The following statement was released Thursday by councilman-elect Doug Arbogast regarding his decision to rescind Tryons annexation ordinance.

We were the Friendliest Town in the South and somewhere we got off track. We want to be Nearly Perfect – Always Tryon and we can be.

Annexation has been a contentious and divisive issue for entirely too long.&bsp; Well-meaning parties on both sides have fought and stuck to their guns not because they were stubborn, but because each side passionately felt it had Tryons best interests at heart. This is an issue where neither side has been entirely wrong, or entirely right for that matter.&bsp; In fact, it is my opinion that the core interests of these two groups are not that far apart.&bsp; Literally everyone simply wants the town we all call home to be a better, more vibrant, more fiscally secure community.&bsp; So how do we enable that to happen most expeditiously?

We all need to come together and work on the same side for a change. The step I am personally taking to this end is to announce that I will be voting to withdraw from the current suit and end this battle once and for all.&bsp; I am convinced one way we can increase town revenues is through orderly but robust retail development as well as residential investment.&bsp; One example, when more things are bought and sold in Tryon, more sales tax will be generated, which in turn will increase the towns ability to sustain and enhance services.&bsp; I can envision a town of art galleries, restaurants, clothing boutiques,&bsp; gift stores and antique shops. A town of festivals revolving around our equestrian heritage and various venues for music and the potential for week long events. Our goal for Tryon should be to generate a village so driven by dynamism, so visibly successful, and so eminently desirable that annexation may well work in reverse–&bsp; where outlying residents petition Tryon to join the club and become a part of this nearly perfect place to live.

I am asking folks on both side of the issue to bury the hatchet and pick up the gauntlet. We all want essentially the same thing. So lets all work together.&bsp; Because with all of us on the same side, we can preserve and protect our little slice of heaven, and take it to a whole new level at the same time.

I challenge and invite the Citizens Against Forced Annexation to come back to town and help us develop ways to increase the needed revenues and share their&bsp; talent by developing their ideas and including them in the future of the town.

Doug Arbogast