FRED SMITH GOVERNOR 2008 - "A Little Extra Effort" Statewide BBQ Tour
Monday, December 10, 2007...Transylvania County...I first learned of Brevard in 1995 when I represented North Carolina at the White House Conference on Small Business. Congressman Charles Taylor was a proponent for small business and hosted our delegation on a personal tour of the capitol prompted by the businessman from Brevard. So today I would see Mr. Taylor again. As Fred toured the county during the day meeting business people, the media, and engaging in a discussion on law enforcement issues with the Sheriff, we gave the RV billboard visibility in town. In the late afternoon, Mr. Taylor hosted a most appreciated fundraising event for Fred prior to the BBQ at Brevard Middle School. As happens, guests arrived with books in hand and then a large group of young people came in. I was thinking them College Republicans and learned they were foreign exchange students from Russia attending Brevard College's International School of Studies which Mr. Taylor helped found when he was in Congress. His leadership held many benefits for North Carolina and his service to North Carolina is highly valued. Congressman Taylor introduced Fred and endorsed him as the Republican candidate who can win this gubernatorial race. "He brings integrity, life experience and leadership to the post and his time is now," said Congressman Taylor before introducing state Representative Trudi Walend. She shared anecdotal legislative experiences about Fred and the crowd greeted him enthusiastically. Fred was energized by the day and his presentation was, as my friends from Great Britain say, "spot on!"
PICTURES FROM TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY
Congressman Charles Taylor and Representative Trudi Walend endorse Fred Smith for governor. To view additional pictures from the Transylvania County BBQ, click HERE.
IN THE NEWS
Gubernatorial Candidate Visits Transylvania
by Mark Todd, Transylvania Times, December 13, 2007
Fred Smith, one of three Republican candidates for governor, made a campaign visit to Transylvania County this week, meeting supporters and speaking with them about issues ranging from education and transportation to economic development and services for the mentally ill.
Smith, a Johnston County business owner and member of the state senate, said "empowering our people and not government, protecting private property rights and protecting our borders" are three of his major concerns heading in to the 2008 primary election. He plans to meet the public in all 100 counties before the campaign concludes, and with his Western North Carolina campaign manager, former Henderson County Sheriff George Erwin, has been to Western North Carolina 47 times this year.
Smith said to run an effective campaign a candidate cannot rely simply on brief television advertising spots. "You need to have a
conversation with the people. I am listening to folks, talking to folks, hearing what they have to say," he said.
He said as a businessman, he is focused on strategic planning and the premise that the best government is one that keeps taxes and
bureaucracy to a minimum. A conservative, he said there is a clear choice between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats, he said, are focused on government instead of people. "People are the strength of our state," he said.
He said Transylvania County is "absolutely beautiful" and as such has an asset that it can play to its advantage. However, he added, "Our whole state is beautiful. We have good people in every part of the state. The key is to know which is your strength and play to that strength."
Smith said, "There is no one thing that is going to make our state what it needs to me. We need strong leadership, the right plan, and the right people involved to help us solve those issues that are important to us."
Because of scandals in state government, Smith said, people have lost faith. "They want honest government. They want it to be transparent and they want it to be open and honest."
The state, he said, was once known as "the good roads state" but has fallen way behind. "Roads are a huge issue. Our population is projected to growth from our present figure of nine million to 12 million by 2030. We have to have the infrastructure to meet our needs. We have to create more jobs. And we have to recognize that most jobs are created by private enterprise. I think we are the highest taxed state in the southeast. That doesn't help. The government should be empowering business, not standing in the way of business."
Smith said he's deeply disturbed that one third of the students in public schools drop out prior to graduation. "Education is a very passionate issue for me. We've got to find a way to keep kids in school." He said he favors financial incentives for public school teachers, upgrades in traditional schools, and better discipline. "There are too many classrooms where the teacher is a policeman and not a teacher," he said. He also supports charter schools and home schooling as viable educational alternatives.
Smith supports expansion of vocational education. "Kids in vocational education do not need to feel like second-class citizens," he added.
Along with the Department of Transportation, the state's mental health system is a poster child for what's wrong in North Carolina, Smith said. "There's no leadership. The governor's not been involved. There is no strategic plan. I think the state has to take the responsibility for long-term care. People in local communities need to have the ability to provide short term care, up to three weeks," he said. Constant changes in procedures and compensation, Smith said, are unfair to those local independent providers of mental health services. "Our providers are not paid enough. We need to have a clear understanding of what we are doing. We need to pay them what we tell them we are going to pay them. We cannot always keep changing. What business can operate like that?"
Virginia Reid Smith, or "Ginny," as her friends know her, is Smith's wife and the mother of their five children.
An excerpt of the article above by Mark Todd was published in the Transylvania Times on December 13, 2007 and is available online HERE.
