Voterspeak Question 4: Economy and local races
The News & Record's Voterspeak panel how the national economic crisis could impact local races.
The question: Given the turmoil in the national economy, what do you want to hear from candidates for state legislature and local offices such as county commissioner? Are there things people in these down-ballot races can do to help bolster your confidence in your own financial situation?
And Voterspeak says:
Jeff Bartolet, 38, Republican:
The turmoil is the result of greed and poor financial planning. The consumer signed a loan he knew he couldn’t afford, the seller encouraged him to sign a contract he knew the buyer wouldn’t be able to pay, and the government taxed the consumer and seller so special-interest groups can pay for their pet projects. The average American spends $1.10 for every dollar earned. I don’t need a politician to bolster my confidence in the economy, I need to live on less and be thankful for what I do have.
I’d like to have a leader show us how she/he is going to stop the ever-increasing flow of earned income out of the taxpayer’s paycheck. Show me how you will balance the budget this year cutting back on unnecessary projects while lowering taxes until the nation recovers. Then show me how you will keep that smaller budget balanced for the next decade without raising taxes because you planned ahead. In the meantime, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the words frugal and modest.
Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican:I would expect the state legislature to offer incentives to business to bring jobs/revenue to our state. Also again work on lowering the gas tax to offset the increase at the pumps.
Local commissioners as well as non-profit groups could organize seminars to educate people on handling this crisis that our Democratic Congress has gotten us into.
Kendall Garvin, 29, unaffiliated:I would like to know what the local officials are planning to do to bring more high-tech jobs to the Greensboro area. The colleges are producing students to go into the jobs, but the students must leave and go to other areas because of the lack of high tech jobs.
Trevor Hamm, 25, Democrat:As for as state and local officials, I want people who will be strongly opposed to things like predatory lending and sub-prime mortgages that have led to the nation’s economic turmoil. The magnitude of our economic problems is so great that it requires solutions on a national scale. We arrived at this point partially because of a lack of regulation on a state level. So, state and local officials have an important part to play in our national economic recovery.
Mike Kelly, 60, Republican:“I will not seek re-election.” By proclaiming right off the reel there would be no second term, elected officials could use all of the powers of their offices without fear of retribution. No cronyism, no paybacks. Just be about the people’s business ... then go away.
I should also like to hear that there will be a moratorium on bond referenda and tax increases in my lifetime. All government agencies, including heretofore sacred cows like the schools, will just have to scrape by on the hundreds of millions allotted to them. Taxpaying citizens are being sucked dry by the parasitic nature of government. This city, this county, this state needs fiscal responsibility from government.
Marlene Costa Nielsen, 67, Democrat:The financial crisis that we’re experiencing will affect every one of us on the state and local level. There will be decreased revenue from income and capital-gains taxes because of reduction of personal incomes and value of investments. Cities and counties will collect less sales and property taxes as houses sell for lower prices and people are forced to curtail spending. Those running for state and local offices need to spend our tax money prudently and must find ways to cut government costs to match reduced revenue.
Kate Peeples, 27, unaffiliated:As for the county commissioners or City Council, I don’t follow their goings-on as closely as I should. Agreeing on a budget does seem to be an issue for the current county commissioners, though. I’ll definitely be thinking about it before I vote.
Kay Hagan probably has the best understanding of the current situation (though I certainly don’t know for sure that she does). Elizabeth Dole certainly has experience, but the problems we’re dealing with now came about more recently than she has been effective at all.
Deonna Kelli Sayed, 34, Democrat:Being new to the area, I asked neighbors and family. Most had this to say: We don’t really know who these people are or what they are doing. Some said they think local officials are unprofessional (a water-throwing incident was mentioned) and too engrossed in the Old South, old-school type of politics.
While this all sounds like fodder for a reality show, I came to a few of my own conclusions. Having retired parents on fixed incomes, I worry about their continued financial independence. How will state and local officials help keep companies solvent, in keeping their pension programs in the black, so that those dependent on them will not be without financial security? Officials should work for improvements in the Social Security system and medicare at the local and state level.
At the city level, I’d like to see officials be more forthcoming to residents. First, increase your visibility in the general public.
Engage MySpace, Facebook (if not already), blogs, meaningful public appearances. Help get the wider public interested in local issues.
That would build more trust in local politics. My informal survey revealed people think the county and city are corrupt.
Finally, many residential areas are facing unwanted commercial development. Neighborhood associations need commissioners who value privacy and neighborhood preservation. A good local leader understands neighborhood integrity sometimes takes precedence over profit.
Mike Sigmon, 61, Republican:At the state level a smaller balanced budget and lower taxes would boost my confidence, in the short run, that my government was aware of the current economic situation. For the long term, a firm resolve to not have excessive business incentives and a transparent budget-making process would boost my confidence. However, this is not something I expect from a legislature controlled for 100-plus years by one party.
At the local level we need less “gotcha” and more focus on the needs of all citizens, not just those in one district. (This is one of the problems with ward-type politics). When a citizen turns on the faucet it does not matter if the water is Republican water or Democratic water; the point is to have good water. When you call the fire department it should not matter if the truck was purchased when the Democrats or Republicans had a majority on the board. You want a truck that is fast and works well. Having our county commissioners adopt a “taxpayers-first” attitude would boost my confidence.
Ruth Mary Weston, 54, Democrat:Two things are required for competent government at all levels — attention from citizens and transparency in government activities. I want:
Realistic long-term planning.
Conservative stewardship of resources.
Creative, innovative thinking.
Solicitation of citizen input.
Admission and fixing of mistakes.
Just this week an editorial shed light on a stupid N.C. legislature ethics provision. Thanks a lot for shaming me, Democrats!
Tell your representatives what you think. Go to ncleg.net, enter your nine-digit ZIP code at the bottom right, click on a representative’s name, then click on their e-mail address and write your message.
