Candidate, North Carolina State Senate, District 7, 2008

Candidate, North Carolina State Senate, District 7, 2006

Delegate, Republican State Convention, 2004, 2006

No caucus information on file.

President/Owner, American Doors and Cabinets Limited Liability Company, 1994-present

Professor, Meredith College, 1994

Professor, North Carolina State University, 1994

Director/Department Manager, Matrix Corporation, 1992-1993

Senior Marketing Manager, Digital Equipment Corporation, 1985-1992

Volunteer, Red Cross Blood Drive

Worker, Hurricane Katrina Relief, 2005

Worker, Hurricane Fran Relief, 1996

Worker, Habitat for Humanity, 1993

Hobbies or Special Talents:

Beekeeping

Priority Issues:

I have a vision of North Carolina being a destination for expanding companies and hard working citizens. To provide the appealing destination, we must have the best education, the best economic and agricultural development, and the best infrastructure.

Legislative priorities would be:

Education - government's wedge between parent/child and education must be removed through parent educational options using existing funding. Parents have the right to choose the best education among tradition, charter, school within a school, technical, vocational, private, home, and alternate options.

Economic Development - private sector development has been shown to be the most effective method with government providing larger scale infrastructure support using existing funding. This includes agribiotech and biofuels. There must be corporate and personal income tax relief to encourage aggressive development.

Infrastructure - provide the best roads, water and sewer, and other large scale projects. Using efficient delivery of service, this can be done with existing funding.

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

I am not a career politician. I am a small business owner. My ancestors settled in Rockingham County in the late 1700's. I have been married for 43 years. I am the father of three and grandfather of eleven. I am a Christian and Church Elder. I have taught both youth and university classes.

I received nearly 40% of the vote in the 2006 campaign. In that year, friends and neighbors asked me to become a candidate to represent our community in the North Carolina Senate. That was my first campaign for public office. While I was unsuccessful in that effort, the opportunity to meet thousands of people living and working in this district was a remarkable experience... I have no desire to spend the rest of my life as a career politician living on the public payroll and campaigning for any available open seat.

In 2006, clearly, my message was heard. It will be heard even more loudly in 2008 when the people realize that many of the critical issues confronting us, today, are the same issues that faced us in 2006 and back in 2004... This district requires an effective state senator.