violence that one year can be dangerous and even life threatening. Yesterday I joined Representatives Buansi, Johnson-Hostler and Smith in filing HB1070 "Domestic Violence Divorce Reform Act" that would allow folks to skip the one year waiting period.

Specifically it says "If a person in the marriage is a victim of domestic violence, as defined under G.S. 50B-1 and the person's spouse by marriage is responsible for committing that act of domestic violence, the person who is the victim of domestic violence may seek a divorce without having to meet the one-year period of separation."

You shouldn't have to put your safety at risk when you are ready to leave a dangerous situation and move on with your life.

04/27/2026

Earlier this year I enrolled at Appalachian State University to get an accounting degree so I could sit for the CPA exam. With Rep. Keith Kidwell leaving the legislature someone has to pick the up baton of being the only accountant in the body. Plus I'm a nerd at heart almost like Wesley Harris

Between my undergraduate degree in economics (Go Northwestern Wildcats!) and my MBA (Go Wake Forest Demon Deacons!) I have a lot of transfer credits but there are still two required classes students can't place out of: Business Analytics Using Spreadsheet Technology (Intro to Excel) and Business Career Development (How to get a job).

Tonight I passed my test to earn my "Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate (Microsoft 365 Apps)" credential. I can run pivot tables like a boss!

But the most eyeopening has the the Business Career Development class. Long (long, long) gone are the days of mailing resumes, cold calling, or hoping your parents went to high school with the branch manager or HR director. Now it is all about resume screening software, algorithms, and virtual AI interviews (my mock AI interview is this week). I believe this is bad for people looking for jobs and bad for businesses.

When we automate everything we lose the "je ne sais quoi" the outlier, the person who doesn't fit the profile or mold but something tells you they would be great. We lose the humanity of not just job hunting but also what could be career defining and life altering opportunities.

I know the world has changed but I'm grateful to learn what my daughter and her peers are facing. I think the businesses that set up their hiring processes to adhere to the strict criteria of the keyword word-cloud of resume building will be ok but they won't be exceptional. And for a lot of businesses that is ok. But the companies that allow for the black swan event, that embrace the square peg, that see beyond the horizon of the "safe hire" will not just succeed but excel.

Screening systems are here to stay, I get that. But if you are a hiring manager, a business owner, or anyone else trying to find that lightning in a bottle, the undiscovered or undervalued talent then make sure you systems and processes allow for that lottery ticket employee. Its a system where everyone wins.

04/21/2026

Today is the beginning of the 2026 legislative session. My visit to AHS and SILSA was a great reminder that we still do not have a state budget, and haven't had one since 2023. Teachers and other state employees are not getting long delayed raises, Medicaid is still not funded, we have seen over 262 licensed child care programs closed while $20 million in childcare subsidies are in limbo.

The NCGA's primary responsibility is to pass a budget, we passed a bipartisan one out of the House last year but leadership in the House and Senate have been unable to reach a compromise. NC deserves better.

04/15/2026

And if property tax "reform" happens this park which was celebrated by Buncombe County Government, Congressman Chuck Edwards, North Carolina Land and Water Fund, and many more will never happen again.

And teacher supplements that keep folks from defecting to South Carolina schools (really, SC?) will be on the chopping block. So will affordable housing programs like LIHTC. Say goodbye to a lots of things our county steps up to provide that the state fails to help with like parks, greenways, homeless programs, harm reduction, and so on and so on and so on.

When the thing you really love like Enka-Candler Branch Library or community center like Harvest House or Leicester Community Center lose funding don't blame your county commissioners. They are working their tails off doing everything they can to not cut the things we all love about our home.

Turn your disappointment and your ire to the folks in Raleigh who control the legislature, the GOP who had been in control of this state since 2011.

Buncombe County has closed on the 342-acre Deaverview Mountain property, which will be developed into a new public park.

04/09/2026

Today was the first ever national Local News Day with the mission of “Reconnect people to trusted local outlets, empower newsrooms to grow, and spark a national movement that sustains local news for generations.”

In an era of media consolidation,the hollowing out of newsrooms, and oligarchical ownership it is important to have strong, independent, local news.

Today I attended the local event at Resurrection Studios Creative and had the chance to meet and speak with a number of our local outlets and the journalists who do the hard work.

The goal was to share what they are doing and get feedback from the community what they want to see in local news.

We are lucky to have great independent local/NC outlets like Ashvegas, AVL Watchdog, The Mountaineer, Mountain Xpress, Enlace Latino NC, The Beacon Tribune, Carolina Public Press, NC Health News, and one of my favs David Cohen (who draws my ears too big) and more.

It is important to support them with readership and subscription dollars.

04/08/2026

"Art of the Deal" will be taught to AP Government and MBA students for generations as a cautionary tale and a negotiation failure. The "author" will be unmasked as the huckster and charlatan he is to which there is no historical comparison.

The lives ended and the billions of dollars wasted on this needless war that could have been spent for real good is incalculable. We should be lifting up folks in our country who desperately need help because the American dream has been placed on the highest shelf all the while everyone has been promised a step ladder made of lies and straw men that will not reach it.

I pray for a peace to an unnecessary war. I ask for forgiveness to a world blindsided by our hubris. I hope the next generation will learn from our mistakes.