District 9 Senate candidates weigh issues

The race for the District 9 North Carolina Senate seat features Senator Michael Lee, an attorney who was appointed to the seat in August when former Senator Thom Goolsby resigned and challenger Elizabeth Redenbaugh, also an attorney.

 

What is one thing people do not know about you?

Lee: I was a cheerleader at UNCW and UNC-CH.

 

Redenbaugh: One thing a lot of people are not aware of is that I am a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award. I received that in 2011 for the stance I took against the re-segregation of our schools here in New Hanover County. I took that stand because it was the right thing to do and I did not expect any kind of pat on the back for it.

 

You were only able to serve a short term as a state Senator, why should voters in your district re-elect you to serve a full term?

Lee: I only had the opportunity to serve one day in the end of the short session. We need to take North Carolina in a new direction. I would like to have the opportunity to work on real education reform and utilize my experience as a small business owner, former Chair of the North Carolina Port Authority and NCDOT Board member to work for the citizens of District 9.

 

Why did you decide to run for this seat?

Redenbaugh: I am a former member of the New Hanover County School Board and I am very passionate about public education and when I realized this general assembly was dismantling our public schools I knew it was time to jump in. The general assembly has cut half a billion dollars from our public schools and they have gutted funding for textbooks, school supplies, increased class sizes and eliminated thousands of positions from our public schools. Our public schools are the building blocks for our state and we cannot turn our back on our public schools. Public schools are so important that it is actually written into our state constitution.

 

If elected, name the top three items on your list of things to accomplish during the next NCGA session.

Lee: Work with our local film community, small businesses and the legislature to re-establish a film incentive that works to attract and retain film based productions.

Embark on education reform which includes, but is not limited to, the following: creating education to career pathways, establishing a local P-16 committee (or something similar) to review ways to reform our local education system to provide better outcomes for students, working on a structured professional development program for teachers to foster innovation, mentoring and collaboration, and explore ways to allow parents and students more choice in the type of school they attend and the curriculum they follow.

Create a local economic development group to establish a long-term vision for economic development in our region. We need to develop a strategic plan for job retention/growth that seeks diversity in targeted job growth areas, utilizes projected growth analytics, compares targeted wage rates with the industry clusters we are targeting, promotes development of education to career pathways (focusing on STEM) with our local schools and community colleges, encourages innovation and entrepreneurship with our colleges/universities (like C.I.E. at UNCW), and leverages our infrastructure plan. The plan should have metrics that benchmark net job growth, success in retention/attraction, and monitor outcomes of programs targeted at industry clusters. Incentives, regulatory reform to protect our environment but eliminate outdated and redundant regulations, and improving our tax climate to make NC more business-friendly are also important.

 

Redenbaugh: No. 1, public education, I want to raise teacher pay to the national average and keep it there. I also want to protect our natural environment, fight for clean air, water and land. Last, but far from least, is to preserve or help preserve our film incentives.

 

In your eyes, how has Duke Energy handled the disposal of coal ash up to this point and what is your vision for the future of that process?

Lee: In the past, Duke Energy was following the law and the standards in the industry. However, our laws in North Carolina were not strict enough to protect our environment.   Our legislature addressed that fact in the last short session with the Coal Ash Management Act. This recent coal ash legislation is not perfect and needs more work to protect our citizens and environment. I will work in the NC Senate to make sure we continue to improve these laws to make sure our environment and waters are protected. As to the type of lining provided in landfills, we must take whatever approach is necessary to protect our groundwater, surface water and environment.

 

Redenbaugh: My vision of the future of that process is to clean up the existing spill in the Dan River as soon as possible and also clean up as soon as possible all the existing coal ash pits. I am very disappointed our general assembly didn’t move any faster than they did and they are not calling for that cleanup at a faster rate. I also belive strongly the cost of the cleanup should be borne by the shareholders rather than the ratepayers. I think that is an incredibly important point and also one that distinguishes myself from my opponent, Senator Lee, based on his remarks at a recent debate. He believes that cost should be borne by the ratepayers. It is a subject that demands the full attention of the general assembly and something we should address across the board. It is one that is very personal to me because when I was on the school board my husband had a very significant health issue his doctors at Duke linked to an environmental trigger. So we recognized that if you don’t have you health you don’t have anything.

 

Why do you think the NC film incentive program was not extended? If you are in favor of such an incentive package, what do you think it would take to bring it back to that level?

Lee: Rep. Davis introduced an amendment to a bill in the NC House that would have extended the film incentive, with some minor modifications, through the end of next year. I supported this effort by Rep. Davis to extend the film incentive. I continue to favor such an incentive program and will work hard to re-establish an incentive program that works to retain existing productions and gives our film industry the tools to attract future productions. We will need to work with the Wilmington Regional Film Commission and others to determine the best incentive program and determine at what level the incentive should be funded. I think we can look at historical trends in establishing such a budget number. It is important to have a budget number for the incentive so that North Carolina can maintain a balanced budget and to help create stability. Whether the incentive is set at $50,000,000, $60,000,000 or $70,000,000, a number needs to be determined. Some people call this a cap but my intention is to have a budget number so we can make sure the budget balances and to provide predictability to the industry.

 

Redenbaugh: I am not a member of the majority party but I understand that members of the majority party in Raleigh believe that incentives are corporate welfare and that is why they oppose them. I believe our film incentives are incredibly important, I have always stood with our film industry and film community, and I always will. The film industry brought over 4,000 jobs to North Carolina and has positively affected over 500 small businesses. It is something that is incredibly important to our entire community and the folks in film industry here have very deep roots, they are part of our community and they improve the quality of life here. Our legislative delegation here in New Hanover County needs to be a strong advocate … and we need to communicate effectively with our colleagues in the general assembly how important it is to our area and our state.

 

There is an emerging push to brand southeastern North Carolina and better market it to potential industries as outlined in the Garner Report. What kind of industry do you believe belongs in southeastern North Carolina?

Lee: I will work very hard with our community, business and elected leaders to establish a comprehensive economic development strategic plan as I have already outlined in this interview. The Garner Report provides us with valuable information and historical trends. We need to utilize this information as well as pulling together other information in establishing our strategy for job retention and growth for New Hanover County and our region.

 

Redenbaugh: I have read the Garner Report and certainly the aircraft industry is definitely one. We have seen the expansion of pharmaceutical companies here but I think the one thing we have to note is this general assembly has taken so many tools out of the tool belt of our local officials to be able to attract businesses. Our state’s infrastructure overall has a C in the infrastructure report card and here in Wilmington 48 percent of our roads are in poor or mediocre condition. If we don’t have the proper infrastructure here we are not going to be able to attract businesses. There has been a new funding formula adopted in Raliegh and under the formula for transportation projects we only qualify for 2.1 percent of those transportation funds. Almost 50 percent will go to projects in Raleigh and almost 25 percent will go to projects in Charlotte. We need legislators that will fight for Wilmington and put us first.

 

What is your opinion of the importance of tourism to the county’s economy?

Lee: Tourism is an important component of our economy in southeastern North Carolina. It supports over 5,000 jobs and boasts an estimated economic impact of over $500 million dollars. We need to make sure that tourism is included in any strategic economic development plan to insure that we continue to improve upon this already robust area of our economy.

 

Redenbaugh: Tourism is incredibly important, in 2012 it brought in over $460 million to our local economy and I am very concerned about the impact of fracking and offshore drilling. Senator Lee, my opponent, is in favor of both of those and I think he is ignoring the potential negative impacts on the tourism industry. The infrastructure needed to support offshore drilling will eat up our coastal wetlands. We cannot afford to lose any of our beaches. In addition to our tourism industry, our fishing industry is incredibly important to North Carolina and New Hanover County. Statewide the fishing industry adds $2 billion to our economy every year and when you put our fisheries at risk you are also putting our economy at risk.

 

What is your opinion of the possibilities for natural gas production in North Carolina?

Lee: From the studies I have seen, natural gas production seems more viable than any other type of fossil fuel production in North Carolina. As it applies to District 9, natural gas production appears to be the only type of fossil fuel that could possibly be located in this area. I support off shore drilling of natural gas provided any equipment and drill rigs cannot be seen from our North Carolina beaches. From the research, the potential natural gas deposits can be effectively accessed from locations that would be beyond the horizon and therefore, not be seen from our beaches. We need to make sure the protections are in place to safeguard one of our most precious resources in North Carolina – our environment. In addition to protecting our environment in North Carolina, we must protect one of our most precious natural resources in New Hanover County – our beaches. Finally, I would require that revenue to the State of North Carolina resulting from such off shore drilling should be directed to beach re-nourishment, inlet dredging/maintenance and education.

 

Are you in favor of how the Room Occupancy Tax fund is currently divided, or would you be in favor of an increase in the tax overall or the increase in a particular percentage of the distribution model?

Lee: Decisions on distribution of the ROT must be determined by the local officials who make up the Tourism Development Authority (“TDA”). I will work with the TDA and our local delegation to make sure any changes in the distribution model proposed by the TDA could be implemented.

 

Redenbaugh: That is an issue I would want to study and work with our county representatives on, and work with my colleagues to craft a solution that works for everyone.

 

What is the most dire issue facing public education in North Carolina at this time and what are your plans to address it?

Lee: The most dire issue is that of real education reform in North Carolina. Certainly, we need to adequately fund education and pay our teachers what they deserve. However, that just scratches the surface on what needs to be accomplished in the area of education. As I mentioned previously, we need to embark on education reform which includes, but is not limited to, the following: (i) creating education to career pathways, (ii) establishing a local P-16 committee (or something similar) to review ways to reform our local education system to provide better outcomes for students, (iii) working on a structured professional development program for teachers to foster innovation, mentoring and collaboration, and (iv) explore ways to allow parents and students more choice in the type of school they attend and the curriculum they follow. There is a great deal more that needs to be addressed in the area of education reform that cannot be covered in this format.

 

Redenbaugh: Funding is the most dire issue without a doubt and this general assembly has been working to dismantle our public schools and you cant fix public education by dismantling it. With the lack of funding and teacher pay being at the bottom nationally, we are seeing so many educators leave our public schools because they cannot make ends meet. The biggest losers there are our children. This is an issue about the future of our state and where we see our state going, there really is no other public institution that has a greater impact on our future than public education so we have to invest in it and make it a priority. It is a matter of priorities, this general assembly has given tax cuts to some of the wealthiest North Carolinians and largest corporations. With the tax reform package passed by this general assembly we are one of five states in the entire nation operating at a deficit and that deficit is not because of a downturn in our economy, it is not because of the recession, it is because of this tax reform package and it is fiscally irresponsible.

 

Where do you see southeastern North Carolina in 10 years in terms of its socioeconomic makeup, infrastructure and image?

Lee: I see a region that has experienced education reform that makes southeastern North Carolina one of the most innovative and successful areas in the state. I see a region that developed an infrastructure plan in 2015 that addressed growth, funding and included all modes of transportation (e.g., rail, roads, port, etc.). This planning will enable southeastern North Carolina to effectively deal with the issues of connectivity, congestion, and safety. This infrastructure plan will focus on using our infrastructure to leverage job growth and economic development so I see an area that is thriving from a jobs perspective. Finally, I see a region that is experiencing strong and diverse growth while managing it effectively through forward looking visionary reforms and planning.

 

Redenbaugh: Our population is growing, in New Hanover County we are one of the fastest counties growing in the state. If we don’t make infrastructure investments a priority I don’t think we are going to have the infrastructure to support that growth. Based on the projections I have seen we will have an increasingly diverse population.