Editorial: A guide to see if legislative candidates measure up

Make no mistake, the stakes in the upcoming election are crucial.

On a basic partisan level, it will be a battle of survival for the unchallenged rule by North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger and his Republican allies in the General Assembly -- who have held a veto-proof super majority in both chambers since 2013.

That overwhelming majority, built on unconstitutional gerrymandering, might be weakening as a result of court-ordered change in some legislative districts for the upcoming election. That will be up to the voters.

Candidates need to run on the issues. What are a candidate’s top priorities? What does a candidate’s track record show?

We’re starting with our top five issues. As the campaign goes on, we might add a few.

It is past time to adopt a non-partisan system to draw congressional, legislative and judicial district lines. Since 2011 North Carolinians have had to endure a phony representative government that has disenfranchised hundreds-of-thousands of citizens because of their race, place of residences or political affiliation. Candidates who pledge to back non-partisan redistricting should get support. Enough is enough.

Aspiring to be average is a commitment to mediocrity. North Carolina’s cellar-dwelling in average teacher pay, average principal pay, spending per student, are all evidence of schools being starved of the most basic resources. The current stewardship of our public school system is reprehensible. Candidates must tell us how they plan to deliver on our State Constitution’s promise to “guard and maintain” the right to “sound, basic education.”

Major legislation concocted in secret, power-grabs rushed through the legislature with little public notice, perfunctory hearings and little debate. This is no way to conduct public business and it needs to end. The most glaring example is the private school voucher program that funnels tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to private schools and has almost no requirements for transparency or accountability. Discrimination in admissions is allowed. There is no telling what is really going on in many of these schools.  What’s going on here?

Too far, too fast. Tax cuts are great, but the legislature has a responsibility to properly fund the operations of state government. They’ve done everything backwards. Firmly believing that the solution is lower taxes, they cut too much too fast. The large business tax cuts over the last six years, and shifting the costs of government too heavily to individuals, left many critical state needs unmet. Candidates should agree to evaluate the funds needed to move the state forward and then devise a revenue plan to get it done.

That’s our list. We’ll probably add some more. Add your own and demand that candidates let you know where they stand. Those that agree, fine. Those that don’t, won’t earn your vote.