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Christina Fisher

The N.C. Gubernatorial Candidates – Economic Development
May 22, 2008

The gubernatorial race in North Carolina has come down to Bev Perdue (D), current Lt. Governor of N.C., and Pat McCrory (R), current mayor of Charlotte, N.C. These summaries have been compiled from the candidates’ web sites.

            Pat McCrory: McCrory believes it is the governor’s job to make sure the state is a competitive marketplace for North Carolina companies as well as for companies looking to move here. Because North Carolina has one of the highest income and corporate tax rates in the South, he plans to lower taxes. He plans to create infrastructure – an improved transportation system – that supports job growth. McCrory wants to provide companies with the workforce of the future by improving the school system to meet the needs and demands of a 21^st century economy. He wants to work with other governors in the South to reduce incentives that are paid out, and he wants to eliminate the “Death Tax.” Finally he wants to actively lobby on behalf of the citizens to attract new jobs while keeping those we already have.

            Bev Perdue: North Carolina has created hundreds of millions of dollars in financial incentives to attract jobs to the state; Perdue also wants to put an end to this practice by working with other governors at the National Governors Association. Until the practice is eliminated, however, she wants to ensure that incentives are targeted, accountable and performance-based. She feels the best incentives to attracting new business and creating new ones is to have a well educated and healthy workforce. Perdue also helped create North Carolina’s Green Business Fund to encourage businesses to develop green technology and provide a platform for investments in biofuels, green construction and the development of a “green collar” workforce. She also founded the NC Military Foundation to attract more high-paying defense and aerospace jobs and protect the state’s military bases during the BRAC process, and she has proposed a “Main Street Solutions” initiative to spur economic growth in the state’s small- and mid-sized towns. Perdue led the effort to pass the CHIPs program, which provides healthcare coverage to uninsured children. She helped create a Working Families Agenda that helped pass the 2006 increase in the state’s minimum wage and a state earned income tax credit, plus a state high-risk health insurance pool and expanded health coverage for children in the 2007 session.

Posted by Christina Fisher on May 22, 2008 | Comments (2)