news-record.com

The feud between Charlotte and Fayetteville over state highway funding looks like a mismatch only to people who are naive about North Carolina politics. The bigger city doesn't always get its way.

Charlotte-area leaders complained bitterly back in November when it appeared the state Board of Transportation was about to allocate $270 million for the next section of the Fayetteville Outer Loop -- while Charlotte's I-485 languishes incomplete.

The mayor of Matthews in Mecklenburg County, Lee Myers, even appealed to President-elect Barack Obama, asking for I-485 money in a federal stimulus package. Myers apparently thought Washington was a better bet than Raleigh, where Fayetteville carries plenty of clout despite its relatively small size. Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett and Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand hail from the Cumberland County city.

Rand derided the Charlotte folks as whiners who aren't satisfied with a share of funding but want it all. It's Fayetteville's turn, he said.

Now, pulling even more rank, Fayetteville leaders are enlisting the Army in their cause. Their outer loop, the future I-295, is needed because of planned expansion at Fort Bragg, they say. The efficient movement of troops and equipment depends on it, military officials contend.

No one claims this is a matter of national security. It's not. But it is a way to remind Gov.-elect Bev Perdue that her desire to strengthen the state's economy based on military growth depends on transportation improvements. It's a fair consideration.

So are countless other factors -- in Greensboro, where the outer loop remains many years from completion, and in Charlotte, Raleigh and other regions vital to the state's economy.

The point is that all arguments should be presented openly and decided objectively. With a change in administration coming, including a new transportation secretary as well as turnover on the State Board of Transportation, now is the time for a better process.

For too many years, political influence has determined who holds seats on the transportation board, and guided the distribution of road money in North Carolina. Taxpayers can't afford that anymore. There isn't enough money, and never was, for favors and inefficiencies. One region doesn't deserve its "turn" if needs in other regions are more compelling and promise greater benefits for the state as a whole.

If Fort Bragg traffic legitimately places the Fayetteville loop at the top of the priority list, it ought to proceed. But the public should be able to trust that the decision is made honestly and not according to politics as usual.