Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/647523
MARCH 2-8, 2016 UCW 19 ELECTION GUIDE 2016 Up & Coming Weekly invited local candidates to share their platform with our readers. The following candidates responded. ELECTION 2016: N.C. Senate Dan Travieso District 21, Republican North Carolina has an opportunity for great- ness. With a population of around 10 million, we are the 9th largest state in the country. With more than 40 other states looking up at us, why can't we set an example? Why can't we take the lead in creating real economic growth? Why can't we take the lead in edu- cation reform? Why can't we take the lead in taking care of our senior citizens and our veterans? I want to serve the people of Hoke and Cumberland counties in the North Carolina State Senate to ensure our children have a fu- ture with more opportunities and better quality of life than we have now. Each one of us wants a better life for our children and I want to represent you in fighting for that future. I want to combat poverty by implement- ing a real solution that has long-term effects: creating jobs. I want to limit government spending to programs and policies that provide real solutions to our problems, not temporary Band-Aids that make for good sound bites. My promise to you is: 1) I will fight for low taxes. The proven and responsible method for increasing state revenue is low taxes. Low taxes result in an increase in disposable income in the hands of our citizens, which can be spent on the great businesses around our state, thus growing business and creating jobs. 2) I will work tirelessly to reduce poverty in our neighborhoods. I will make our state and community business friendly by ensuring they have the flexibility they need in order to succeed instead of drowning in needless regulations. Job growth will provide a real opportunity for those in poverty who desperately want to end their dependence on the government and earn a real income. 3) I am a firm believer that education is the key to improving quality of life. I will work to ensure faculties are given the flexibility and resources needed to teach the skills that are required to either qualify for a job or succeed in college. Teachers should be incentivized to develop innovative and creative methods to educate our children. Technology should be lever- aged to provide additional access to education for those unable to attend traditional classroom instruction. 4) My decisions will be based on what is best for our community and all of North Carolina, not just the big cities. Raleigh and Charlotte have their own representatives. My job is to fight for Cumberland and Hoke counties. 5) I will be accessible and visible. You will see me in community meet- ings, public events, churches and public venues. Your representative cannot effectively do their job if they are not out in public. I will be eager to listen to your concerns and provide you with honest answers to your questions. This is how I will ensure that I am providing you with the best representation in the State Senate I care deeply about the place we call home and want to give back to a community that has given my family and I so much. It would be my honor to serve the good people of Cumberland and Hoke counties. I would appreciate your vote for State Senate and will represent District 21 with honor and dignity. It has been my privilege to serve as the senator for District 21 for the past two terms. During that time, I have worked to bring jobs, money for schools and benefits for veterans to our region. I fought for and won a greater share of existing sales tax revenues for Cumberland County each year. Before, sales taxes we spent in Raleigh or Charlotte stayed there; now, a larger portion of our money is returned to our community for schools and economic development. I brought attention to the opioid addiction problem that was plaguing our soldiers and veterans. After serving our country on tours in war torn areas, many troops were becoming severely addicted to the pain medication pre- scribed to them. Last year, I secured funding and long-term assistance to combat the prescription abuse problem in our community. I have worked diligently to bring jobs to our workers. In my three years in the North Carolina Senate, I've delivered more than 1,000 high-demand, good wage jobs to this region. More veterans and their family members are finding real jobs right in their own community. To make the transition from active duty to the civilian sector easier, I have worked to ensure that those separating from active duty can enter our colleges at the in-state tuition rate and receive civilian credit for the active-duty credentials they have earned. Going forward, my three major policy goals are: Education: There was a time in our state when we were known for leading at all levels of public education, from pre-K to K-12 to com- munity college to university. We need to restore quality education as a value reflected both in our state's public policies and its budget. Healthcare: The Republican leadership in Raleigh failed to expand Medicaid in this state, leaving thousands in Fayetteville without access to preventive and pre-catastrophic healthcare. Expansion of Medicaid is not merely good health policy; expansion would create thousands of jobs in the state – including many in Fayetteville – and save rural hospitals from closing their doors. Job Growth: Unemployment is down in the state and region. How- ever, we still have more to do to deliver, high-demand, good wage jobs to the region. Job growth also requires good economic policy; incentivizing large and mid-size employers to choose Fayetteville to build businesses means more jobs with livable wages for our citizens. I've been fighting for this during my two terms in the senate and will continue to fight. Finally, the voters of District 21 should vote for me because I am one of them. I was born at Fort Bragg, educated in the Cumberland Co. school system and graduated from Seventy First High School in 1977. After 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, I returned here where I've been since. When I'm in Raleigh, I'm fighting for people I know and people who know me. That sets me apart from any other candidate. Ben Clark District 21, Democrat