Gubernatorial candidates forum

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What could the state and counties do jointly to plan for, and manage, the state’s changing demographics – including an influx of newcomers, an aging population and a growing bilingual population?

Bill Graham
As I stated, I will work to integrate county government into the state planning and approval process. As North Carolina experiences rapid growth, we must deal with the increased demand on our limited resources. Our state must begin planning not only for the next four to eight years; we must plan for the next 30 to 50 years. As governor, I will work to create a long-range plan for North Carolina that will outline steps and plans for North Carolina over the next 30 years addressing topics such as education, transportation, healthcare, immigration, economy, natural resources and the environment. Together, with county, state and municipal leaders and leading experts, we will outline a strategic growth plan to ensure that North Carolina and its counties are ready for current and future growth. We must be prepared.

In the short term, I will introduce legislation that would remove the burden of school construction from the counties. I will give more local control over transportation spending by sharing tax revenue that is dedicated for roads with the counties. As your governor, I will work with the Legislature to revise the lottery funding formula to allow the state to assist the counties in school construction by issuing school bonds that can be paid through lottery proceeds.

As we face a crisis with a burgeoning illegal immigrant population, I will pressure the federal government to provide the funds needed to remove the strain from services provided by the state and counties as well as begin to enforce our immigration laws at the state level by giving more local authorities power under the 287g Program.

Pat McCrory
A city, a county, a state, a nation can often be judged by the quality of its care to its less fortunate citizens. If that is the case, the record of North Carolina in regards to its mental health responsibilities and long-term care for our senior citizens is pretty dismal. The sort of “see no evil, hear no evil” policy the state has had toward these two groups is inadequate and we can clearly change the administration’s policy by determining who has been responsible for those attitudes, removing them from positions of authority, and replacing them with folks who will advocate for the necessary changes and then implement. We know Medicare is a huge budget item ($2.4 billion estimate). It is no surprise to us it is there. We fund the need, efficiently administer the distribution, and make sure our people are taken care of.

The state’s policy for handling growth should be to make sure that we have the infrastructure in place to help our local communities cope with their growth, i.e., good roads and transportation infrastructure; adequate water supplies and the ability to deliver that water to where it is needed; clean air; good progressive schools and well-paid, well-motivated teachers; and fair taxes. If we are able to attain these common-sense goals, we will continue to make our state attractive for business, economic vitality.

Richard Moore
As our population expands, our need for additional schools will continue to grow. My school construction plan will establish a nonprofit partnership to work with county governments and school systems to save North Carolina’s taxpayers up to 20 percent on each new school built – money that can be used to invest in other worthy areas or hold down property taxes. And it will also cut construction time by up to 25 percent, putting students in high quality classrooms faster.

My transportation plan calls for DOT to establish metrics that measure the need for and effectiveness of new road projects, the elimination of legislative transportation slush funds that have little oversight and a ban on political fundraising by DOT board members. These steps will cut politics out of the process and increase transparency.

According to the N.C. Rural Center’s Water 2030 report, public water systems lose more than 35 billion gallons or 11 percent of treated water each year due to leaks, unmetered connections, and other factors. This is enough water to supply the entire Charlotte region for a full year. Yet less than a third of all systems have a regular leak detection program and only a quarter have conducted a leak detection study. Thirty-seven public water systems report they cannot account for over 30 percent of their expended water. My administration will partner with our public water systems most in need to conduct a water loss audit and make the most cost-effective improvements to cut their water loss.

Dennis Nielsen
The state’s growing population encompasses high-income, highly technical growth people; this population earns a lot of money and spends it here in our state. The growth of these people is a positive in that it brings in more revenue than the state spends to support them – i.e. the revenues increase faster than the spending. If that were not the case we would not want growth.

Our state also has a growing retired population and these wonderful people will stay in our state if we don’t price/tax them out. Seniors add value to our communities; they don’t commit crimes or sell drugs and are the pillars of our community. We must do more for our seniors; one of my proposals is to eliminate property taxes for low income seniors.

As governor I will enforce all laws of the state fairly and equally, without personal regard, this is a part of the oath I will take. We must ensure that employers hire only those legal to work, and my administration will aggressively enforce these laws, doing this we reduce an illegal immigrant population and lessen the strain on public services.

My administration will look for ways to lower taxes by eliminating repetitious and unneeded programs, this will help to fund the needs of honest hard working citizens and those seniors who have paid their dues.

Most politicians want to increase taxes; they can think of nothing else. I strongly disagree with tax increases without first looking for spending cuts.

Bob Orr
North Carolina’s expected population growth presents a challenge, but one that we can overcome and transform into an opportunity to enhance our potential as a state. Growth will bring a wide array of people eager to live and work in our state. To prepare for the strains these demographic trends will place on state resources, I propose:

• Create within the Office of the Governor a Long-Range Plans and Analysis team to analyze specific implications growth will have for North Carolina and develop specific action plans for state departments and county governments to utilize.
• Increase healthcare provider resources to meet increased long-term demands. My proposals for rejuvenating our healthcare system can be seen on my Web site, www.orr2008.com.
• Allow local economies to grow and flourish through a three-part economic development plan including: lowering taxes and decreasing regulation; workforce development; and innovative state investment in small businesses. These policies are outlined on my Web site as well.

Bev Perdue
Our Web site, www.bevperdue.com, includes new ideas for meeting the challenges of the 21st century – including new state/local partnerships.

My Main Street Solutions program will boost state resources for economic revitalization in counties with small cities. Rural counties will benefit from the Rural H.O.P.E. initiative providing loan guarantees to leverage private dollars for equipment and capital improvements at county hospitals. And the Cool Cities Assistance Initiative will assist cities and towns attempting to cut emissions and enhance energy efficiency.

My plan to transform DOT will make it a reliable partner for counties and cities. Counties deserve clear-eyed planning and thinking, free of the political influences that steer dollars away from where they are needed most or stall much-needed congestion relief. I support pushing development and execution of projects out of Raleigh and down to the district level where they can be implemented quickly, for less, and in accord with local needs.

Road-building has traditionally been a state responsibility, but school building has not. I strongly support allowing local governments to enter public-private partnerships at the local level to build schools, because in the right circumstances they can save money and time. But I believe counties should retain control over such decisions. Any plan that creates a new state bureaucracy to finance, build and own local schools is a bad idea – period.

As governor, I will help counties address the healthcare needs of their citizens as I have done for years as chair of the Health & Wellness Trust Fund and as a former director of geriatric services at a community hospital. I would continue leading efforts to diversify our economy and capitalize on our reputation as a military friendly state with the best workforce in America.

Fred Smith
Obviously, planning for a population growth from the current 9 million to an anticipated 12+ million in North Carolina over the next 20 years must be a major priority of the next governor. We must move from a reactive mode to a proactive mode, anticipating needs and working to address those needs before they become problems. Planning to meet the needs of what is expected to be the sixth most populous state in the country requires a real partnership among all levels of government.

Our current infrastructure – schools, roads, water/sewer, law enforcement, jails, etc. – is lacking and cannot be ignored if we are going to meet our needs over the next 20 years. Once again, this process requires that we clearly delineate areas of responsibility. The state must make certain the counties have the authority and access to necessary resources to meet their assigned responsibilities. The counties must be able to depend on the state for meeting its responsibilities rather than shifting costs to the counties. The state’s failure to meet its obligations doesn’t make them go away. They often end up as an issue to be dealt with by the counties. In my administration, the state must hold up its end of the partnership.

To meet its obligations, the state must prioritize its spending and focus the necessary resources on enhancing our infrastructure to meet the needs of our expanding population. Failing to meet these responsibilities will negatively impact our safety, our quality of life, and our children’s future.