2008 GENERAL ELECTION
NOVEMBER 4TH


(I am always asked to present how I will cast my ballot first.  Those wanting to go straight to discussion should click here)

Here's how I will cast my ballot (in ballot order--click name for discussion of candidate):

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Barack Obama
US SENATE: Kay Hagan
US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:  Roy Carter
GOVERNOR: Bev Perdue
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Walter Dalton
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Roy Cooper
AUDITOR: Beth Wood
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE: Ronnie Ansley (with gusto)
COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE: Wayne Goodwin
COMMISSIONER OF LABOR: Mary Fant Donnan
SECRETARY OF STATE: Elaine Marshall (with gusto)
SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION: June St. Clair Atkinson
TREASURER: Janet Cowell
NC SENATE, DISTRICT 45: Steve Goss
NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 93: Cullie Tarleton
COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 1: Tim Futrelle
COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 3: No Pick
COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 5: Winston Kinsey
REGISTER OF DEEDS: No Pick
SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE: Suzanne Reynolds
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 1: John C. Martin
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 2: James A. (Jim) Wynn
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 3: Kristin Ruth
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 4: Cheri Beasley
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 5: Linda Stephens
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 6: John S. Arrowood
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, DISTRICT 24, RACE 1: No Pick
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, DISTRICT 24, RACE 2: Greg Horne
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, DISTRICT 24, RACE 3: R. Alexander (Alex) Lyerly
WATAUGA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD (you may choose up to 3): Steve Combs, Joni Horine, Marsha Walpole
(Walpole with gusto)
SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT SUPERVISOR: Thad A. Taylor
TOWN OF BOONE WATER REFERENDUM (Town of Boone Voters only): YES



The Disclaimer: What is Pam's Picks?
“Pam’s Picks” is simply one person’s opinion about the upcoming election races.  I am a Watauga County resident and have long held interest in local politics. I have researched candidate campaign platforms and records where available and attended candidate forums and, in some cases, sent questionnaires to candidates. You can do the same. I have supplied candidate web site references below where available. For additional information, you can follow the provided links or contact candidates directly with your questions.

What's in Pam's Picks?
Below you will find:  general voting information (when and where); information on ALL national, state, local, and judicial candidates whose names will appear on your ballot (the candidates and races are presented in the order they will appear on your ballot); and information regarding a Town of Boone ballot citizen's issue regarding payment for new water facilities and resources. (This issue will be on ballots for Town of Boone voters only.) 
Shortcuts...
Read General Voting information starting here.
Read about the US Presidential race here.
Read about "Straight ticket" voting here.
Read about the 5th District US Congressional race starting here.
Read about Statewide Candidate races starting here.
Read about District Candidate races starting here.
Read about County races starting here.
Read about Judicial races starting here.
Read about Watauga County School Board races starting here.
Read about The Town of Boone's water Referendum starting here.


VOTING INFORMATION

Who Can Vote this ballot?: All registered voters who reside in Watauga County. This includes ASU students who live in dormitories on campus as well as those who live in the county in off-campus housing.

When and Where to Vote: Election Day proper is Tuesday, November 4th, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEN TO VOTE!   Early “one-stop voting” is available in 5 locations this year:

Thursday, October 16 (weekdays from 8AM-5PM) - Saturday, November 1 (8AM-1PM) at:
The Watauga County Board of Elections (inside the Courthouse)
The Agricultural Conference Center
The Boone Town Council Chambers on Blowing Rock Road

Monday, October 20 (weekdays from 8AM-5PM) - Saturday, November 1 (8AM-1PM) at:
The Multi-Cultural Center in ASU's Student Union (Across from CrossRoads coffee shop)

Monday, October 27 (weekdays from 8AM-5PM) - Saturday, November 1 (8AM-1PM) at:
The Mountaineer Ruritan Club in Sugar Grove

Not Registered to Vote?: You can now “Same Day Register and Vote.” During early one-stop voting ONLY, you can both register and vote at the same time.  YOU CANNOT SAME-DAY REGISTER ON ELECTION DAY PROPER.  To register and same-day vote, you will need to present identification that shows proof of Watauga County residency (i.e., one or more of the following:  a driver’s license with a local address, a document from ASU showing current name and address --pink piece of paper that lists your dorm, a lease agreement, a paycheck stub, a bank statement, or a utility bill in your name that includes a local address).  If you are a student, it’s a good idea to take your ASU Student ID as well.

If you vote on Election Day, where do you vote?”:
Bald Mountain: Todd Volunteer Fire Department
Beaver Dam: 
Beaver Dam Fire Department
Beech Mountain: 
Beech Mountain Fire Department
Blowing Rock:
 Blowing Rock Town Hall
Blue Ridge: 
Laurel Fork Baptist Church
Boone 1: 
Watauga County Administration Building, beside the Courthouse
Boone 2: 
ASU Student Union, Blue Ridge Ballroom
Boone 3: 
Farthing Auditorium
Brushy Fork: 
Oak Grove Baptist Church
Cove Creek: 
Western Watauga Community Center
Elk: Stewart Simmons Fire Department
Laurel Creek: Cove Creek Fire Department
Meat Camp: 
Green Valley School
New River 1:  Watauga High School
New River 2: 
Three Forks Baptist Association
New River 3: 
National Guard Armory
North Fork: 
Edgar Eller's Garage
Shawneehaw: 
Matney Community Center
Stony Fork: Deep Gap Fire Department
Watauga: Foscoe Fire Department

Need More Information?”: Call the Watauga County Board of Elections at 265-8061.


CANDIDATE DISCUSSION (in ballot order):

PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST

My father passed away this year after a long illness, and I'm sure those of you who have gone through similar circumstances can appreciate how much I miss him.  There isn't a day that goes by when I'm not reminded of something he said to me at some key moment in my life, things like: "If this is the worse thing that ever happens to you, I reckon you'll be all right," and "Don't sweat the small stuff, " and "If you find yourself going through hell, then just keep on going." Things like that.  Things that stuck.

My father was a card-carrying member of the national Republican party. He sent the Republicans an occasional check, and he hand wrote letters to George W. Bush and other Party leaders when he thought they were losing their way.  He wrote a lot of those letters in his last two years of life.  That's because he believed the Republicans were pushing us down the wrong track, just like 86% of the rest of the country believes.

When my father returned home from his last hospital visit to await a preliminary visit from the local Hospice team, we sat in the den--me on the couch and him in a rolling hospital bed--and watched some of the political primary carnage.  I bitched about the race-bating and the sexism.  I moaned about the lies ("They'll say anything to win!").  I complained that the Republicans were trying to fool the American people once again with talk about gays and guns and abortion when the stakes for all us were so great this year. When Barack Obama reached out from the TV screen late one night, I watched my father's face when Obama insisted this election wasn't about the "small things."  It was about the "big things" like jobs, health care, and energy. I expected my father to complain about pie-in-the-sky liberal double-talk.

Instead, he said, "That man sees what we can become rather than what we are."

The bottom-line is we are not called to the better angels of our nature by the McCain/Palin team, a team that offers at best a continuation of the same trickle-down economics that got us into such a royal mess in the first place and a woman a heartbeat away from the Presidency who believes seeing Russia from her back door qualifies her to negotiate on our behalf with the likes of Putin.  A woman who is, quite frankly, a slap in the face to all of us who have worked so hard to advance the notion that women are just as, or even more, qualified for effective and strong national leadership in America.

I do not agree with Barack Obama on all the issues.  I was especially distressed by his vote on FISA and his (and McCain's) vote in favor of the bailout.  But I do know this: this election is indeed about the big things.  It is about a country that is in dire need of hope and a new direction. It is about electing an inspirational leader who can pull us out of the ditch with a call to all Americans to reach not for the lowest rung of the ladder but for the one farthest away.

We, the people, will decide this year whether America will sink even lower into hate and fear of change or whether we will harness the best in ourselves to pull this country forward.  As John F. Kennedy said, "If not us, who? If not now, when?"

Let's show what we're made of.  Show up at the polls the first day the doors open and take your sons and daughters with you.  And don't forget that your elderly neighbor across the street may need a ride to the polls or an absentee ballot.  Yes, we can!  And we will.



Barack Obama/Joe Biden (Democrat): http://www.barackobama.com/

John McCain/Sarah Palin (Republican): http://www.johnmccain.com

Bob Barr/Wayne A. Root (Libertarian): http://www.bobbarr2008.com


STRAIGHT PARTY VOTING

A Straight Party vote is a vote for all the candidates of that political party running in partisan offices.  You may vote "Straight Party" for the Democratic ticket, the Republican ticket, or the Libertarian ticket.  This means you do not have to vote individually for each candidate running in partisan races. You can instead automatically cast a vote for all Democrats or all Republicans by casting a straight ticket vote.

If you do not  vote "straight party," you will need to select a candidate for each office separately.  A Straight Party vote does not cast a vote for President nor for non-partisan candidates and issues.  If you choose this option, be sure to cast a vote for President AND for non-partisan candidate options later in your ballot.

Further Note: Some people are suspicious of  straight party voting, arguing that studies show voting machines reveal a bad pattern of miscounting and omitting your vote if you vote "Straight Ticket." Others argue this is not the case and that voters wanting to vote for all candidates of any particular party run the risk of missing a candidate if they do not choose "Straight Party" voting.


US CONGRESSIONAL RACES

US SENATE


Kay Hagan (Democrat): http://www.kayhagan.com/

Hagan is from Shelby (more recently Greensboro) and has been a North Carolina State Senator for nine years.  Prior to her election to the NC state legislature, Hagan was a full-time mom and an attorney.  She has been named one of North Carolina’s “Ten Most Effective Senators” and has served as Co-Chair of the Budget Committee during her last three terms as Senator.

Hagan outlines as her most important priorities: a balanced national budget, reduction of the national debt, tax cuts for middle class families, closing loopholes for multinational corporations that move jobs overseas, a "strategic plan" to combat crime and gang violence, a reinvestment in rural economies, an educational focus on science and math, and pay equity for women.  Hagan supports the so-called “Gang of 10” bipartisan energy proposal, written by Southern senators, which includes an expansion of offshore drilling, and a repeal of the $17 billion in tax breaks currently being given to Big Oil and Gas. Hagan also supports extending health insurance to uninsured children and expansion of  preventive and primary care for uninsured patients.  On immigration, Hagan supports "strengthening the borders, enforcing and upgrading laws that crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, and eliminating the shadow economy that drives down wages and working conditions."  On the Iraq war, Hagan supports "a responsible withdrawal" (what that means is unclear).

Hagan was not my pick for this office in the primary.  I have issues with some of her past votes in the NC Senate, including a vote to lower taxes on the wealthiest North Carolinians and her support of retroactive immunity for felony violations of the current US FISA law.  I still have concerns with these positions.  Nevertheless, I was extremely impressed with Hagan at a recent Young Democrats meeting, and she will undoubtedly be a far better senator for North Carolina than Elizabeth Dole has been.

Hagan, with help from the National Democratic Party, has run a hell of a campaign against incumbent Liddy Dole. Her TV ads featuring two good old boys are funny and brutal at the same time.  These ads, in addition to other smart campaigning, have helped push Hagan into a lead over Dole at the time of this writing.

Hagan has been endorsed by the NC Troopers Association and by Planned Parenthood.

Elizabeth Dole (Republican): http://www. elizabethdole.org

Dole was the first female Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Secretary of Labor, President of the  American Red Cross, and a member of Ronald Reagan’s first White House staff. In 2001,  Dole beat Erskine Bowles for a U.S. Senate seat.  Dole cites as her Senate accomplishments: no  “junkets” or franking privileges at taxpayer expense, the Tobacco Quota Buyout, protection of North Carolina's military bases, support for securing our borders against illegal immigration, a national partnership program to "remove" undocumented aliens, Family and Medical Leave Act coverage for military families, and delay of "the Bush Administrations' proposed Medicaid cuts."

Dole cites her ability to achieve funding to improve roads and water and sewer systems in both urban and rural areas and her help in getting North Carolina universities and community colleges funding for research, medical centers and job training initiatives.

Dole was born in North Carolina but lived most of her life in Washington.  She established North Carolina residency 2 days after Jesse Helms announced his retirement from his Senate seat. An article by the "Winston-Salem Journal" examined the amount of time Dole spends in North Carolina since she was elected Senator for the state.  The Journal "counted only 13 days Dole spent in North Carolina in 2006, and just 20 days in 2005. In total, Dole spent approximately 13% of her time as a U.S. senator in North Carolina."  Dole is ranked by her colleagues in the Senate as 93rd in effectiveness.

Dole has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.


Christopher Cole (Libertarian): http://www.lpnc.org

Cole is 44 years old and is from Huntersville.  He manages  a contract post office and has run before for lieutenant governor and for Congress.  Cole has a BA from the University of NC at Wilmington in psychology.  As do most Libertarians, Cole believes that government aggravates many of the problems it tries to solve.
Cole's campaign emphasizes ending the war in Iraq, abolishing the personal income tax, a free-market health care reform, and a "radically anti-bureaucratic response to the turmoil over illegal immigration." Cole traces the immigration problem to U.S. wage laws that restrict piece work and set minimum wages: "The government banned the low end of the labor scale but they didn't abolish the need for the work. They created a black market to fulfill a need."

Cole says that one of his major goals this election will be helping Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr and Mike Munger, the party's candidate for governor.  He adds that issues such as the Patriot Act, the war in Iraq, and out-of-control taxation drove him to get into the race.


US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 5

Watauga County got "sold out" some years ago when the legislature gerrymandered the 5th district so badly that the Democrats have a major uphill battle to win it.  The result is we get stuck with right-wing legislators like Virginia Foxx.

Roy Carter (Democrat): http://www.roycarterforcongress.com/

Carter is from Glendale Springs--the son of a tobacco farmer and an assembly-line worker.  He has a BS in Education and Science from East Tennessee State University. He was a coach and teacher for 40 years (recently retired) and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, among other things.  He is a Member of the First Baptist Church of West Jefferson and a Member of the North Carolina Association of Educators.  He is also a Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

Carter has called for NAFTA reform and an end to American job outsourcing, for federal infrastructure dollars, for a regional economic summit, for support for alternative energy sources and "green jobs," for small businesses development assistance, for more local Farmer and Trade markets, for an end to "No Child Left Behind," for expansion of Head start and Pell grants, for full funding for S-CHIP, for an end to tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, for "green standards," for  "protection of the mountain environment," and for ethics reform. Carter supports the comprehensive energy bill and called the "government’s takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae an effort to make the best of a bad situation."

"My faith and my upbringing taught me that fighting poverty, helping those in need, and lifting up our brothers and sisters to adequately educate and prepare themselves is the right thing to do. Our families deserve more than empty moral posturing from an incumbent that votes to leave children without health care, leaves Katrina victims to drown and our farmers out to dry, makes it more difficult to obtain student loans, and goes out of her way to vote for torture. The hard working and loving families of the 5th district deserve the things that we all want for our family."

Carter has railed against his opponent for, among other things, ranking 399th in effectiveness, for voting against extending health insurance to millions of uninsured children, for voting no on assisting workers who lose jobs to globalization, for voting no to an increase in minimum wage, and for voting against funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission.  Carter has also blasted his opponent for voting against the Water Resources and Conservation Bill and for refusing to sign a letter to help North Carolina farmers get federal disaster assistance.

Carter's opposition team has been immensely effective in uncovering Rep. Foxx's record and holding her to account for that record.  Unfortunately, the money needed to get that message out has been hard to come by.  Can a poor man still win an election? (Carter is worth approximately $40,000 a year. Virginia Foxx is worth around $9 million.)

Carter has been endorsed by the Alliance for Retired Americans and Junior Johnson.

Virginia Foxx (Republican): http://www.virginiafoxx.com

Virginia Foxx is mean-spirited and an embarrassment to our District.  To her, the Republicans have never made a misstep and George Bush is the greatest thing since sliced bread. She wins elections by muddying the water as much as possible and hoping her constituents will never find out the truth about her voting record.  Here's the truth:

Foxx voted:

--against a bill to appropriate funds for the development of biofuel studies and to increase nutrition in domestic food assistance programs
--against a bill for water projects around the United States and creation of heritage areas
--against a bill to prohibit the shipping and purchasing of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption
--against a bill to extend Emergency Unemployment Compensation
--against a bill to provide for Renewable Energy Credits and Other Business and Individual Credits
--against a bill to help out with student aid
--against a bill to provide funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis
--against a bill to fund grants for the expansion of public transportation and for the use of alternative fuel vehicle-related equipment or facilities
--against a bill to provide education funding for eligible members of the Armed Forces
--against a bill for Housing Foreclosure Assistance Programs
--against a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) through 2012
--against a bill to reauthorize the Head Start Program
--against a bill to eliminate the income tax on mortgage debt forgiveness on primary residences for people in financial hardships
--against The Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act

And the above list is just the tip of the iceberg in the votes Representative Foxx has cast (clearly not) on behalf of her constituents.

What does Rep. Foxx have to say when asked publicly about her record? "America is in bad shape all because of the Democrats. They do everything wrong, and we Republicans do everything right.  It's not my fault.  It's never my fault. It's always the Democrats' fault, even when we Republicans have controlled Congress." 

Foxx has been endorsed by the NRA and the National Federation of Independent Business.


STATEWIDE RACES

GOVERNOR


Bev Perdue (Democrat): http://www.bevperdue.com/

Perdue is a former school teacher and health care professional, She grew up in the mountains of Southwest Virginia and has lived most of her adult life in New Bern.  Perdue became the first woman ever elected to the state House from her part of the state and became the first woman ever elected Lt. Governor in North Carolina.

Perdue cites among her accomplishments: helping to raise teacher salaries, increasing technology in schools and sponsoring such initiatives as Smart Start and the Safe Schools Act, creating a prescription drug benefit for low-income seniors, support for investments in North Carolina’s Biotechnology sector, helping to pass minimum wage increases, initiating the NC Green Business Fund, and support for the Clean Smokestacks Act and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards.

As Governor, Perdue wants to make insurance more affordable and accessible to North Carolina's families and small businesses, focus on ways to strengthen schools, work towards a "knowledge-based" economy, champion the rights of victims and vulnerable populations, look for ways to conserve our water resources, protect NC's military bases, be a champion of open government, and improve NC's roads.

Perdue supports embryonic stem cell research.  Perdue does not support school vouchers for private schools and promotes a plan to allow NC students to attend community college for free.
In my opinion, Perdue's campaign has not been strong and focused. Her campaign has allowed her opponent to drive the race and is paying the price in lower than expected poll numbers (most recent at time of this writing: WSOC TV: Beverly Perdue (D) 46%, Pat McCrory (R) 43%, Others 3%).

Perdue has been endorsed by, among others,
The North Carolina State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, The NC Nurse Ambassadors, The State Employees Association of North Carolina, The Association for Home and Hospice Care of North Carolina, The Raleigh Police Protective Association, The North Carolina State Council of the International Association of Machinists, The American Federation of Teachers of North Carolina, The North Carolina Police Benevolent Association, The North Carolina Teamsters, the National Organization for Women, The North Carolina Sheriff Police Alliance, a slew of Mayors from across the state, and Andy Griffith himself.


Pat McCrory (Republican):
http://www.patmccrory.com

McCrory is from Greensboro (by way of Columbus, Ohio). He  earned a bachelor's degree in political science and education from Catawba College in Salisbury in 1978.  McCrory was a Senior Adviser with Duke Energy's Business and Economic Development Group.  He served on the Charlotte City Council from 1989 to 1995 and was elected the city's mayor in 1995 (now in his seventh term).

As Mayor, McCrory is best known for his lobbying for a half-cent local sales tax for public transportation.

If elected Governor, McCrory promises to keep NC a competitive marketplace and bring new jobs to the state, decrease bureaucracy in schools and prepare students for future job markets, develop a comprehensive conservation and energy policy, define a comprehensive long-term energy strategy, protect and enforce Second Amendment rights, enhance investment in tourism promotion, eliminate state benefits to illegal immigrants, reduce frivolous lawsuits, provide tax credits for the uninsured, crack down on gang violence, and improve the state's transportation infrastructure.

McCrory is one of the "Drill Baby Drill" crowd, is against S-CHIP, is opposed to state-supported health insurance for kids, and supported Bush's "Clear Skies Initiative."  In fact, McCrory served as one of George Bush's attack dogs in 2004 saying, "From a great President of the past four years, cities large and small will benefit by having President Bush leading us for another four more years."

For this campaign, wealthy Republican donors have been standing in line to contribute to McCrory's campaign in excess of the normal $4,000 contribution limits.  The Republican Governors Association set up an Independent Expenditure Committee called the RGA NC 2008 PAC to receive and spend unlimited amounts of money from individuals to run ads for Pat McCrory.

In light of McCrory's opposition to embryonic stem cell research and his support for school vouchers for private schools, I was pretty surprised to run into two long-time Charlotte friends who were supporting McCrory for Governor.  Come to find out there's only one reason for their support: he has promised significant road money back to his home turf if elected.  I've no doubt he'd deliver, and I'll wager that will be to the detriment of the rest of the state's transportation needs.  Unfortunately, the greater Charlotte area accounts for more than one in five North Carolina votes, making McCrory a strong contender for the Governor's office.

McCrory has been endorsed by the Charlotte Observer, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Greensboro News and Record.

Michael C. Munger (Libertarian): http://www.munger4ncgov.com

Munger received his Ph.D. in Economics at Washington University in St. Louis in 1984. He worked as a staff economist at the Federal Trade Commission in the first Reagan Administration and taught in the Economics Department at Dartmouth College.  At UNC, he served as Director of the Master of Public Administration Program, training city and county managers. He moved to Duke in 1997 and became chair of the Political Science Department there in 2000, where he still serves.

Munger's academic research (more than 80 articles and other papers) has focused on Presidential - Congressional conflict, campaign finance, and regulation of markets. His current research interests include "the evolution of the ideology of racism in the antebellum South, ballot access reform, and a study of how human subjects playing a computer simulation choose platforms in virtual elections."

Munger says he is running because:

--he opposes involuntary annexation of properties by municipalities
--he supports insisting that factories and other businesses in NC pay taxes ("We are being played for saps, and it is time to end this wasteful and corrupting practice.")
--he wants to reduce some of NC's  "burdensome regulations"
--he believes capital punishment in NC singles out poor people and there is a bias with fair trials
--he supports a relaxation of ballot access and retention rules for 'third parties' 
--he supports legislation that allows legal civil unions between same sex couples
--he supports "School Choice"  ("I would offer each parent in the state of N.C. an education voucher, financed by lottery proceeds, of $1,250 per child in their household. This voucher could only be spent at a state-accredited school, or be credited to the household in the case of home-schooling.")
--he believes we must "stop spending so much of our money and effort on incarceration, and more on rehabilitation and alternative sentencing".


LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Walter H. Dalton (Democrat): http://www.walterdalton.org/

A western North Carolinian (from Rutherfordton), Dalton grew up in a politically active family. His father was a state senator. Dalton graduated from UNC with a business degree, worked in banking for a few years, and went back to UNC for his law degree. Following deep involvement in civic affairs in Rutherford Co., Dalton was elected to his father’s old senate seat in 1996. He rose rapidly in senate leadership roles, specializing in education issues and economic development policies. He has been a board member of the Rural Economic Development Center, the North Carolina Economic Development Board, and the North Carolina Tourism Board. As a member of Governor Easley’s Education First Task Force and co-chair of the Senate Education Committee, he authored the Innovative Education Act. Dalton also sponsored state legislation to fund amniotic, embryonic, and adult stem-cell research.

Dalton is a conservative Democrat, and some progressives have not been entirely happy with his record, especially in regard to the mentally retarded, environmental protections, affirmative action, and abortion rights.  Dalton insists he is pro-choice but when asked if a woman’s right to privacy was the cornerstone of the abortion issue, Dalton responded, “As a matter of personal preference I don’t know that I would go that far.”

Dalton has also been criticized for co-sponsoring legislation to allow a  vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in 2005 and for a 1998 questionnaire in which he did not say that abortion should be permitted to protect the health of the mother:

"Dalton has since said the anti-gay marriage legislation was a reflection of representing a conservative district and that his abortion answer was poorly worded and should have included the exception for the health of the mother."

Dalton is too conservative for my blood.  He was not my pick in the Democratic primary, and he wouldn't be pick for the General if he weren't running against such a rabid right-winger.

Dalton has been endorsed by The State Employees Association of North Carolina, The Asheville Citizen-Times, and The Charlotte Observer.

Robert Pittenger (Republican): http://www.robertpittenger.com

Pittenger is from Mecklenburg County and was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2002. After winning the Republican primary this May, he resigned his seat in the NC Senate to concentrate on his campaign. Pittenger days he wants to cut state spending and lower taxes and claims that "Extreme environmentalists with additional social agendas often use environmental issues to impede reasonable growth and development."  In recent years Pettinger has been closely connected to anti-immigrant movements and rhetoric. He complains on his website about state education spending, and in 2006 in a Charlotte Observer editorial, he became a global-warming denier. His strict pro-life stance includes being against stem-cell research.  In fact, he claims that the “promise” of embryonic stem-cell research is a giant hoax. Mike Huckabee famously saved Pittenger from choking at a Republican fundraiser this year by performing the Heimlich maneuver on him.  Nuf' Said.

Pittenger has been endorsed by Elizabeth Dole and Lauch Faircloth.

Phillip Rhodes (Libertarian): http://www.philrhodes2008.com

Rhodes grew up in rural Brunswick County and graduated from Brunswick Community College with an Associate Degree in General Education in 1995.  He enrolled at UNC Wilmington as a Computer Science major and became an active member of Civietown Volunteer Fire Department. Rhodes now lives in Chapel Hill.

Rhodes argues for limited government that would provide school vouchers to citizens. He says North Carolina should actually consider ending government-run schools altogether. He also says that students should be allowed into community colleges even if they’re in the country illegally, something both major-party candidates have opposed. Rhodes is committed to  protecting property rights for North Carolinians, is opposed to corporate welfare, and wants to restore the NC Constitution by removing the prohibition on secession:

"...while I do not advocate secession from the United States, it is a fundamental truth that any political body has the right to withdraw from any voluntary association it chooses to join. As proud North Carolinians, proud Southerners and Anti-Federalists, we must work to restore our Constitution to remove this prohibition (which was forced on us at the end of the barrel of a gun)."


ATTORNEY GENERAL

Roy Cooper (Democrat): http://www.roycopper.com/

Cooper attended UNC on a Morehead Fellowship and received his law degree there. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1986 and to the North Carolina Senate in 1991. In 1997, he was elected Democratic Majority Leader of the state Senate. He continued to practice law as the managing partner of the law firm Fields & Cooper in Rocky Mount. In 2000 he was elected North Carolina Attorney General and is currently running for his third term.

I really like Roy Cooper and think he has done an outstanding job as Attorney General. He is friendly and a people's advocate.  He’s focused on fighting child pornography, methamphetamine use, and predatory lending. Most recently he took an activist role investigating gasoline price gouging.

Cooper also recently took on Walmart.

"Wal-Mart has saved millions of dollars over the past few years by essentially paying rent to itself and then writing off the taxes.... (Cooper took them to court, and) a judge dismissed Wal-Mart’s bid for a refund. Had the tax shelter not been deemed illegal, the corporate write-off would have effectively cost North Carolina taxpayers $33.5 million."

Bob Crumley (Republican): http://www.bobcrumley.com

A graduate of both Appalachian State University (1977) and of Wake Forest School of Law, Crumley was the former Randolph County county manager, its county attorney and as the chief executive officer of Crumley & Associates.  Crumley is known across the state mainly for his Crumley & Associates ads on cable TV ("Better call Bob!"). In 2008 Crumley changed his commercials to an “image” ad about himself, a tactic which the state board of elections said was illegal.  Crumley's law firm focuses on automobile accidents, workers compensation, and Social Security cases.  He ran unsuccessfully for state Senate from Randolph County in 2002.

Crumley is focused on two issues for his campaign: poor handling of the state's crime lab and the state's ever-increasing problems with illegal immigrants and gang activity. Crumley says there are backlogs in the state's court system and that the system needs to be more productive.  He also says the Attorney General's office has been slow to respond to gang problems across the state. Crumley  "compliments Cooper for his work with other state attorneys general to force social networking sites like MySpace to improve their internal controls, but then took him to task for failing to go further and persuade the General Assembly to pass the original version of Jessica's Law, which institutes stricter penalties for sex offenders."

AUDITOR

Beth A. Wood (Democrat): http://www.bethwoodcampaign.com/

Wood is a Certified Public Accountant with 15 years experience, including more than a decade in the State Auditor’s Office and additional work in the State Treasurer’s Office. She teaches a variety of professional courses for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA).  She serves on the AICPA Steering Committee for its annual Government and Not for Profit Conference. She promises not to engage in any part-time consulting or CPA practice if elected to this office and desires more performance audits.

You can read Wood's responses to questions in a BlueNC March 2008 live chat transcript here.

Leslie Merritt (Republican): http://www.auditormerritt.com

First elected State Auditor in 2004, Merritt has a colorful record for partisan activity and conflicts of interest. After taking office in 2005, he ran ads soliciting clients for a side business as a certified financial planner -- even offering coupons for a “1 Hour Free Consultation.” Then he announced he was starting yet another side business, providing retirement planning advice. After negative publicity about the side businesses, Merritt said he was giving them up but kept a board position on a bank in Zebulon while his office is responsible for auditing the state Commerce Department, whose Banking Commission has regulatory authority over banks. Merritt terminated employee Beth Wood (his opponent in this election), the training director for the Auditor’s office, when he learned that she intended to run against him this year. Merritt stepped way outside the limits of his duties when he lobbied against the “same-day voter registration” law, asking the state legislature to delay action until he could present proof of voter fraud. Merritt never produced any proof.

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE

Ronnie Ansley (Democrat): http://www.ansley4ag.com/

DISCLOSURE: We have known Ronnie Ansley for a number of years and consider ourselves personal friends of his.

Ansley is a native of the northeastern section of NC. He completed his undergraduate degree at NCSU in agricultural education. He worked as a sales representative selling livestock feed and health products. While working as a sales representative, Ansley attended Clemson University and received a Master’s degree in agricultural education. He earned his law degree in 1991 and returned home to North Carolina to establish his law practice, providing legal services to private citizens, juveniles, and indigent clients.

Ansley is a former State Future Farmers of America (FFA) Vice President and continues to be active in the FFA through his sponsorship of the State FFA Creed Contest, leadership school scholarships, and other awards sponsorships. Currently, he serves as President of the National FFA Alumni Association and as State Vice President of the North Carolina FFA Alumni Council. Ansley has been a life member of the FFA Alumni since the 1980s.

Steve Troxler (Republican): http://www.stevetroxler.com

Troxler is a farmer from Guilford County. He ran for Agriculture Commissioner in 2000 against Meg Scott Phipps. In 2004, he ran against Britt Cobb, who had been appointed to fill out Phipps’ term after she went to prison. In office, Troxler launched the “Got to Be N.C.” agriculture marketing campaign and led efforts to expand farmland preservation.

Troxler has also taken campaign contributions from Monsanto and pushed the state legislature to pass a Monsanto-backed bill which would have barred local governments from regulating genetically modified foods (the bill died in committee, thank goodness!). Troxler has been a consistent defender of Big Agri-Business, sometimes to the detriment of farm workers.  Troxler is also credited with knee-capping reform in a Gov. Easley-appointed commission studying pesticide exposure among farm workers.

COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE

Wayne Goodwin (Democrat): http://www.waynegoodwin.org

Goodwin has served four terms in the NC State House, two of those representing Dist. 68 and two representing Dist. 32. He ran for Commissioner of Labor in the 2004 election, losing in a close race to incumbent Republican Cherie Berry. Goodwin has served as the Assistant Commissioner of Insurance under legendary Commissioner Jim Long. Of great interest to political observers was his decision to become the first Insurance Commissioner candidate to refuse campaign contributions from special interests. The North Carolina State Board of Elections certified Goodwin’s campaign for public financing in May 2008, the first of its kind for the pilot "Voter-Owned Elections Program." In 2007 he began operation of his own political blog, “Wayne’s World.

John Odom (Republican): http://www.odom4doi.com

Odom is a former Raleigh City Councilman. He currently owns three Meineke Muffler franchises in the Raleigh area. Odom also serves as Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association, which he has led for the past 15 years. In August, Odom offended members of the NC State Firemen’s Association by forcing politics into a non-political annual conference of the association. Because Democratic candidate Wayne Goodwin was presenting a Department of Insurance (Office of State Fire Marshal) update to the firemen as a part of his official duties as assistant to Jim Long, Odom demanded equal time to address the conference, which caused resentment among the fire fighters. Then in September, Odom called for the elimination of the “gross premiums tax,” which funds the Insurance Department’s grant program for the purchase of equipment and supplies for most fire, rescue, and EMS departments throughout North Carolina.

Mark McMains (Libertarian): http://www.markmcmains.com/

McMains served on the Board of Directors for the Fuquay-Varina Fire Department for 2 years. He is the owner of Cary Towing and Carolina Towing and with his wife started Cary Auto Body Specialists in 1998. His website lists an impressive list of policy goals to reduce insurance costs for many different groups of North Carolinians, including:
  • Lower insurance rates for anyone that takes a driver refresher or safety class every four years and maintains a safe driving record.
  • More affordable business insurance for locally based and operated companies. 
  • Lower insurance for the family farmer and all state teachers.
  • Free drug care for the elderly.

COMMISSIONER OF LABOR

Mary Fant Donnan (Democrat): http://www.maryfantdonnan.com

Donnan served as Policy Analyst and Director of Research and Policy at the North Carolina Department of Labor, focusing on workforce and economic development. She has held the position of development director for the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research as well as serving in the public schools as a music teacher. She is currently a program officer for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem. She is a graduate of Davidson College and received her Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Adelaide in South Australia. Donnan supports minimum wage increases, is concerned incumbent Berry is not utilizing the Department’s resources appropriately and effectively, and is especially critical of Berry for not undertaking appropriate enforcement of workplace safety standards, especially in cases where a company has repeatedly violated NC health and safety standards:

"There has also been extensive publicity suggesting that the Commissioner is not undertaking appropriate enforcement where one company has repeatedly violated our health and safety standards. This publicity reflects poorly on the conscientious inspectors in the Department. Mary believes that it is important to elect a new Commissioner who will review these and other enforcement activity. If the policies are deficient, they must be changed. If the enforcement staff do not have sufficient training or personnel, the Commissioner must work with the General Assembly to correct those deficiencies."

Cherie Berry (Republican): http://www.cherieberry.com

Berry is the incumbent Commissioner of Labor, having served in this position since 2000.  Berry was criticized after an investigative report in the Charlotte Observer accused her department of failing to oversee safety conditions at poultry plants. Berry has also been accused of allowing campaign contributions to influence decisions about fining businesses for violations of occupational health and safety laws.  On October 10, The Charlotte Observer editorialized that “Berry's record over eight years shows she is unsuited for that role [as watchdog for the state’s workers.”   Berry nonetheless remains very public in touting her cooperation with big business and her opposition to labor unions. For several years after her election to this post in 2000, she was the only Republican member of the Council of State.


SECRETARY OF STATE

Elaine F. Marshall (Democrat): http://www.elainemarshall.org

Marshall made history in January 1997 when she was sworn in as North Carolina’s Secretary of State, becoming the first woman ever elected to statewide executive office. She is now running for her 4th term and by all accounts has been an excellent Secretary. Marshall earned her law degree from Campbell University in 1981, and was elected to the NC Senate in 1992, where she helped push for passage of a bill to abolish the spousal defense for rape. As Secretary of State, Marshall is well respected for bringing her office (which licenses corporations to do business in NC, among other duties) fully on-line and for making the office more tech-friendly.

Jack Sawyer (Republican): http://joinjack.com

Sawyer is an Alamance County Real Estate Attorney. He is a graduate of UNC (1994) and of Regent University School of Law in Virginia (1998). While a student at UNC, he served as a summer intern in the Washington offices of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms. Sawyer has actively served the Republican Party and various GOP candidates as a grassroots volunteer, fundraiser, campaign treasurer, and former member of the Alamance County Board of Elections. In 2004 Sawyer was selected asn an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in New York City.  Sawyer desires a thorough fiscal control audit of the department, a comprehensive review of the processing and scanning of documents filed with the department, and a Transparency in Government Initiative. Sawyer adds that " traditional marriage should be celebrated and promoted in the halls of government."  


SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

June St. Clair Atkinson (Democrat): http://www.juneatkinson.com/

Following the contested election of 2004, which Atkinson won, she did not take office as NC State Superintendent of Public Instruction until August 2005, the first woman to hold the office. She oversees more than 1.4 million students in over 2,300 public schools. A native of Virginia, Atkinson holds degrees from Radford University, Virginia Tech, and NC State University, where she earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy. From 1972 to 1976, she went to work for Charlotte schools, leading a business co-op program where students studied in the morning and worked in the afternoon. A former teacher, June Atkinson worked for the state Department of Public Instruction for 27 years as chief consultant of business education, assistant division director, director of career education and director of instructional services, among other positions.

Richard Morgan (Republican): http://www.richardmorgan2008.com

Morgan has an undergraduate degree from UNC in political science. He lost a 1976 attempt to win a state House seat, then lost a 1984 campaign to oust Insurance Commissioner Jim Long. He finally won a seat in the N.C. House of Representatives in 1990, representing Moore County. During his eight consecutive terms in the NC House, he served as Rules Committee Chairman, minority leader, and the “muscle” behind former Republican speaker Harold Brubaker. In 2003 he brokered a deal with Democrat Jim Black to be elected the state’s first Republican co-speaker of the House, a deal which infuriated Republican kingmaker Art Pope. Pope supported Joe Boylan in his eventual win against Morgan in the Republican primary of 2006. This run for Superintendent is Morgan’s attempt at a political comeback.


TREASURER

Janet Cowell (Democrat): http://www.cowellfortreasurer.com/

The daughter of a Methodist minister and a public school teacher, Cowell grew up in Kentucky and Tennessee. She moved to Raleigh in 1997, working as a business consultant. Starting in 2001, she served two terms on the Raleigh City Council. In 2004, she was elected to the state Senate. In office, she worked on bills to promote energy efficiency in state buildings and pursue data integration in state government. She holds a master of business administration degree from the Wharton School of Business and a master of arts in international studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. From 2003 to 2005, she worked for the Sustainable Jobs Fund, a Durham-based venture capital firm that invests in North Carolina businesses that create green jobs.

Since August of 2005, Cowell worked as an associate consultant with Fountain Works, a Raleigh firm that does strategic planning. Among other things, she handled a Defense Department contract for the health care system at Fort Bragg.

Cowell has been endorsed by former state Auditor Ralph Campbell, the Conservation Council of North Carolina, the state chapter of the AFL-CIO, the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, EMILY’s List, NARAL North Carolina, Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, and the N.C. Police Benevolent Association.

Bill Daughtridge (Republican): http://www.billdaughtridge.com

Daughtridge is the president of the Daughtridge Group Inc., a gas and oil business started by his grandfather. He was a Morehead Scholar at UNC and also earned an MBA there. He started a convenience store chain called The Fuel Doc and a propane cylinder company called Exchange Express. In 2007, he became a franchisee for Dunkin Donuts. He also owns car washes, inspection stations and oil-change stations. In 1987, he was appointed to the Oil and Gas Inspection Board by Republican Gov. Jim Martin. In 1997, he was appointed to the N.C. Board of Travel and Tourism by a representative of the petroleum industry. He served until 2002. In 2002, he won a seat in the state House of Representatives in the 25th District. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2006.

DISTRICT RACES

NC STATE SENATE, DISTRICT 45

Steve Goss (Democrat): http://www.senatorstevegoss.com/

Goss is an Ashe County native and has a B.S. in Social Science with a Minor in Education from Appalachian State University and a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest.  Goss is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and former high school teacher and varsity football coach.  He has pastored churches in Ashe, Watauga, Duplin, and Montgomery Counties in North Carolina as well as a church in Martinsville, Virginia.  Goss is completing his first term as State Senator for District 45.

Not too long ago, Goss marveled to me that he had received and responded to over 30,000 emails. He said, "All but five of those emails were positive, and of the negative emails, three were from you!"
(That's right. I have no party affiliation when it comes to legislative bills that tick me off.)  But this email story brings home one of the reasons Goss has been such an effective Senator in his short time in the Senate.  He responds to everyone who gets in touch with him.  His constituent service is first rate.

Goss' web site isn't much on pretty, but it contains some excellent, personal writing.  As an example, Goss writes that he believes there are times when "ministry and politics intersect," and I encourage you to read this piece on his web site about his experiences in this regard:

"...Every week during the more than six months the General Assembly is in session legislators in the Senate and House of Representatives filed, discussed, debated, and passed bills into law (hopefully) for the greater good of the 8.5 million residents of North Carolina. And in the midst of the history and power politics that were played out day after day in Raleigh during the session, I often reminded those colleagues who would listen that we must never forget the single mother or father who simply desires an opportunity for their child to succeed, or the developmentally disabled adult or child who wants to be respected as the special person he or she is in God’s world. In committee meetings I would often mention our senior citizens who should never have to make a choice between buying medication or food because of spiraling costs or lack of insurance coverage.... We can never lose sight of why we are in office…to serve the public and the best interests of the citizens."

At a recent candidate forum at ASU, Goss made a compelling case that since he and Cullie Tarleton had been elected, they have "brought things to the region we've been trying to get for 30 years." Goss lashed out against the effects of Republican rule in Washington and said it fell to those in the state legislature to try to sort things out.  He says we must focus on improving health care access and affordability and that he was proud to be a strong supporter of the state's public schools because "public schools take every child."  Goss is also proud of his commitment to reach across party lines to get legislation passed that he believes will benefit all North Carolinians.


Jerry Butler (Republican): http://www.electbutler.com

Butler is a dentist in Boone.  He grew up farming tobacco and has served in the Jaycees, the Kiwanis Club, the Downtown Development Board, Board of Public Health, and the Watauga County Hospital Staff. He has a General Contractor License and a Real Estate License.  Butler won the Republican primary to face off against Goss in the General, winning all the counties in the district with the exception of his home county, Watauga.

As a State Senator, Butler would seek to:

--Prevent tax increases that discourage employers from coming to western North Carolina
--support a business-friendly tax structure
--Create parental school choice and educational options by eliminating the cap on charter schools.
--Establish a vocational (technical) high school model
--Create an affordable and accessible health delivery system
--Establish benefits for early diagnosis and treatment
--Reduce taxes
--work for new highway construction, not useless studies of highway construction.
   
At a recent candidate forum, Butler touted his conservative credentials and said he was "proud the Republicans voted against ASU's new College of Education," said efficiency in government was his number 1 priority, complained that NC has the highest energy taxes in the nation (untrue), said that the state's "red ink" has doubled (the state requires a balanced budget each year), and said that as a dentist, he treated people every day free of charge.  Butler defended his decision to send his children to private school ("I like strict, sit-down in your seat, learn your lessons"), said he was pro-life but didn't believe in legislating morality, and said that he and his family ate whatever they killed in a hunt and that "guns are about bonding with my son."  He warned the audience that "by 2030 everything you do and say will be recorded."


NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 93

Cullie Tarleton (Democrat): http://www.votetarleton.com/

Tarleton was born in Union County and is a retired Broadcaster and former Senior Vice President & General Manager of WBTV, WBT Radio, and WCCB-TV,  He is completing his first term as NC House Representative for our district.   He currently serves on eight standing House committees, including Education and Appropriations, plus several joint study commissions.

During Tarleton's first term, he secured funding for ASU's new College of Education Building, and snagged $170,000 in grants from the Rural Economic Development Center to help with projects in our area. Some of those projects include grants to the NC Small Towns Economic Prosperity (NC STEP) Demonstration Program, to the High Country Regional Water Resources Assessment Plan, to the Family Central / Ashe County Partnership for Children for their Buy Local Meat Project, and to the Town of Boone to help offset the cost of the Town's new water interconnect agreement with ASU. Tarleton also secured a grant for Ashe Memorial Hospital to allow the facility to replace critical equipment and fund two initiatives to identify additional opportunities for growth.

Tarleton also introduced a bill to add ecologically significant tracts of land to the state park system and another bill to block the state from closing the Upper Mountain Research Station in Ashe County.

Tarleton works extremely hard in Raleigh to represent our District and has been very successful as a legislator.  At a recent forum, Tarleton said he spends 100% of his time as our legislator.  He added that he had achieved funding for bike paths and green space and was trying to get a four lane road for Ashe County.  Tarleton stressed that the state is required by law to balance its budget each year, and he is "proud of the $258 million left on the table after this year's budget," and of the state's healthy rainy day fund.

At the forum, Tarleton added that Appalachian State University should get its fair share of state dollars and that ASU was on the bottom of the list in state funding until he and Senator Goss arrived in Raleigh.   He challenged his opponent, Dan Soucek, to state for the audience what funds he would cut from the area.

Tarleton added that times are going to be tough for NC citizens in the near future:

"The economy of our state and nation continues to be of vital concern and this past week has been a tumultuous one for both. As federal lawmakers debated a financial rescue plan in Washington, our own Wachovia bank was bought in a deal that many people had thought was improbable. The impact of the sale on Charlotte, Winston-Salem and other communities in our state isn’t entirely clear, but please know that I will be working to help protect jobs in North Carolina....During uncertain economic times, such as we’re currently experiencing, retirees and people with fixed incomes are often hit the hardest. Many of these people are senior citizens. During the past biennium, we have worked in the General Assembly to ease their burden by providing tax relief, affordable health care and housing."


Daniel F. Soucek (Republican): http://www.fansofdan.com

I attended an ASU debate recently and had the opportunity to listen to the candidates from our state House and Senate district.

Soucek graduated from West Point in 1991.  He moved to Boone in 1999 to work as the Young Life Area Director for Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties, and in 2004 he began working as the Asia Regional Director for Operation Christmas Child at Samaritan’s Purse and now serves as Regional Desk Officer for Northern Africa, Middle East and Southern Asia with Samaritan’s Purse.  He has also served as a cross country and track coach at Watauga high school, coached youth soccer and served as an adult and high school Sunday school teacher at Alliance Bible Fellowship. Soucek is also the owner-operator of a local trash business.

Soucek says the state is not placing the right priorities on the right projects, believes in "market-based solutions" to financial issues, does not support civil unions for gays, insists the money that Tarleton secured for the Ashe County Airport was "not good for a variety of reasons," and says  the answer to the economy is to "lower taxes and reign in spending."

In a web page ironically called "FactCheck," Soucek says he is running for this office because, among other things,  Tarleton voted to create a real estate transfer tax, sponsored a bill to put a multi-million dollar tax on health insurance for teachers and state employees, sponsored a bill to increase sales tax rates for school construction without voter approval, voted to cut bonuses for teachers, opposed legislation to make it harder for illegal immigrants and terrorists to get driver¹s licenses in North Carolina, and because when Tarleton worked as a TV executive, he  decided to run "Temptation Island," a show Soucek claims "encourages married couples to cheat on each other - including those with children."

"Temptation Island" notwithstanding, the problem with Soucek's arguments is that they are misleading at best.  Tarleton did not vote to create a real estate transfer tax.  He voted to allow the people of any given county the option of voting for such a tax if they wanted to. Tarleton also did not vote to tax health insurance for teachers.  Soucek is apparently referring the High Risk Insurance Pool that was co-sponsored by Democrats and Republicans that allows people who do not have heath insurance to have access to it. As for increasing tax rates for school construction, Tarleton introduced a bill at request of the Watauga County Commission that would allow an increase in sales tax to support new high school. This bill was later withdrawn after it became clear there would be a provision on the budget for same with a vote of the people.  As for cutting teacher bonuses, this is simply untrue. There is $93 million in the current budget for such bonuses, and Tarleton has been endorsed by the NCAE.  As for giving illegal aliens free reign on our highways, NC already has a law that requires proof of legal status in order to obtain a NC drivers license.

Soucek has been endorsed by Virginia Foxx.


COUNTY OFFICES

NOTE:  The Watauga County Republican Party did not field candidates for the County's three Commissioner seats, and the Watauga County Democratic Party did not field a candidate for Register of Deeds.  Therefore, those seats are uncontested for this ballot.


COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 1

Tim Futrelle (Democrat): http://www.timfutrelle.com

Futrelle is 33 years old.   He grew up on the farmlands of rural eastern North Carolina and has worked in the service industry for over 15 years.  Currently, Futrelle is continuing his education in Pre-Law Studies at Appalachian State University while continuing working.  He has held numerous leadership positions in the local and district Democratic Party organizations including precinct vice chair (local) and as a vice-chair of the 5th District Democratic Executive Committee.  He has also actively and successfully managed and organized other Democratic campaigns.

“I believe in the Democratic Party tradition of representing the needs and values of regular working people.  My work to promote positive change in the county has prepared me to make a broader commitment to the people of Watauga County.”

Futrelle identifies as his key issues: water quality and availability issues; seeing that a new Watauga High School is "built with forethought”; affordable housing; commitment to a new County growth plan; and a continuing commitment to law enforcement needs.

In responding to a questionnaire from High Country Press, Futrelle addressed the County's water issues:

"Talk of a 'water crisis' has been in the local, the state, and the regional news for months....  The more we know about the science of water, the more we'll be able to anticipate and deal with shortages....  Mostly, I oppose bringing in outside private companies to harness our water resources, develop water facilities and then sell our water back to us. This, in my opinion, would cause high rates and cause us to lose control of our water resources."

In the questionnaire, Futrelle also said that as Commissioner, he would like to "review the Board's policies regarding appointments to various county boards and commissions," said that long-term planning has to be an integral part of policymaking at the county level, expressed support for Sheriff Hagaman's efforts toward community involvement in preventing domestic abuse and other crimes,  expressed a desire to promote more outreach to rural county citizens, and wanted to ensure the new Watauga High School would be LEED certified.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 3

Jim Deal (Democrat): (no web site located)

Jim Deal is a mover and a shaker, immensely creative, and is so articulate and persuasive, he could talk a blind man into wearing glasses.

In many ways, Deal has been a tremendous advocate for all of us on the Board of Commissioners.  Without Deal, my bet is we’d still just be moaning about the need for a new high school.  It was through Deal’s pushing and shoving and insistence and wheeling and dealing that we finally got moving on that project.  Deal has also been a fervent advocate for county parks and recreation.

Fact is, when Deal decides we all need to jump two feet high, by God, we’re all going to jump two feet high.

If the Republicans had managed to embolden some lame opposition candidate into coming out from under a rock long enough to squint at the sun and plant his name on the ballot against Deal, I’d be endorsing Deal “with gusto” this year.  But that’s not the case.  Deal is running unopposed.

So I’m taking this chance to call him on the carpet.

Deal has so much power and is so persuasive, others just can’t seem to find it in themselves to stand up to or challenge him. That’s because most people are simply unable to come up against such a forceful personality.  When they do, they get shot down or (more likely) out-maneuvered. 

Case in point.  Deal used his influence to give outside interests power over a park paid for with our county tax dollars.

We the people of Watauga County bought and paid for a new soccer complex at Brookshire Park.  The complex is to be governed by a “Management Committee” of five members. Everyone wants a piece of the Committee.  While it’s true the High Country Soccer Association (HCSA) and ASU both contributed some funds to build the fields, county taxpayers are the ones who have spent millions on the project, and we are getting ready to fork out even more on parking lots.  Quickly a fight ensued over who might get the controlling 5th vote on the Committee.

To that end, Commissioner Mary Moretz read a letter to the Commissioners from Watauga County Parks and Recreation Board member Steve Loflin and indicated she agreed with his position.  The letter reads in part:

“The Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously agreed the fifth member of the Management Committee should not be an ASU affiliate.  If (the Soccer Association) wants ASU on this committee, they should name an ASU person as one of their two appointees.  Given the sum of money the County has invested in this venture, the County should have final control of the facilities.

Deal, however, wanted ASU to have the 5th vote, so what was the end result?  We the people (who have spent by far the most money) have lost management control of the soccer complex we paid for, and Steve Loflin has resigned his position.

Some Boone Town officials have managed to find the daring to stand up to Deal over a variety of issues related to joint projects and other activities.  In my opinion, sometimes the Town has been right and sometimes it has been wrong, but either way the Town generally loses the fight in the end because of Deal’s dogged insistence and because he can call on influential contacts to strong-arm.  In fact, while Deal denies working against the progressive incumbent candidates in Boone Town Council races last year, I am convinced he worked actively against them because they would not bend.

One of the hottest issues in the last Town elections was that of the proposed College of Education—where it could be built and whether it should be exempt from some of the Town’s zoning regulations.  The progressive Town Council members and Mayor stood their ground.  The payback was that Deal led the ASU Board of Trustees, of which he is a member, into placing full-page color ads into the newspapers on this issue just a few short days before the Town elections.

In response, I sent an email to Erskine Bowles (President of the University North Carolina System) outlining my concerns regarding what I considered to be unethical and illegal action taken by Deal at the Board of Trustees meeting.  The email read, in part:

“… the Trustees went into closed session in part to discuss placing several newspaper ads designed to influence an upcoming municipal election a few days prior to that election. According to the minutes of this meeting, Trustees Chairman Deal invited 10 non-voting persons…to attend the closed session with the Trustees.  The minutes clearly indicate the Trustees went into closed session upon motion at its September 21st meeting to discuss only 5 matters….

None of these referenced matters reflect any intent whatsoever to discuss the purchase and placement of newspaper advertising. The subject of placing newspaper ads was not included as an agenda item for either the open or closed session.  Nor were the minutes revised during the meeting to include this matter as an open agenda item as is required by the Trustees’ bylaws.
 
Nonetheless, when the Board of Trustees reconvened, the “Board approved the publication of a newspaper ad setting forth the facts on the need for the College of Education building, with the cost of the publication ad being paid personally by the voting members of the Board….”

You can read the full email here.

Deal insisted the ad was not political but was rather an attempt by the Trustees to put “the truth out there” and lamented that, unfortunately, the ad was “untimely.”

I say the ad was both political and timely.

The short and sweet of it is, Jim Deal wears too many hats and has too much power and too many powerful friends.  He serves in leadership roles on the three most powerful entities in Watauga County.  He is Chairman of the ASU Board of Trustees, serves as a Trustee on the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (Watauga Medical Center), and is Chairman of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners


COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 5

Winston Kinsey (Democrat): (no web site located)

Kinsey has been a resident of Watauga County for 39 years and lives with his wife, Barbara, on a small sheep and horse farm in the Stony Fork community.  He has served one term on the Board of Commissioners and is seeking re-election to the seat.

As Commissioner, Kinsey has been active in moving the new High School from concept to building. He also supported a moratorium on electronic billboards, is a representative of the Watauga County Cooperative Extension Advisory Leadership Council, is a liaison to the Sheriff's office for the County and for the area's fire departments, and is a strong proponent of developing a new County comprehensive plan and exploring wind energy as an alternative energy source for the county.

REGISTER OF DEEDS

JoAnn Townsend (Republican): (no web site located)

By all accounts Townsend is fair and impartial in her job performance.  She is, however, a hard and committed worker for the local Republican party and its candidates.  

NON-PARTISAN JUDICIAL RACES

NOTE:  The judicial races are officially non-partisan.  I have provided candidates' political affiliation FYI.  Some seats are uncontested.

SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE

Robert H. (Bob) Edmunds, Jr. (Republican): http://www.reelectjusticeedmunds.com/

Edmunds is the Republican incumbent in this race, first elected in 2000. He had already served one two-year term on the NC Court of Appeals. A native of Virginia, Edmunds received his education at Vassar College in New York and at the UNC School of Law. After serving as district attorney in Guildford Co. and as an assistant US Attorney, he served as US Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina from 1986-1993 (appointed by Ronald Reagan). In 1996 he ran for state Attorney General against Mike Easley, who won. In 2008 Edmunds raised eyebrows and was criticized for inserting partisanship into his reelection race when he told the Republican county convention in Watauga County, “I’m the one person standing between you and one-party government in North Carolina.” 

Suzanne Reynolds (Democrat):  
http://www.suzannereynolds.org/

Reynolds is a law professor at Wake Forest University School of Law and has taught and written about family law and other subjects for 26 years. Before teaching, she practiced civil litigation with the law firm of Smith Moore Smith Schell and Hunter in Greensboro, NC.  A Lexington, NC, native, Reynolds received her B.A. from Meredith College, an M.A. in English and journalism from UNC-CH, and her J.D. from Wake Forest law school. While on the faculty at Wake Forest, she was a principal drafter of statutes that modernized the law of both alimony and of adoption, and she co-founded a domestic violence program that received national recognition by the ABA for providing legal assistance to the poor. Reynolds wrote the 3-volume treatise on North Carolina family law that has become the authoritative source for law students, lawyers, and judges. She was recognized by the NC Association of Women Attorneys in 1996 with the Gwyneth B. Davis award for Public Service and by Governor Hunt in 1998 with a Distinguished Woman of the Year award.


COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 1

John C. Martin (Democrat): (no web site located):

Martin earned an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in 1965 and his law degree from Wake Forest as well in 1967. He served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969 and then entered private law practice.  Martin served one term on the city council of Durham before becoming a North Carolina Superior Court judge in 1977. He has served in the Court of Appeals since 1985.  (Martin also won a blue ribbon for his blueberry muffins at the state fair.)

COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 2

Jewel Ann Farlow (Republican): http://jewelannfarlow.com/

Endorsed by the NC Republican Party, Farlow is a native of Greensboro and holds degrees from Duke and Wake Forest School of Law. She touts getting “tough on crime” and criticizes “judicial activism” (though she fails to define the term). She calls herself a “strict constructionist” (which she also fails to define). In December 1982, when she was 24, Farlow pled guilty to two counts of Misdemeanor Larceny and Trespass. She refuses to discuss the matter now, attributing the convictions to “youthful stupidity.” She was granted an official pardon by Gov. Hunt in 2001. She was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon in Greensboro in 1983, but that charge was dismissed. Doug Clark, editorial writer for The Greensboro News & Record, concluded that she is not suited to the Court of Appeals.

James A. (Jim) Wynn (Democrat): http://www.judgewynn.com/

Wynn is the incumbent judge running for reelection. He has served on the N.C. Court of Appeals for 18 years. The son of a carpenter and a nurse’s aide, he studied journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill before earning a law degree. He became an Appeals court judge in 1990 and is now a senior associate judge. In that role, he helped push for the bill that made judicial races nonpartisan in North Carolina. He has served in the U.S. Navy Reserves for 29 years. He has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO of N.C., Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, N.C. Association of Educators, N.C. Troopers Association, Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, Former Chief Justices Rhoda Billings, Jim Exum, Burley Mitchell, Henry Frye, North Carolina Police Benevolent Association, Inc.

COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 3

NOTE:  Yes.  Both candidates are Democrats.

Sam A. Ervin, IV (Democrat):
http://www.ervinforcourtofappeals.com/

Ervin, 52, was born and raised in Morganton, North Carolina, and is the grandson of Sen. Sam Ervin. He graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College, where he majored in history, and he earned his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1981. Ervin practiced law in Morganton from 1981 until 1999. He handled a wide range of civil, criminal, and administrative matters, including many appeals to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of North Carolina. In 1999, Ervin was appointed to the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Governor Jim Hunt. He is currently serving his second term on the Utilities Commission, having been reappointed by Governor Mike Easley in 2007.

Kristin Ruth (Democrat): http://www.judgeruth.com/

Ruth is a district court judge in Wake County, North Carolina, currently in her third term. She has concentrated on presiding in the courtroom designated for the enforcement of child support. Ruth grew up on a wheat farm in Kansas, graduated from Kansas State University and worked her way through Campbell University School of Law. She was the senior partner in her law firm before being elected to the bench in 1998. In 2000, Judge Ruth was awarded the North Carolina Child Support Council’s Distinguished Service of Excellence Award. In 2003 she received the national American Business Woman of the Year for 2003 by the American Business Women’s Association, and in 2004, she was awarded the Commissioner’s Judge of the Year Award presented by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement in Washington, DC.


COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 4

Cheri Beasley (Democrat): http://www.judgecheribeasley.com/

A former public defender in Cumberland County, Beasley also worked briefly in the Wake County District Attorney’s office. After graduating high school in Nashville, Tennessee, (her mother was graduate school dean at Austin Peay State Univ.), Beasley attended Rutgers University, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts in economics and political science in 1988. She then attended law school at the University of Tennessee at Nashville, graduating in 1991 (a semester early after spending a summer studying comparative law at Oxford University in England). She was appointed to the District Court in Cumberland County by Gov. Jim Hunt in 1999. She won reelection in 2002, running against Republican Michael Boose. In 2006 she won reelection unopposed.

Doug McCullough (Republican): http://www.re-electjudgemccullough.com/

Endorsed by the NC Republican Party, McCullough is the incumbent judge. After earning a history degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1967 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina in 1970, McCullough served in the United States Marine Corps, retiring as a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. McCullough worked as legislative counsel for New Mexico Senator Harrison Schmitt, as a counsel to the United States Senate, and finally as an assistant United States Attorney in the eastern district of North Carolina from 1981 through 1996, when he left to enter private practice. In November 2000, McCullough was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. On October 7, 2006, McCullough was charged with drunk driving. He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired on April 3, 2007. McCullough was criticized in 2007 for implying that he and other incumbent Republican judges should be re-elected because they would favor Republicans in an anticipated lawsuit over redistricting. An ethics complaint was filed against him as a result of his comments. In response to the complaint, the state Judicial Standards Commission said it would not punish McCullough, but it also said that it had made “an effort to ensure such conduct is not repeated.”

COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 5

Dan Barrett (Republican): http://www.barrettforjudge.com/

Endorsed by the NC Republican Party, Barrett grew up in Scotland County, attended Wake Forest University for both his undergraduate and his law degrees, and has specialized in employment law. He authored “North Carolina Employment Law,” a comprehensive guide to employment law issues in the state. He has served as a county commissioner in Davie County and in 2004 ran unsuccessfully for governor but was defeated in the Republican primary. During that gubernatorial campaign, Barrett personally walked across the length of the state from Murphy in the mountains to Manteo on the Outer Banks. He says on his website, “I have a conservative judicial philosophy. I will not legislate from the bench.” An editorial in the Hickory Daily Record claims that “Barrett is a conservative who expresses his beliefs in ways that do not demonize his opponents.” Although he rated himself a “constitutional originalist” on a NC Family Policy Council questionnaire, he declined to answer other questions, like “Should judges be allowed to have a copy of the Ten Commandments displayed in their courtrooms.”

Linda Stephens (Democrat): http://www.judgelinda.org

A native of South Carolina, Stephens was the first member of her immediate family to graduate from high school, finishing first in her class at Woodruff High School. She attended the University of South Carolina as a Carolina Scholar, studying English and journalism and graduated magna cum laude. Her first professional job after college was as a writer for the Associated Press, covering (among other beats) the NC State basketball team. She attended the UNC School of Law, earning her law degree in 1979, and went to work clerking for a judge on the NC Court of Appeals. She served for four years as a Deputy Commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission, hearing and deciding cases involving workers compensation claims. She was the first woman president of the NC Association of Defense Attorneys and was named among the Best Lawyers in America and as one of the 50 top women lawyers in the state by North Carolina SuperLawyer magazine. In February 2006, she was appointed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and is now running for relection. She has authored over 190 opinions, none of which have been reversed by the NC Supreme Court. She is well respected for her “after work” efforts at animal rescue: “My grandfather, who worked in the local mill, was devoted to animals and frequently rescued dogs, cats, and any other animal that needed help. From him, I learned how to reach out to animals in need and to open my heart to hurt or abandoned creatures. I consider my animal rescue efforts over the years a continuation of his legacy.”


COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, RACE 6

John S. Arrowood (Democrat): http://www.judgearrowood.com/

Born in Burnsville, North Carolina, Arrowood moved to Caldwell County after the death of his parents. He graduated from Hudson High School in 1972. Arrowood graduated magna cum laude from Catawba College in 1979 and received his law degree at the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1982. He worked on the Court of Appeals staff and then practiced law for many years in Charlotte before serving as a state superior court judge from March through August 2007. In August 2007, he was appointed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals by Governor Mike Easley to serve out another judge’s term. He is the incumbent judge and is running in his first reelection campaign. He has been endorsed by the following groups and individuals: North Carolina Troopers Association, Former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell, Former Chief Justice James G. Exum, Jr., Former Chief Judge Sid Eagles, Former Chief Judge Gerald Arnold, the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association, the North Carolina Association of Educators, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, the NC AFL-CIO, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, the State Employees Association of North Carolina, and the NOW PAC.

Robert N. (Bob) Hunter, Jr. (Republican): http://www.hunterforjudge.com/

Hunter is endorsed by the NC Republican Party. He received both his undergraduate and his law degrees from UNC. He is a former chairman of the state board of elections (1985-1989). Hunter is best known in political circles for handling GOP election-related cases. Hunter has filed suit repeatedly in North Carolina to delay primary and general elections, demanding that political districts be redrawn. He was the lead attorney in the redistricting case early in 2008 that the NAACP said was an attempt to disenfranchise black voters.

DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, DISTRICT 24, Race 1

Ted McEntire (Republican): http://mcentireforjudge.com/

McEntire is from Spruce Pine (by way of Foscoe) and received the Morehead Scholarship and  went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991. He received his Juris Doctor in 1995 from UNC.  McEntire joined the District Attorney’s office of the 24th District in 1997.  McEntire is especially interested in fair sentencing, children’s rights, and drug abuse. "It is my strong belief that a judge should use common sense and examine each case on its facts in reaching a decision."  One source familiar with McEntire told me he is not particularly well respected in the Watauga County courts system.

DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, DISTRICT 24, Race 2

Greg Horne (Republican): (no web site found)

Back in 2004, I did not endorse Horne for this judicial seat, concerned that he would push a fundamentalist activist role from the bench.  Even then, progressive local attorney Andrea Capua offered me strong reasons for supporting Horne:

My experience with our local judges is that party affiliation is irrelevant.  I consider myself a progressive attorney and have been practicing law in Boone with Greg Horne for over ten years now.  Being well grounded and qualified is what makes for a good judge.  Greg has been a prosecutor, in private practice and is a Watauga County resident.  He is well respected by his peers.  Most, if not all, attorneys in the area are supporting him 100% for the above reasons.”

I was wrong, and Andrea was right.  Horne is well-respected in the legal community.  At a rally in 2004, Horne said, "voters shouldn’t listen to political advertising, but should ask officials in the law enforcement and court system what they think of me."  Horne added that the law of the land should apply equally to all people and judges should not "use the bench to legislate based on personal agendas or beliefs.  That’s not the role of a judge."


DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, DISTRICT 24, Race 3

R. Alexander (Alex) Lyerly (Republican): (no web site found)

When I asked around about Lyerly, most people told me he was a fair judge and not partisan. They added that he spent most of his time in Avery and Mitchell counties.  One response to me from a progressive who has worked with Lyerly stated, in part:

I've always liked him....  He usually treats attorneys and litigants with respect.  Doesn't seem to have any real agenda.  He served a legal services internship when he was in law school and actually has always talked positively about that.... He is descended from the Banners, for whom Banner Elk is named, lives in his grandparents' Victorian, in the middle of town.  He was raised primarily by his grandparents.  He is known to support Lees McCrae."


WATAUGA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

NOTE: You may choose up to three candidates

FURTHER NOTE: Four of the five School Board candidates appeared at an informal debate hosted by the Watauga County Democratic Women's Club in September.  Some of my discussion centers on candidates' remarks at that forum.  Other parts of my discussion come from responses to the following questionnaire I sent to all candidates for this office on  October 7th:

I am a Watauga County voter who is interested and active in local politics.  I understand you have filed for a seat on the Watauga County School Board, and I am hopeful you will share with me your answers to the following questions.

I know it is short notice, but I would very much appreciate your responses by October 13th.  You can email your responses to me at ______.

Please note that I may share your responses with others:

1.  What will be your top two objectives if elected to the school board?

2.  Overall, do you consider “No Child Left Behind” to be successful in Watauga County schools?  If not, why not?  If so, in what way?

3. What issues do you believe should be considered in creating the calendar for the school year?

4.  Do you believe Watauga County schools are administratively “top heavy,” “understaffed,” or “satisfactorily staffed”?

5.  Do you believe that “Intelligent Design” (creationism) should be taught in public school classes? Please explain.

Steve Combs (Democrat) (no web site located)

Combs is an incumbent School Board member.  His top two priorities are to complete the new high school with new technology and to "continue to work with NCAE to find better ways to recruit and retain excellent teachers."  Combs says "No Child Left Behind" was not needed in Watauga County and has not been successful, in part because Watauga County schools were already achieving many of its objectives and because of lack of funding.  Combs believes Watauga County schools are "adequately staffed." Combs struggled on the "Creationism" question at a recent Democratic Women's Luncheon, indicating at the time a support for teaching creationism in schools. His questionnaire response clarifies his position: because Creationism is faith-based, Combs believes it should only be taught in Religion classes, not science classes.  See Combs' answers in their entirety here.


Joni (Johnny) Horine (Democrat): http://www.jonihorine.com/

Horine says if elected, she will be proactive in ensuring "our students are well equipped to find success in the 21st century work and life" and in working to up student graduation rates.   She believes “No Child Left Behind” is not successful because of lack of funding and because "it punishes the schools that needs assistance the most." Horine believes the NCDPI rules, weather concerns and other factors should be considered in creating the school calendar. Horine stumbled on the "Creationism" question at a recent Democratic Women's Luncheon, indicating at the time that she supported teaching creationism in schools. Her response to the questionnaire indicated otherwise: "I support the 1987 Supreme Court case Edwards vs. Aguillard and the federal district court case in Penn. that creationism is not a science and is unconstitutional to teach as a science in public schools. This does not exempt it from being taught in a Religion and Philosophy class...."  See Horine's answers in their entirety here.


Deborah H. Miller (Republican) (no web site located)

Miller is an incumbent for this office.  She did not respond to the questionnaire.  At the Democratic Women's forum, she was smart and articulate about her vision for Watauga County schools.  She offered that she thought out-of-county students should pay $1200 per year to attend Watauga County schools and that Creationism was a legitimate study in high school science classes.


Marsha Walpole (Democrat):  http://marsha.walpole.googlepages.com/home

Walpole responded that her top two issues are "teacher recruiting and retention and reducing the drop out rate," offering strategies for both.  She believes "No Child Left Behind" is a failed policy and that "teaching to the test reduces teacher creativity, innovative instruction, the use of varied teaching strategies for diverse students, and teacher and student motivation." Walpole insists that any decisions regarding the school calendar should be considered in terms of what is best for students academically and that the "current method of appointing a representative from each school to be on the calendar committee is the fairest way for all interested parties to have a say in creating the school calendar." She believes Watauga County schools are "adequately staffed" but is interested in looking for ways to increase productivity.  Walpole believes that Creationism should not be taught in biological science classes but that such teaching "can be taught in history, philosophy or comparative religion classes, along with the creation beliefs of other religions."  See Walpole's answers in their entirety here.


David Albert Ward (Republican) (no web site located)

Ward did not attend the forum nor answer the questionnaire.  Ward lives in Sugar Grove and is a pastor and salesman.  According to a Mountain Times article, Ward says he ran for this office because of his religious beliefs:  “It’s something the Lord laid on my heart,” he said. “I’m concerned about safety and peace in young people’s hearts.”  According to the Times' article, Ward said Watauga County schools should offer programs for “knowing about the Lord.” He also said he would like to focus on "character-building and prison-prevention programs."


SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT SUPERVISOR

Thad Taylor (Democrat) (no web site located)

I do not know much about Taylor, but some of those who do tell me he is a hard worker and an honest man.

According to the Watuga County government web site:

"The Watauga Soil And Water Conservation District is a subdivision of state government charged with planning, executing, and promoting sound conservation practices. Its objectives are secured largely through the voluntary cooperation of landowners.

The District administers the N.C. Agricultural Cost Share program to improve water quality and reduce non-point source pollution on agricultural lands. The Natural Resources Conservation Service and other agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as some state and local agencies provide technical assistance."

TOWN OF BOONE WATER BOND REFERENDUM (Town of Boone Ballots only)

NOTE: This Referendum will only be on Town of Boone voter ballots.  Only those voters living within the Town of Boone city limits can vote on this issue.

The water system for the Town of Boone reached 80% of its maximum delivery capacity in 2006, and the Town’s water system is projected to reach 90% delivery capacity next year.  When a town’s water system reaches 90% capacity, the State recommends that a new intake system (source) be under construction.  This bond funding referendum is on the ballot to authorize the sale of general obligation water system bonds to fund construction of the Town's new water intake system.  A defeat of the referendum will not stop construction of this project, but will make raising the funds to pay for it much more difficult and much more expensive.  Fees from water and sewer users go the Town’s enterprise fund which in turn pays for our water and sewer system maintenance and improvements.  The Town expects to pay for these bonds using monies from this enterprise fund.  Funds for water and sewer construction do not come from the Town’s “general fund,” which is supported by property taxes.