First-Term Incumbent Rabon Faces Newcomer Hefner in New Senate District 8 | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: This fine article is by Contributor Karen McMahan of the Carolina Journal.

Candidates say jobs, education key issues in race

    RALEIGH     Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, a Southport veterinarian completing his first term, is defending his seat against civil engineer and U.S. Marine veteran Danny Hefner, D-Brunswick, in a new Senate District 8 created by the Republican-led state legislature's redistricting that swapped Columbus and Bladen counties.

    In 2010, Rabon won by 63.5 percent in an open-seat contest created by the retirement of Sen. R.C. Soles Jr., a Columbus County Democrat who served the district for a record 34 years.

    According to the Raleigh-based North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation, Senate District 8 is among the state's 10 most competitive Senate districts because of demographics and the continued rise in the number of unaffiliated voters. Even though Republicans controlled the redistricting process, NCFEF places the new district, comprising Brunswick, Bladen, Pender, and part of New Hanover Counties, in the "swing" category.

    With the resignation, retirement, or defeat of many incumbents in the General Assembly -- 11 of the 50 state senate seats and 37 of the 120 state House seats are open -- the political stakes are high.

    In separate phone interviews with Carolina Journal, both Rabon and Hefner cited jobs as the number one concern for voters in their district.

    Hefner is a political newcomer who describes himself as a conservative Democrat. He said Rabon has failed to deliver on his promise to create jobs and was unable to ensure that new manufacturing facilities by Caterpillar and Continental Tire located in the district. On his website, Hefner said Rabon failed to introduce legislation creating jobs while backing government incentives for the film industry. "The film industry is important, and yes, we need those jobs too, but, they aren't filming movies here [every day]," he wrote on the site. "We need everyday businesses here; not just part time, or seasonal."

    Rabon said he helped create more jobs than any other lawmaker in the state over the past two years by increasing the percentage of work done on state Department of Transportation contracts by private companies from 35 percent to 60 percent.

    "No member of the legislature fought harder than I did to bring Caterpillar and Continental Tire to our district. I'm not against incentives, and I met with the governor, Republican leaders of both the state Senate and House, and representatives of both companies," Rabon told CJ.

    Over the past decade, state agencies have issued more than 15,000 regulations. The legislature passed several bills in 2011 to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, Rabon said, including Senate Bill 22, Tort Reform, and Senate Bill 718, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2011.

    On other subjects, both Hefner and Rabon believe education is important for economic growth.

    Hefner blamed Republicans for cutting millions of dollars from education, saying, if elected, he'd like to see more funding for education at all levels, from Pre-K to the University of North Carolina system.

    The UNC system gets too much funding to the detriment of community colleges, the "shining star of education," Rabon said.

    You don't vote against a budget just because you disagree with a few items, Rabon said, stressing he sought more funding for community colleges in the 2012-13 general fund education budget.

    Many high-paying jobs don't require a four-year college degree or an advanced degree, and community colleges provide the work force education needed for those opportunities, Rabon said.

    In the Civitas Action's 2011 Conservative Effectiveness Rankings, Rabon earned an "A," scoring 97.7 out of 100 points, with 100 being the most conservative score.

    According to campaign finance records, Rabon has a significant fundraising advantage, with $56,054 total receipts in the second quarter and $100,947 in cash on hand compared to Hefner's total receipts of $570 and just $435 in cash on hand.

    Karen McMahan is a contributor to Carolina Journal.