FRED SMITH GOVERNOR 2008 - "A Little Extra Effort" Statewide BBQ Tour
Pitt County, Tuesday, October 16, 2007...An easy ride out on the new 264 bypass to Greenville where Fred met his county coordinator and friends for late morning coffee. Then off to lunch with local businessmen. Our friend Adam Keen met us in mid-afternoon to drive part of our team to see the local papers where appointments had been arranged. The RV stayed out in front of Parker's BBQ on Memorial Drive and I got to catch up on paperwork. Thank goodness for wireless technology. A team of young men - members of Kappa Alpha fraternity at ECU - volunteered to prepare for our guests who were a most diverse audience in age, ethnicity, gender and professions. The college men were a delight. We were able to get a picture with them after Fred's speech to a most responsive crowd. The evening was punctuated by a visit from Stephen Roebuck who carried an old year book. Turns out Stephen is one of those 24 boys Fred talks about, with whom he grew up in the orphanage. Fred's parents were Stephen's teachers and Stephen told me how well he remembers "Mr. Smith." I hope the photo I took conveys the long friendship these two men share as part of their life history. I'd call Pitt County an A Day!
IN THE NEWS
GOP Candidate Makes a Pitt Stop
By Jimmy Ryals, The Daily Reflector
While the campaign bus painted with his face meanders across the state, N.C. Sen. Fred Smith is drawing a straight line in his bid to be governor.
On one side of that line is state government, which "liberal Democrats" believe is the state's strength, he said Tuesday night at J.H. Rose High School.
On the other are the people of North Carolina. Smith placed himself on the side of the people, a group he said drives the state's progress.
"I believe the strength of our state is our people," the Johnston County Republican told an audience of Pitt County Republicans. "Good people. Hard-working, risk-taking, self-reliant, God-loving, family-oriented people."
Smith's appearance in Greenville was part of a statewide tour. It was the 37th stop he's made since launching his campaign for governor. The dinner drew more than 100 people to the high school's cafeteria, where Smith signed copies of his self-published memoir, "A Little Extra Effort," during the event.
North Carolina citizens are disillusioned with the Democrat-dominated government in Raleigh, Smith said. He offered policy prescriptions on a range of issues: a $2 billion highway construction bond, repayable with money currently transferred out of the state's highway trust fund; wider empowerment of local police agencies to enforce immigration laws; and a constitutional amendment limiting a government's ability to take private property to boost economic development. Smith said one of his top priorities as governor would be to strengthen the state's laws against child sexual abuse.
The net effect of those and some government-shrinking measures would be to build a state government that reflects its constituents' values, Smith said.
Greenville resident Wayne Holloman, who hosted a fundraiser for Smith before the dinner, said he likes that Smith isn't a "career politician." Smith was a farmer, lawyer and small businessman before being elected to the state Senate in 2002.
"He didn't start politicking in college," Holloman said. "He proved himself in life. Now, he wants to give back."
Others praised Smith for his religious faith and conservative values.
Greenville resident Dixie Greene called him "as wholesome a candidate as I've seen in many moons."
Two other Republicans are declared gubernatorial candidates: former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Orr and former state party Chairman Bill Graham.
Click HERE to view original article by Jimmy Ryals published October 17, 2007 in The Daily Reflector.
PHOTOS FROM PITT COUNTY
Click HERE to view additional photos from the PItt County BBQ.
Click HERE to view photos from Ginny Smith's visit to Pitt County on August 30, 2007 (such as the one below).
