News-Record.com

During Thursday's debate among Republican candidates for governor, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory said something curious.

"Mental health is one of those areas where I think the best way to do it is the trend that's been occurring in the last several years where we're transferring some of that responsibility and decision making down to the local level where it's closest to the customer and I think there has been some good trends in that area during the past two or three years including in Mecklenburg County," McCrory said.

That "trend" is what's known more broadly as mental health reform.

I don't know if McCrory is the only politician in the state who thinks that mental health reform is working, but he was the only politician at the debate who does. (For background you can read my stuff or just Google.)

The responses came quickly from McCrory's opponents. First at bat was former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr.

"Mental health reform may have worked in Charlotte but I can assure you it has not worked around North Carolina. Mental health reform has been an absolute disaster in this state," Orr said.

Then state Sen. Fred Smith: "The mental health system in state is in crisis."

Salisbury lawyer Bill Graham: "I'm glad the state has finally come to the conclusion they need to fix the problem they created in the first place...Mental health is a disaster and broken."

Now, Orr, Smith and Graham aren't exactly a namby-pamby crew. So if they're saying a social service safety net is broken, it's probably pretty stressed.

Click here to listen to the whole exchange. McCrory is up first.