What would your top three priorities be if elected lieutenant governor of North Carolina?
My top three priorities are education, jobs and the economy and environmental protection.
The citizens of our great state are fundamentally concerned with the prospects of a brighter future. They want to renew the promise that their children will be better off than they were. By making a firm commitment to education, creating the foundation for workforce training and jobs and environmental protection, we can offer that opportunity for all citizens of our state.
Given the current state of the economy, as lieutenant governor, what would you do to add jobs and boost the economy here?
Our greatest asset is our people and their talents. Education, workforce development and job training for all our citizens are the keys to a strong economy. I will promote an agenda that puts our preschools, public schools, community colleges and universities back on track after the destructive budget cuts of the past two years.
We need a comprehensive approach to our state’s economic development. This means bringing together our leaders in business, industry, finance, education and government to focus on emerging trends. We must recruit specific industries – not just individual companies. We need to look at where our economy is going to be 30, 40, even 50 years from now and determine what resources we will need to jump start the jobs of the future.
Do you support the proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage in North Carolina as between one man and one woman?
I will vote against Amendment One. I believe it fundamentally alters the laws in our state, enshrines discrimination into the constitution and barricades opportunity for younger generations. At a time when we should be focused on helping those North Carolinians who are hurting, we instead have retroactive legislation that prevents our state from moving forward.
Do you support raising the sales tax in North Carolina to restore cuts in education funding?
Our state constitution guarantees every child in North Carolina a sound education offered through our public schools, and I feel the cuts to our educational system have threatened this promise. The Republican General Assembly passed a budget that cut teachers, teacher assistants, administrators and programs. These attacks on education did not stop in preschools and K-12. Workforce training is being starved of resources. Our state’s reputation as an economic innovator is compromised by huge cuts to our public universities. I will be a champion for early education, our public schools, our community colleges and our university system to give our people and our state a better shot at economic prosperity over future decades.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
