Dear Neighbor:

We are writing you as citizens concerned about the future of this state. As you may know, we have been heavily involved in working for reform of North Carolinas involuntary annexation law, under which abuses continue.

But, now it is as private individuals that we are asking you to consider supporting a candidate you probably do not know: Rayne Brown. She is running in Davidson County (District 81) to unseat Representative Hugh Holliman, Majority Leader of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Holliman is one of the major roadblocks in the Legislature to meaningful reform of annexation law.

Two years ago, Ms. Brown ran -- as a first time candidate -- against Rep. Holliman, and he narrowly won. Despite being out-spent by Holliman by $250,000 to her $14,000, Rayne lost by only a six-percentage-point margin 53 percent to 47 percent. She currently holds a six percent lead in the polls, but her campaign is again underfunded. Davidson County does not have a large base of major and mid-level donors. It is an economically distressed county that had only begun to recover from the loss of its textile and furniture manufacturing base when the current recession set its economy back again.

Unaffiliated voters will probably decide this election, and they are the target of massive spending by Hugh Holliman. He has indicated he is willing to spend $750K to win the District 81 race and keep his seat. He obviously has access to funds from outside his District. We have seen this before.

 Defeating Hugh Holliman, one of the most important and powerful men in the General Assembly, is key to finally moving forward on true annexation reform. We ask that you join us in helping Rayne with a contribution of any amount to her campaign. You may donate to her at her website Rayne Brown <http://ncreform.org/PHPList/lt.php?id=N0UCAFVTBUoCVQhIAwwDVA%3D%3D>

 or by mail:

Committee to Elect Rayne Brown

416 Lee Ave.

Lexington, NC 27295

Be sure to include your employer (none if retired) and occupation, as required by Federal Law. We hope that you can find your way to support this outstanding candidate who is firmly against the current involuntary annexation law and committed to changing it. Seriously, any amount, however small, will help.

Sincerely,

John Boesch Doug Aitken