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Jones Wants To Rejoin The Legislature
Publisher's note: The author of this post is Karen McMahan, who is a contributor to the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.
RALEIGH — Earl Jones wants to win back the North Carolina House District 60 seat he lost four years ago, but will have to defeat Cecil Brockman, a campaign strategist who helped to oust him from the General Assembly, and David Small, a youthful small business owner.
Barring a write-in candidate in the Nov. 4 general election, the winner of this Democratic primary would win the seat outright since no Republicans filed to run. Two-term Democrat incumbent Marcus Brandon decided not to seek re-election because he is running for the 12th U.S. Congressional District nomination.
According to the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation, District 60 is considered a strong Democratic corridor bisecting Guilford County from the southwest corner nearly to its northeast corner. Sixty percent of voters are black, and 65.5 percent are registered as Democrats.
In the 2012 presidential election 71.9 percent of the district's votes went to Democrat President Barack Obama, and 66.2 percent went to Democrat gubernatorial candidate Walter Dalton.
Finance reports indicate Jones and Brockman showing no campaign cash on hand, while Small's Board of Election campaign paperwork reports $232 in donations.
Jones, publisher of the Greensboro Times, is an experienced legislator who served four terms in the General Assembly and was a Greensboro City councilman for 18 years. He lost the seat in 2010 to Brandon, and was defeated in a rematch with Brandon in 2012.
"I have proven executive leadership, not just legislative experience," Jones told Carolina Journal. He also believes his good working relationships with Republicans would be a benefit to district constituents.
Brockman, a High Point native, political strategist, and principal of Brockman Strategy Group, was the campaign manager for Brandon in the race that unseated Jones. He was also Brandon's legislative aide for two years. Brockman was running Brandon's congressional campaign prior to filing to run in District 60.
"One reason I decided to run was High Point Mayor Bernita Sims felt High Point needed a Democratic representative in the General Assembly," Brockman said.
As a first-time candidate, Brockman believes he brings fresh ideas.
"Jones couldn't do anything when Democrats were in the majority, so voters have little reason to expect he could with Democrats in the minority," Brockman said.
Small, the 28-year-old owner of a computer repair company in Greensboro, is the son of former Greensboro City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Smith, but doesn't consider himself a political insider.
Small is candid about his felony convictions in 2004 and 2006 in Guilford County for common law robbery.
"I believe all people make mistakes, and I'm not the same person I was as a 17-year-old doing things I shouldn't have," Small said.
Small believes his candidacy can inspire greater youth participation in the electoral process when they see a young person running who made a mistake but turned his life around and became a small business owner.
"I want to be a voice for my generation because decisions in state government will affect them for years to come," Small said.
All three candidates were asked about issues likely to come up in the General Assembly in 2015. Among them are redistricting legislative districts, whether to expand Medicaid, education reform and teacher pay, the state's renewable energy subsidies, and a Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
In separate phone interviews with the candidates, none appears to differ substantially on these issues. All three believe the Republican majority has taken the state in the wrong direction, especially regarding education and the economy.
With regard to redistricting, the candidates support efforts to take the politics out of drawing legislative districts so that citizens have the best representation possible.
Small didn't comment specifically on House Bill 606, which proposes to authorize the nonpartisan Legislative Services Office to redraw the state's political boundaries after each 10-year census, as he was not familiar with it.
Jones and Brockman support a nonpartisan independent commission, but Jones didn't say who he thinks should comprise such a commission. Brockman said perhaps members of the state Board of Elections should have that responsibility, but also states he's familiar with how Iowa has reformed redistricting, and likes how they've done it.
All three candidates believe North Carolina made a mistake in opting out of Medicaid expansion in 2012 as part of the national health care reform that brought about the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
"It was a horrific decision," Jones said of not expanding the state's Medicaid services to more people.
"People against expanding Medicaid are doing so for political reasons. They just want to one-up the president," Brockman said. He thinks it's foolish not to accept "free federal money." In Guilford County, expanding Medicaid would cover 32,000 more people, Brockman said.
Although Small attended a charter school for a while, he said lawmakers need to re-examine how such schools use public funding, and supports more regulation of charters, especially with requirements on transportation and meals.
All three candidates want teacher tenure reinstated, are against so-called "vouchers" under the Opportunity Scholarship grants, and want raises for all public school teachers.
Brockman's priority would be to raise pay not only for teachers but for all state employees.
Jones stressed the need for "bringing teacher pay to parity with the national average." He said "one of the biggest reasons North Carolina has had the strongest economy in the South for the past 30 or 40 years has been our investment in public education, which attracts employers to our state, and creates jobs."
The candidates support green energy subsidies and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards that established them as part of Senate Bill 3, even though implementing the standards substantially raises the cost of electricity to consumers.
Jones believes the tax credits are necessary investments, and that costs will decrease significantly in the future.
"It's just one of those things where we must make the investment to protect the environment," Brockman said. He believes human-caused global warming is a danger, and energy must become greener.
Small had no comment on TABOR as he's not familiar with the concept. TABOR would limit the amount of spending to a formula tied to population growth and the rate of inflation, though voters could decide to raise taxes above the cap if they passed a ballot referendum.
Jones thinks it would be a "moot point since the state already has to have a balanced budget." A constitutional amendment would constrain lawmakers' flexibility to make budget decisions, Jones said, could hamper investments in education, and hurt incentives to companies for job creation.
"TABOR is too arbitrary," Brockman said. Society needs to have a conversation on spending priorities and what government should be paying for.
"But let's be honest. I think some members of our society can pay more because they've been blessed by opportunities in America," Brockman said. "They need to pay their fair share and give back to society."
Go Back
Guilford County Democrat, ousted in 2010, faces two primary opponents
RALEIGH — Earl Jones wants to win back the North Carolina House District 60 seat he lost four years ago, but will have to defeat Cecil Brockman, a campaign strategist who helped to oust him from the General Assembly, and David Small, a youthful small business owner.
Barring a write-in candidate in the Nov. 4 general election, the winner of this Democratic primary would win the seat outright since no Republicans filed to run. Two-term Democrat incumbent Marcus Brandon decided not to seek re-election because he is running for the 12th U.S. Congressional District nomination.
According to the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation, District 60 is considered a strong Democratic corridor bisecting Guilford County from the southwest corner nearly to its northeast corner. Sixty percent of voters are black, and 65.5 percent are registered as Democrats.
In the 2012 presidential election 71.9 percent of the district's votes went to Democrat President Barack Obama, and 66.2 percent went to Democrat gubernatorial candidate Walter Dalton.
Finance reports indicate Jones and Brockman showing no campaign cash on hand, while Small's Board of Election campaign paperwork reports $232 in donations.
Jones, publisher of the Greensboro Times, is an experienced legislator who served four terms in the General Assembly and was a Greensboro City councilman for 18 years. He lost the seat in 2010 to Brandon, and was defeated in a rematch with Brandon in 2012.
"I have proven executive leadership, not just legislative experience," Jones told Carolina Journal. He also believes his good working relationships with Republicans would be a benefit to district constituents.
Brockman, a High Point native, political strategist, and principal of Brockman Strategy Group, was the campaign manager for Brandon in the race that unseated Jones. He was also Brandon's legislative aide for two years. Brockman was running Brandon's congressional campaign prior to filing to run in District 60.
"One reason I decided to run was High Point Mayor Bernita Sims felt High Point needed a Democratic representative in the General Assembly," Brockman said.
As a first-time candidate, Brockman believes he brings fresh ideas.
"Jones couldn't do anything when Democrats were in the majority, so voters have little reason to expect he could with Democrats in the minority," Brockman said.
Small, the 28-year-old owner of a computer repair company in Greensboro, is the son of former Greensboro City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Smith, but doesn't consider himself a political insider.
Small is candid about his felony convictions in 2004 and 2006 in Guilford County for common law robbery.
"I believe all people make mistakes, and I'm not the same person I was as a 17-year-old doing things I shouldn't have," Small said.
Small believes his candidacy can inspire greater youth participation in the electoral process when they see a young person running who made a mistake but turned his life around and became a small business owner.
"I want to be a voice for my generation because decisions in state government will affect them for years to come," Small said.
All three candidates were asked about issues likely to come up in the General Assembly in 2015. Among them are redistricting legislative districts, whether to expand Medicaid, education reform and teacher pay, the state's renewable energy subsidies, and a Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
In separate phone interviews with the candidates, none appears to differ substantially on these issues. All three believe the Republican majority has taken the state in the wrong direction, especially regarding education and the economy.
With regard to redistricting, the candidates support efforts to take the politics out of drawing legislative districts so that citizens have the best representation possible.
Small didn't comment specifically on House Bill 606, which proposes to authorize the nonpartisan Legislative Services Office to redraw the state's political boundaries after each 10-year census, as he was not familiar with it.
Jones and Brockman support a nonpartisan independent commission, but Jones didn't say who he thinks should comprise such a commission. Brockman said perhaps members of the state Board of Elections should have that responsibility, but also states he's familiar with how Iowa has reformed redistricting, and likes how they've done it.
All three candidates believe North Carolina made a mistake in opting out of Medicaid expansion in 2012 as part of the national health care reform that brought about the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
"It was a horrific decision," Jones said of not expanding the state's Medicaid services to more people.
"People against expanding Medicaid are doing so for political reasons. They just want to one-up the president," Brockman said. He thinks it's foolish not to accept "free federal money." In Guilford County, expanding Medicaid would cover 32,000 more people, Brockman said.
Although Small attended a charter school for a while, he said lawmakers need to re-examine how such schools use public funding, and supports more regulation of charters, especially with requirements on transportation and meals.
All three candidates want teacher tenure reinstated, are against so-called "vouchers" under the Opportunity Scholarship grants, and want raises for all public school teachers.
Brockman's priority would be to raise pay not only for teachers but for all state employees.
Jones stressed the need for "bringing teacher pay to parity with the national average." He said "one of the biggest reasons North Carolina has had the strongest economy in the South for the past 30 or 40 years has been our investment in public education, which attracts employers to our state, and creates jobs."
The candidates support green energy subsidies and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards that established them as part of Senate Bill 3, even though implementing the standards substantially raises the cost of electricity to consumers.
Jones believes the tax credits are necessary investments, and that costs will decrease significantly in the future.
"It's just one of those things where we must make the investment to protect the environment," Brockman said. He believes human-caused global warming is a danger, and energy must become greener.
Small had no comment on TABOR as he's not familiar with the concept. TABOR would limit the amount of spending to a formula tied to population growth and the rate of inflation, though voters could decide to raise taxes above the cap if they passed a ballot referendum.
Jones thinks it would be a "moot point since the state already has to have a balanced budget." A constitutional amendment would constrain lawmakers' flexibility to make budget decisions, Jones said, could hamper investments in education, and hurt incentives to companies for job creation.
"TABOR is too arbitrary," Brockman said. Society needs to have a conversation on spending priorities and what government should be paying for.
"But let's be honest. I think some members of our society can pay more because they've been blessed by opportunities in America," Brockman said. "They need to pay their fair share and give back to society."
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