If state Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, wants to know how people feel about his idea of moving the stoplight along N.C. 24 at Sampson Community College and Forest Drive, he need look no further than our poll results.

To date, 244 people have responded to the poll with an overwhelming 80 percent against moving the traffic signal and another 10 percent who said it would be a total waste of money to do so. Only a small handful, 9 percent, were in favor of the relocation idea.

We hope the good senator now understands that his idea doesn’t meet with the favor of residents who worked diligently, and for years, to get a stoplight erected there. And, what’s more, we hope he discards the idea, sticking to his word that if the community isn’t in favor of the option, then he won’t pursue it.

In an interview about the light published last week in The Independent, Jackson said, “I’m just getting options out there. It is totally what the community there wants. If they like the proposal how it is, that is how it will be. I’d be glad to do whatever they want to do.”

Well senator, a lot of people have said they don’t want the light moved, SCC Board of Trustees chairman Larry Barnes has indicated he doesn’t think the trustees are in favor of the other option either, and the half dozen or so people who’ve called the newspaper office this week have emphasized the same message — don’t remove the light.

There have been over 28,800 views of the poll since it began one week ago, with 196 people caring enough to vote against moving the stoplight and 25 others who thought it would be wasteful to do so. Only 23 people felt strongly enough to support Jackson’s idea of taking down the light and erecting it a short distance away, at Airport Road.

It hardly seems logical to even think of moving that light. But if Jackson feels so strongly that one needs to be erected at Airport Road, he should work to get one there, citing all the points he emphasized last week as reasons to do so.

As our elected senator, he should be concerned with getting more things for Clinton and Sampson County, not less. Taking away, or moving a stoplight, doesn’t give us anything more and, realistically, only opens our community to escalated traffic problems.

In his interview last week, Jackson noted that lights at SCC and Airport Road would be too close, just as having lights at Walmart and Overland Road would be. However, one only has to take a look at the distance between the stoplight at N.C. 24 and Shamrock Plaza and the light just a short distance away at the post office to see that distance isn’t a major factor if the need to have the lights exists.

Perhaps Sen. Jackson should work on getting more traffic lights along N.C. 24 rather than taking one from a much needed location. That would serve the community far better than the robbing Peter to pay Paul approach.

Residents don’t want the stoplight moved from SCC and Forest Drive, and we support them. We hope the senator will too.