Civility The Watchword in House District 3 Primary | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: The author of this fine report is Barry Smith, who is a contributor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

GOP contenders for Rep. Sanderson's seat have kept campaign positive

    RALEIGH     The days of cordial campaigns where worthy opponents debate the issues instead of sling mud haven't gone away completely. Take a look at the GOP primary for N.C. House District 3 as an example.

    The district, redrawn to include all of Pamlico County and portions of Craven and Beaufort counties, is an open district, thanks to a decision by incumbent Rep. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, to seek the 2nd Senate District seat now held by retiring state Sen. Jean Preston, R-Carteret.

    Three Republicans are vying for the Republican nomination. They are Wayne Langston of Chocowinity, Michael Speciale of New Bern, and Clayton Tripp of Vanceboro.

    "They're both good guys," Speciale said of his two GOP rivals. "I'd like to see them both stay involved. There's nothing nasty about this race."

    "I like Mike," Langston said of Speciale, noting that the two pledged not to get negative in the campaign. "There's enough negativity in politics," Langston said.

    Tripp noted that no shots had been fired among the GOP rivals. "I don't think there's a reason to go negative," Tripp said. "If you just put yourself out there, people will see that you're genuine and they'll vote for you."

    The district has swung back and forth between Republicans and Democrats in recent years. However, the redistricting map drawn by the General Assembly last year makes the district somewhat more favorable for Republicans.

    Langston said that it was a good time to run with his youngest child turning 17.

    "I felt like it was God's plan for me to run, whether I win or lose," Langston said.

    This is the first time that Langston, a rental property manager, has sought elective office.

    Langston said the state needs to reduce and work on providing for a better business climate so that companies will bring jobs to the state.

    "We're overregulated and overtaxed here in North Carolina," Langston said. He didn't name a specific regulation, but said that he thought the Department of Environment and Natural Resources needed to be scaled back.

    Langston said he also opposed the recent "ferry tax." He said, "It's just like a bridge, except it floats."
NC House, District 3, Candidate Wayne Langston at the Beaufort County Candidates Forum, 040212: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    Langston said he has come up with a way to pay for the $5 million lawmakers want to raise by charging ferry fees. He'd do that by increasing the "sticker fees" that auto inspection stations pay when motorists pay when they get their car inspected by $1 apiece.

    As for helping boost the state's economy, Langston suggests taking a look at how other states are being successful. "We don't have to reinvent the wheel," he said.

    "The difference between me and my opponents is I've been around for a while," said Speciale, who has sought the House District 3 seat three times before. "I'm in a fight for what I believe in. I think I will prevail in the primary here."

    Speciale, a retired Marine, said that the top issue in the campaign is liberty.
NC House, District 3, Candidate Michael Speciale at the Beaufort County Candidates Forum, 040212: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    "We all know what the answers [to the issues] are," Speciale said. "But they all have to be addressed with liberty in mind. If it infringes on the liberties of the citizens, I'm not going to be in favor of it."

    Speciale said the state needs to look at duplicative programs as a way to cut spending. He suggests the different worker training programs and two early childhood programs -- More at Four (now called N.C. Pre-K) and Smart Start -- as examples.

    He also suggested getting rid of some buildings the state owns as a way of tightening the budget. "The state owns 16,000 buildings," Speciale said. "There's absolutely no way the state needs 16,000 buildings."

    Tripp, a business owner who also works full time at Weyerhaeuser Corp. in Vanceboro, is making his first attempt to win public office.

    "It seems like we need a little bit of a change," Tripp said. "It seems like everybody's been butting heads and not really accomplishing anything."

    Tripp said his top issue is putting a cap on the state gasoline tax.
NC House, District 3, Candidate Clayton Tripp at the Beaufort County Candidates Forum, 040212: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    "We really do need to put a cap on it, especially in my area," Tripp said. "I live in a rural area, and a lot of people drive 30 to 40 minutes just to work or to get groceries."

    Tripp said he also wants to improve communication between voters and elected officials. In addition to traditional communication means, Tripp said he'd like to use social media and technology to converse with constituents.

    "I would like to focus more on the Facebook phenomenon," Tripp said. He said he'd like to post a bill up for consideration on Facebook and solicit voter opinions. He also mentioned utilizing Skype chats.

    "It's instant communications," he said.

    The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat Robert Cayton of Aurora in the November general election.