Thomas Roger West (born November 1, 1948) is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing the state's 120th district, including constituents in

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

Graham Graham and Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan ...

and Macon counties. A contractor from

Marble, North Carolina Marble is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 321. Marble's elevation is above sea level. History Indigenous peoples Be ...

, West served 8.5 term in the state House.

Possum drop law

Representative West represented

Brasstown, North Carolina Brasstown is an unincorporated community located mostly within Clay County, North Carolina, United States, though roughly one third of Brasstown is within the adjacent Cherokee County. Etymology The name, "Brasstown," was given to several historic ...

, which holds an annual "Possum Drop" on New Year's Eve, which involves capturing a wild opossum, enclosing it in a clear plastic box, suspending it high in the air, and lowering it to the ground with the countdown to midnight. During the suspension and lowering, fireworks are set off, muskets are fired, crowds of people scream, and loud music is played. The possum is later released.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; , stylized as PeTA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities hav ...

filed a lawsuit in October 2013 attempting to outlaw the practice, claiming it makes it likely that the possum will die from stress-related ailments within days or weeks. West was the sponsor of a law in the North Carolina House that exempts opossums from state wildlife laws from Dec. 26, 2014 to Jan. 2, 2015 in Clay County, where the drop is held. West jokingly noted when asked by another committee member that the marsupial community was in support of the bill. Its consideration was met with some joking by committee members and passed easily.

References

External links

, - Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Living people 1948 births People from Murphy, North Carolina 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub