Archive for North Carolina
NC Race for Governor: Who’s In? Who’s Out?
Posted by: | CommentsGovernor Beverly Perdue will not be seeking a second term. So, among Democrats so far, who’s in and who’s out? As best I can figure (in no particular order)…
IN
Lt. Governor Walter Dalton
State Rep.Bill Faison
OUT
Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-11)
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx
Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines
NC Attorney General Roy Cooper
NO WORD YET
Erskine Bowles (recently of the Bowlers-Simpson Commission)
Congressman Brad Miller (NC-13)
Former NC state treasurer Richard Moore
What did I miss?
Bev Perdue Won’t Seek Re-election
Posted by: | CommentsNorth Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue (D) is set to announce today that she will not seek reelection in 2012, according to two sources familiar with her plans.
Sources say she has labored over her decision about whether to seek a second term. One source said she plans to announce she will step aside in a statement this afternoon.
Names that are likely to be bandied about as possible Democratic replacements include Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, Attorney General Roy Cooper, former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx.
Opine.
2012 Buncombe County Campaign Volunteer/Job Fair
Posted by: | CommentsFrom Parker Sloan with the Buncombe County Young Democrats:
If you would like to work or volunteer for a Democratic campaign in 2012 come out to the Bar of Soap on Merrimon Ave. near UNC Asheville on Monday, Jan. 30 at 7pm. This event will focus on State and local races in 2012. We know you’re going to be engaged in the Congressional and Presidential races, but we want to make sure these local candidates get the people they need. We’ve seen how important new leadership is in Raleigh, and the new formation of our County Commission means we’ve got more races to run and win right here in Buncombe County. Click here for the location and more information (FB link).
There will be District maps, lists of races (with declared candidates), and lots of room to discuss how to help folks find the work they want in the various campaigns this season. All of our local candidates are invited to attend as well and will hopefully be there to talk with you.
Thank You to City Councilman Gordon Smith and Party Chairman Emmet Carney for putting this event together.
We’ve got a lot of work to do to ensure that our County Commission and local legislative delegation have quality folks serving the people of Buncombe County. There are too many who would have Raleigh ride roughshod over our best interests or who would turn the clock backwards on County Government. We’re going to have to take a stand and win some elections this May and this November.
Come out, meet the candidates, and get on board.
Rabbit Punch
Posted by: | CommentsWow! That’s terrific bunny …
Welcome news for North Carolina:
Freightliner announces second shift, 1,100 new jobs
STATESVILLE, N.C. — During a press conference with Gov. Bev Perdue today, Freightliner announced the addition of a second shift at its Cleveland plant, a move that will create 1,100 new jobs.
The plant, which is located in Rowan County just over the Iredell County line, will start interviewing for the new jobs next week. Freightliner is a truck builder.
At its lowest point, the Freightliner plant went from 3,500 workers down to about 650.
NC tax collections $150 million ahead of schedule
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s tax collections are 1.6 percent ahead of projections through the first half of the fiscal year, but executive and legislative branches differ on whether this means an improved second-half revenue outlook.Gov. Beverly Perdue announced Tuesday the state’s general fund took in $150 million above the roughly $9.4 billion expected through Dec. 31 to balance the budget. Collections increased $60 million during December alone thanks in part to corporate and franchise taxes.
Furniture manufacturer brings jobs back to N.C.
… Bruce Cochrane, who worked as a consultant in China and Vietnam after his family sold their furniture business in 1996, says rising Chinese wages and an increase in shipping costs have created an opportunity for him back home.Cochrane has invested $5 million and is hiring 130 workers to build middle- to higher-priced solid wood furniture in the same sprawling Lincolnton warehouse that his family once ran. He even moved into his dad’s old office.
Cochrane joined President Obama and other business leaders in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday as part of an “insourcing jobs forum.”
Skullduggery
Posted by: | CommentsYour Republican representatives in Raleigh, ostensibly in town to try to override Governor Perdue’s veto and overturn the Racial Justice Act, convened in the middle of the night to attack teachers. Just when I get my jaw back up against my face, the NCGOP does something that drops it again.
N&O:
“Just after 1 a.m. today, in a secreted session critics called unconstitutional, Republican legislative leaders passed a bill aimed at weakening the state’s largest teachers union.
Two Democrats — state Reps. William Brisson and Jim Crawford — broke party ranks to join Republicans in a 69 to 45 vote to override Perdue’s veto of the measure, Senate Bill 727. The 1:12 a.m. vote means teachers who belong to the N.C. Association of Educators can no longer have union dues deducted automatically from their paychecks.”
[...]
In a statement issued at 1:16 a.m., Perdue called the lawmakers actions unconstitutional. “The Republicans in the General Assembly didn’t have the votes to get what they wanted legally,” she said. “So, in the dark of night, they engaged in an unprecedented, unconstitutional power grab. I am saddened for the people of North Carolina that the Republicans abused their power and chose this destructive path.”At a press conference that ended just before 2 a.m., Democrats and the teachers group called it retribution for attacks against the GOP budget that cut education funding. Those who spoke called the session vindictive and insane.
[...]
As rumors brewed, Republicans refused to answer questions. Aides to Tillis held back and tried to block this reporter from asking questions at one point.
More Facts and a Question re: Water Situation
Posted by: | CommentsBarry Summers and Katie Hicks authored a piece that’s been published in this week’s Mtn. X. Excerpts:
In August, the American Legislative Exchange Council held its annual conference in New Orleans. The group, whose members are state legislators and industry reps, is a clearing-house for legislation promoting a conservative, free-market agenda. Powerful business interests write model bills which member legislators then introduce in their respective assemblies.
The New Orleans conference featured panel discussions on privatizing public infrastructure — including water utilities. Lobbyists for private water companies were invited to speak, but the public and the press were barred at the door. Every member of the soon-to-be-formed Metropolitan Sewerage/Water System Committee was there, including [Rep. Tim] Moffitt, the committee’s chair.
[...]
Moffitt has also become co-chair of the Legislature’s Select Committee on Public-Private Partnerships. PPP, as it’s sometimes called, is a relatively new term that covers a range of private involvement, including outright ownership and management of formerly publicly owned infrastructure: in other words, privatization. The committee’s first hearing, held Dec. 12 in Raleigh, included a briefing on the various ways N.C. municipalities could privatize their water systems.A majority of Moffitt’s water committee members — the very group that could determine the future of Asheville’s drinking water — are also on his PPP committee…
[...]
Given our local water system’s long, sometimes contentious history, it’s no surprise that some want to shift control away from the city of Asheville. But what if those who will determine the system’s future aren’t really interested in redressing past grievances or distributing resources more fairly but simply in taking this vital resource away from Asheville’s elected officials and making it vulnerable to future privatization?
Water Blogged
Posted by: | CommentsLocal activist, artist, and raconteur Barry Summers, has been keeping an eye on our legislators’ efforts in regard to Asheville’s water system. In order to share information, Summers started a new website that I hope you’ll check:
An informational site about the legislative attempt to remove control of Asheville’s water system from the City of Asheville.
Crucial Conversation Full House
Posted by: | CommentsRob Schofield and Chris Fitzsimon came to Asheville this past week to provide a briefing on how policies out of Raleigh are affecting us all. The duo write for NC Policy Watch, a project of the NC Justice Center, who held last week’s budget symposium at AB Tech. There were over 80 attendees at this Crucial Conversation.
The two explained that their organizations provide a counterpoint to the conservative perspectives coming from Civitas, the John Locke Foundation, and Americans for Prosperity.
Recent NC polling results from Public Policy Polling were displayed early in the meeting:
On the Backs of Children and the Poor
Posted by: | CommentsYou saw the poverty facts that came out last week. Behind the rising percentages are real people struggling to meet their basic needs. Without a stable platform from which to operate, there is no time and there are no resources to utilize for purposes of escaping the poverty trap.
In light of these facts and the lives of hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, the Republicans in Raleigh have decided to balance the budget on the backs of children and the poor. Rather than expanding revenues, they’ve targeted services for children and the impoverished.
The following statistics come from a report issued by the NC Justice Center and the United Way of North Carolina. I can’t find it online, but I’ll post the link when I can.
NC Policy Watch “Crucial Conversation” comes to Asheville December 12
Posted by: | CommentsFrom NC Policy Watch:
Recently, the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives went so far as to say that his goal was to pit disabled people against poor people as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy.
Sadly, this was more than an unguarded moment; it was in fact a neat summary of the strategy employed by conservative legislative leaders during the 2011 state legislative session.
So, how “successful” were they? And is there anything a person can do get a handle on this situation (and maybe even speak out about it)?
If these or other similar questions have occurred to you lately, don’t miss a chance to hear some answers from two of the state’s most prominent voices for sane, sound and progressive public policy. Join us at noon on Monday December 12 for a special Crucial Conversation with the staff of the state’s leading progressive policy think tank, N.C. Policy Watch.
Chris Fitzsimon is the Director of N.C. Policy Watch and North Carolina’s leading progressive media personality. Chris is a veteran journalist and nonprofit leader whose daily commentaries are heard on radio and read online throughout North Carolina. His colleague, Rob Schofield is the Director of Research at N.C. Policy Watch. Rob is lawyer, lobbyist and writer with more than 25 years experience fighting for progressive policies at the state level.
Admission includes a box lunch. Space is limited – pre-registration required.
Questions?? Contact Rob Schofield at 919-861-2065 or rob at ncpolicywatch.com.Location:
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville
http://www.uuasheville.org/
One Edwin Place
Asheville, NC 28801
Map and DirectionsStart Time: 12:00 p.m.
End Time: 01:30 p.m.
Price: $10.00
