Age: 47
Place of residence: Raleigh and Kittrell
Family: Married, with three children
Political offices sought and held:
2001-present State Treasurer, State of North Carolina
1994 , Democratic Nominee for U.S. Congress, 2nd Congressional District
1993-1994 Member, NC House of Representatives, 22nd District
Work experience:
1987-1989 Attorney – private practice
1989-1992 Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of N.C., criminal division
1992-1995 Attorney – private practice
1995-1999 Secretary, N.C. Department of Crime Control & Public Safety
2001-present State Treasurer, State of North Carolina
Civic involvement:
Chair, St. James Historic Episcopal Church – Kittrell, NC
Lifelong member and Sunday School Teacher, St. Stephens Episcopal Church – Oxford, NC
Member, NC State Health Coordinating Committee (1993-1995)
Director, NC Rural Development Center (1993-1994)
Member, NC Health Planning Commission (1993-1995)
Chair, 1998 State Employees Combined Campaign
Immediate Past Chair, NC Criminal Justice Information Network Governing Board
Past member, Rural Economic Development Board of Directors
Ex-officio Member, Governor’s Crime Commission (1995-1999)
Member, Governor’s DWI Task Force (1995-1999)
Ex-officio Member, Governor’s Commission on Military Affairs (1995-1999)
Co-Chair, Governor’s Long-Term Disaster Recovery Task Force (1996-97)
Ex-officio Member, Governor’s Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs (1997-1999)
Co-Chair, Governor’s Commission on Juvenile Crime and Justice (1997-98)
Ex-officio Member, Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1997-1999)
Co-Chair, Governor’s Task Force of Domestic Violence (1998)
Chair, Governor’s Task Force on Youth Violence and School Safety (1999)
Member, National Crime Prevention Council
Member, Board of Directors - Museum of History Associates
Religious affiliation, if any: Episcopal
Favorite movies: Shrek, The Sting, It's a Wonderful Life
Favorite books: His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis, Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch
Top 3 Issues Facing NC:
As Treasurer, I have been accountable to more than 700,000 public employees – building one of the nation’s strongest pension funds and making reforms that allowed our state to invest millions of dollars in education and health care. As governor, I will bring this same accountability to all of state government.
We all agree on what the big issues are: health care, schools, and creating jobs – the big difference will be our approach. The answer is not just spending more money and making more promises – it's about making better decisions.
My top education priority will be to cut the high school dropout rate in half by teaching real job skills and holding our schools accountable. We will build schools faster and smarter with my school construction plan. We will make sure every single child in North Carolina has health insurance. We will improve the quality of health care by reducing waste and medical errors. And we will build roads where they are needed – not where political insiders want them. It's time to end the legislative slush funds and stop making transportation decisions behind closed doors. State government ought to spend less time studying problems and more time solving them.
Why are you the most qualified candidate to be governor?
I have more executive branch experience than any other candidate for governor. As Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety in the Hunt Administration, I was responsible for one of the largest divisions of state government. I led the response to numerous federally declared natural disasters, including hurricanes Fran and Floyd. As State Treasurer, I oversee the state’s $80 billion retirement system, which was ranked as the second-strongest state pension fund in the nation by Standard & Poor’s for the last two years. This money belongs to more than 700,000 teachers, police officers, National Guard members and other hardworking state and local employees. I also oversee the state’s debt and have worked hard to maintain our state’s triple-A credit rating, despite the financial downturn that occurred in 2001-2002.
