Rep. Messer
Will Seek
Reelection
Ernest Messer of Canton,
veteranmember of the North
Carolina House of Represen
tatives, announced today as a
candidate for a tenth term in
the North Carolina General
Assembly.
He will run for one of the two
seats in the 44th House
District composed of
Haywood, Jackson, Madison,
liiid Swain counties. Liston
Ramsey of Marshall is the
other incumbent represen
tative
Messer is serving a second
term as Chairman of the first
Committee on Aging ever to
be created in the General
Assembly. The committee,
with Messer as chairman, was
appointed by House Speaker
Carl Stewart during the early
days of the 1977 session of the
General Assembly
The Committee on Aging
s;x>nsored and influenced the
passage of legislation to
establish a Division on Aging
in the Department of Human
Resources, grant a
Homestead Tax Exemption to
the elderly, create a Bill of
Rights for Patients in Nursing
Homes, provide free tuition to
persons over 65 years of age
who attend Community Col
leges, and expand nutrition
programs Another important
program now being sponsored
provides for expansion of in
bome services for the infirm
elderly in order to enable
(hem to continue to live at
home.
Messer is currently cochair
man of the House-Senate
Study Committee on Aging, a
member of the National
Association of State
Legislatures' sub-committee
on Aging, and serves by ap
pointment of the Governor on
the North Carolina Advisory
C ouncil on Aging.
Messer was a member of the
committee that in 1963 wrote
1 he act creating the Communi
ty College system He present
l> serves on the Community
College Advisory Council.
He is a member of the Board
or Trustees of Haywood
Technical College.
Messer has served on the
House Appropoiations Com
mittee during all his nine
terms in the General
Assembly.
He helped secure appropria
tions for the Western Farmers
Market, for research pro
grams for beef cattle and
tomatoes, and for expanded
programs in health and men
tal health.
During his nine terms in the
House, Messer has served as
chairman of seven major com
mittees. In addition to his posi
tion as Chairman of the Com
mittee on Aging, he also
serves on the Committees of
Appropriations, Economy,
Higher Education and Water
and Air Resources.
He is a member of the Can
ton First Baptist Church and
the Canton Lions Club. He
served in the Navy during
World War II and is a member
of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars and the American
Legion.
Ernest Messer
Schedule
Of Job Corps
Consultant
Terry Gunter, Job Corps
counselor for Madison County,
will be at the Opportunity Cor
poration in Marshall on Jan. 7
and 21 He will consult with in
terested agencies and in
dividuals helping with recruit
ment of youths 16-21 years old
for job training at residential
Job Corps centers For further
information call 649-3231.
Liston Ramsey Will Run For The House Again
Lis ton B. Ramsey of Mar
shall announced today that he
will be a candidate for re
election to the North Carolina
House of Representatives If
re-elected it will be his tenth
term.
Rep. Ramsey, along with
Ernest Messer of Canton
presently represents
Haywood, Jackson, Madison
and Swain counties in the
North Carolina General
Assembly.
During the last few sessions
of the General Assembly,
Ramsey has served as chair
man of several important
committees. In 1969 he was
chairman of the Local Govern
ment Committee. In 1971
Ramsey served as chairman
of the Legislative Redistric
ting Committee and was suc
cessful in drafting a bill that
realigned the House Districts
throughout the State. This was
one of the few bills pertaining
to legislative districts realign
ment in the entire nation that
was never challenged in court.
Ramsey served as chair
man of the House Finance
Committee during the 1973,
1974, 1975 and 1976 Sessions.
He is presently serving as
chairman of the Committee on
Rules and Operation of the
House and was held this Chair
manship since March 1978.
Since being a member of the
House of Representatives,
Ramsey has sponsored or co
sponsored many appropria
tions bills, such as the Western
North Carolina Agricultural
Center, the Western North
Carolina Farmers Market,
Beef Cattle Specialists for the
Test Farm in Haywood Coun
ty, Tomato Research, funds to
aid the Cherokee Boys Home,
new equipment at Haywood
Technical Institute, extra
funds for Southwestern
Technical Institute, extra
funds for Western Carolina
University, a $250,000 grant
plus a $100,000 loan for the
Cherokee Historical Associa
tion, to secure funds for pro
motion of tourism in Western
North Carolina and many
others. Ramsey is well known
for support of workman's
compensation benefits,
minimum wage increase and
the expansion and upgrading
of the retirement system for
all former and present state
employees.
Ramsey, during the period
when the General Assembly is
not in session, serves on
several committees and com
missons. He is also a Member
of the Advisory Budget Com
mission, a position he has held
since 1973. The Advisory
Budget Commission is a
twelve-member Commission
that prepares a recommended
budget for the General
Assembly.
Ramsey served in the Army
Air Force during World War II .
and is a member of the 7
Veterans of Foreign Wars and
the American Legion. He is a
mason, a member of the Elks
Club, a trustee of the Cherokee
Historical Association, and a
Baptist. He is married to the 0
former Florence McDevitt j
and they have a daughter, ,<?
Martha Ramsey Geouge, who
resides with her husband ^
Michael in Gulfport, Miss. ^
t>
S
The largest crowd In the his
tory of Madison Square Gar- '?
den, 23,306, saw Fritde Zivic T
knock out Henry Armstrong in 3
12 rounds in 1M1. 5