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2026 Watauga County Meet the Candidates - NC Senate & House Candidates · Mind Your Business - A Podcast Series produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_06: Welcome to the special election edition of this.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_06: Moon area and boycott chambers commerce are annual with the candidates forum in conjunction with the 2026 general election.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_06: The Wataga County Board of Education and Board of Commissioners and races for the state House and Senate were conducted as part of our in-person forum at the Appalachian Theater back on October 1st.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_06: Candidates for U.S.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_06: House, Wataga County Sheriff, and Wataga County Clerk of Court were interviewed individually.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_06: This episode contains the audio archive from our session with the candidates representing Watagha County in the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you our candidates for their state races.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_02: We have North Carolina House 93, Ray Pickett, and Charlie Wallen.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: We have North Carolina House District 87, Iris Bender, who is running against Destin Hall.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: North Carolina Senate 47.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_02: We have Frank Hughes III running with Ralph Heise.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, everyone.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_06: All right, everybody.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_06: We'll give you two minutes for your opening statements here this evening.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_06: And Representative Pickett, we'll start with you.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_04: All right, thank you.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_04: First of all, thank everyone involved for putting this on.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_04: We do appreciate it.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_04: I'm proud to be here.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_04: I have been serving the 93rd District now for almost six years.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_04: It's been the absolute honor of my life to serve the folks here in the 93rd District.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_04: It's an enjoyable job.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_04: It can be very trying at times, but I enjoy what I do.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_04: I enjoy getting to know the people of this district and trying to help them advocate for themselves in Raleigh and how to navigate Raleigh.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_04: Because Raleigh can be very difficult to navigate.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_04: So I hope to use my experience and with your support and go back to Raleigh and continue to support this district to the best of my ability.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_06: Mr.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_06: Wallen.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thank y'all.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you all for hosting this tonight.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the uh Boone and Bowen Rock Chambers.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the App Theater for being here and uh opening this beautiful facility for us to use tonight.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And just for the opportunity to be able to address the uh folks of the high country here.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we uh don't get a lot of opportunities to do this, and uh I'm so appreciative every year that that you put this on so that we can have this opportunity to to talk about what we want to do and uh our goals and our achievements.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I am Charlie Wallen.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: I am a former two-term county commissioner here in Watauga County.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I have tried to uh serve these, the the county of Watauga in many different capacities over my time here.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I decided that uh my next uh goal in life and uh my next uh adventure that I felt like I needed to be representing folks in Raleigh.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I felt like that I had reached what I could do here locally, and I felt like it's a time for uh our area to have someone who will stand up and speak out for uh all of our citizens here in Wataga County and Ash County and Allegheny County.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to be able to take that voice to Raleigh and to be your voice there.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I think I've proven that over my time in this county and uh not only in this county, but I've reached all the way across the state for many different endeavors that I've had and many different nonprofits I've been involved with.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I have been with someone who listens, who tries to take everything in, who tries to hear both sides to every story, and who tries to then take that and to do what's best for all the citizens that I represent.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to do that in Raleigh, and I want to go down and uh and I want to be there for you, and I want you to know that you can always access me and I'll be accessible to anyone.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I was the only county commissioner who would put my personal cell phone out there and uh who is always answered.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's always uh amazed me at uh how you can throw people when they call thinking they're gonna get an automated voice, and I say, hello, how are you doing?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it throws them.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I I want to continue to be that advocate and I want to be that voice in Raleigh for you.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you, Miss Bender.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much, everybody.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, first of all, for hosting us and for inviting me.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: I know a portion of my constituents is the majority is in Cowboy County.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_03: I just have a smaller amount of uh folks that are here in Watauga, but I wanted to tell everyone everybody is important, so thank you for including me on that.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um I have lived in Kawak County for the last 20 years.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: I have lived in the US for the total of 27 years.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_03: I was born and raised in Cuba.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I have um two adult children, uh 25 and 22.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, my husband is a um ATT employee, so we are a CWA um very well uh when it comes to awareness of the labor loss and how important it is to keep um our communities taken care of.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um my work, I have uh worked over the years uh hospitality.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_03: I have a bachelor's degree in business, and I've owned my own business in Lenore that a lot of people probably was familiar with for a while.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I work on nonprofit.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I was a board member for 12 years for the Family Support Network.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_03: We focus with families with children and adult with disabilities.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, my 22-year-old daughter happens to be um an autistic adult, and she um is my inspiration.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_03: One of the reasons why I do what I do, I fight for the school system, I fight for the community.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_03: I want to make sure that uh we have someone that cares uh for the community, that brings all the absolutely points from the Western North Carolina to Raleigh, that someone that will represent you, that will um tell everyone, you know, what's happening here locally while I'm out there.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_03: So again, thank you so much for having me.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: I really appreciate the opportunity.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_06: Mr.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_06: Hughes.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Hey everybody.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I am so excited to be on this stage.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: The last time I was here, I saw Sam Bush.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: So just to be up here, you know, knowing I'm sharing this stage with so many people who have come through here in this historic theater.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm very uh grateful to be here this year.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: Last year I had to decline.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: I teach uh school in McDowell County, and you know how it is with school teachers, around the beginning of the year, you're bound to get sick.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: And luckily, this year I got sick the first week of school, so I'm all good.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so thank you everybody for being here today.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: Again, I'm Frank Hughes.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: I've been running uh for State Senate now.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: This is my second time running.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: I really didn't have any political aspirations.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the number one reason that I put my name on the ballot is I am a public school teacher and I see firsthand what has happened to our schools.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: I graduated high school in 2005.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: From there, I worked various jobs.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: I put the roof on St.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: Luke's over here several years ago.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: I roofed some fine homes over in Blowen Rock, and then I took myself to college.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like so many people, I worked through the community college system to get my associate's degree uh over here at Caldwell, and then I graduated at ASU in 14, and I've been teaching ever since.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: I love my job, and I am running for state senate to fight for our future.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: We know that our students are our future, and I'm here to make sure that uh they have a voice in Raleigh.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: And beyond that, all of us in Watauga, uh, my uh the folks I hope to represent in Ash, Allegheny, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Haywood, and part of Caldwell, um, very large state district, and we know we need representation in Raleigh that's gonna listen to us.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: Just like Charlie said, someone that's gonna pick up the phone, someone that's gonna be available, someone who has worked many different jobs, knows a lot of the different experiences we have here in the mountains, and can understand our issues.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you again to everybody for hosting this.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I'm excited for this evening.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_05: All right, our first question will go to Charlie Wellin, 90 seconds.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_06: All right, thank you, Omer.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_06: Uh, Federal Review Council has recommended that states take the lead in disaster recovery, with FEMA stepping back to act as a payer of last resort.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_06: Two years after Helene, what does North Carolina need to put in place in funding, staffing, or reserves to make sure that the state is ready to take on a larger role?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm glad you uh you asked that question because uh it is still a uh a big topic in this area uh as we battle Hurricane Helene relief.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, our state has uh has has given some money to the area.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Some of it has been matching funds uh for the uh for the grants that we should be getting from the federal government.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I I it's not enough.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we have a storm that just just did$60 billion worth of damage.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: You have a storm that the top six didn't even reach a half a billion dollars uh in total.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: And now you've got one that's 60 billion in cost and it keeps rising every day.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so it is almost impossible, really, it is impossible, for a state to be able to cover all the costs that it's gone into to try to rebuild Hurricane Helene.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you we have seen that.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: We have seen that we need more money.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the governor just called for another$10 billion.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I have been able to serve on the Hurricane Relief Task Force for Governor Stein with many uh colleagues in the uh in the area and plus House and Senate representatives that are on the uh committee as well, uh as well as uh some local leaders, including uh Mr.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Jackson himself, uh, who gets to set with me.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we see the real day-to-day implications and impacts, and we know that a state can't put all that burden on themselves.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's going to take the federal government stepping up as well.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, right now we don't have the money in the coffers uh to keep funding of storms like this.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: I was spender.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, I agree with Charlie there.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um, that is almost a recipe for disaster.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, if we put that on a state, does not matter which state it is.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, some states have more resources than others.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_03: We can agree to that.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but we're obviously living here in North Carolina, so we got to focus on ourselves.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, this will absolutely devastate us, not just financially, but um, you you think about development, economically, education, that could just collapse the system.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we do need those uh federal dollars to make sure that we are protected.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you can't just leave everything to the insurance company or the state itself.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_03: It just doesn't make uh sense to have that in uh place.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so uh I actually personally, as someone that I was born and raised in the Caribbean with lots of hurricanes, I can tell you by experience, um, federal dollars are important.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_03: And community can do so much, that is just what it takes.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_03: But when everyone is hurting at the same time, where do you get the money from?
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: It just it just makes it where you will just uh put ourselves at a risk.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_03: So it's important to consider the fact that the the federal will have to be that safety net and have to be a consideration of being a a portion of that uh support system for us.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: So I I will advocate for federal dollars all the way through to continue to support us, make sure that we are kept at the uh level that our community deserved to be supported.
• 11:33
  unknown: Mr.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_05: Hughes, your question.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I you know, I was just thinking here.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we certainly uh we do have a lot of work to do.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh living in Avery County, um, I see I see a lot of the damage still left over.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um luckily things are slowly getting done.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: I know we still have temporary bridges in McDowell County on major highways that really need addressed.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the stark differences between me and my opponent, who unfortunately couldn't be here tonight, um, is that he has put in place plans to bring our corporate tax rate to zero.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I find that uh irresponsible as we have um several powerful corporations in North Carolina, and asking them to pay no taxes and putting the burden on individuals will further weaken us for resilience against storms of this nature or other uh natural disasters that we might face.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I would like uh one of the things I think that the state can do is to, you know, I mean, why not have corporations pay at least the same as individuals or even a little more?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Put a little more money in the bank and prepare us for the future.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_05: Pickett.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_04: The federal government needs to be there for it.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_04: That's the end of the discussion.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_04: FEMA, what it is, but that's what they're there for.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_04: Our state budget last year was$35 billion.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_04: It would have taken two years to take every dime the state of North Carolina puts in a budget to cover$60 billion.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_04: We have got to depend on the federal government.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_04: It needs some work, they need to do a better job because I have done nothing but fight against FEMA.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody in Western District has fought against FEMA for the lack of funding that they've brought to us.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_04: That's the reason we pay to the federal government is to have FEMA in place for these emergencies.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_04: We can't put sixty billion dollars back to cover a storm like this.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_04: The state just cannot do it.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_04: So we have to depend on the federal government, and I think that they should be there for us.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_04: We support them, they need to support us in our time of need.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_05: All right, second question goes to Miss Bender first.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_05: In November, voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would let the legislature limit how much counties and cities can raise property taxes, which is the main local source of money for EMS, first responders, and school construction.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_05: If the amendment passes, how would you work with local communities to replace any resulting revenue reductions so essential services don't fall short?
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_03: First, I wanted to go ahead and address the fact I am against for that amendment.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_03: I believe it is going to cripple local communities more so than um ever before, only because it's going to put a hindering in our services.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, if we look at down the line, probably in the next two to three years, as everything gets more expensive, we understand affordability is an issue.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we do want to make sure not only that we have the services available to our community, but we also want to make sure that they are paid accordingly.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that will just put a uh stop on being able to get them a paid increase, build any new facilities, um, uh afford any new equipment.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_03: And that will either mean two things.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_03: Either we will lose the services, it may be in certain areas, possibly not all of them, or potentially um we will just have to consider what are we going to do with from a local level standpoint to afford that gap.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_03: Because when you put a cap on it, it is going to not stop the fact that things will just be more expensive as we follow.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: Whether it's the maintenance of the vehicles, whether it's the utilities, whether it's um the payroll.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, so I I am completely against it.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_03: I do hope it does not pass, but if it did, um, we will need to focus on how we can go go ahead and revoke that.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: Mr.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: Hughes.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yes, I also oppose this amendment.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: I I view it as another attempt by Raleigh politicians to kind of take control of county government.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: As you know, they partisaned our school board, they partisaned our commissioners, and um, and now they want to come after our our property tax.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so if it does pass, uh, you know, it's kind of an interesting thing.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: It will be, I know that in the amendment, they don't really have the mechanism or the formula by which they will be uh limiting this property tax, so it's kind of interesting.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I imagine if it passes, what we'll be doing in Raleigh um uh is trying to get together a group of people on how we can make sure that local governments and county commissioners get the funds they need for the various services in the county.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_05: Pickett?
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_04: Well, the devs will be in the details because it's going to be like you just mentioned, the the constitution amendment on the ballot is sort of vague.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_04: There's no actual parameters in it.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_04: That will have to be decided later.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_04: We'll have to wait and see what the voters do in November, and then we have to get together and have those conversations.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_04: Each one of us, there's 170 members, they're gonna have to have the conversations with their municipalities and their county commissioners to make sure we come up with a plan that they can fund the things the way they need to.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_04: Our county commissioners here have done a pretty good job of keeping things in check.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_04: Our values here are very high.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, the last report, I think Watarga County is number one in not being affordable housing.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_04: And that's something we have to work on.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_04: But property taxes are a part of affordable housing.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_04: So we need to make sure that they are not out of control in some places.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_04: In some places they are.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_04: So the devils will be in the details that we've got to make sure that the counties can keep the funding they need to run their operation the way they do.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_04: And I work well with the County Commissioners Association and the League of Municipalities uh in the past with some bills that like this that were going to be just passed through the General Assembly, not a constitutional amendment.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_04: They did not proceed any further because there were a lot of problems with it.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_04: So I look forward to working on these problems with our county commissioners to make sure that they have the funds they need.
• 18:04
  unknown: Mr.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_05: Wallen.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um I um I agree with uh my two colleagues over here on the left that uh that this is a bad slippery slope that we're going down with the property tax.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: As a former county commissioner, I know what it takes to sit there and try to to make ends meet.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And we're already getting a lot of the buck passed from not only DC, but also Raleigh that we have to make up for.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, it it's gonna be impossible if we don't have some levers to pull to be able to make sure that we can fund the needs that we have locally.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I was a member of the County Commissioners Association statewide, and I have been in the room with all with a lot of those gentlemen that Mr.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: Pickett was just talking about.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, I know firsthand that they do not like this amendment and they know what it can do to their counties and how crippling it can be, and how um that they don't know how they're gonna make up the shortfall.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: So it'd be really interesting to hear in the room uh how they're gonna do it because, you know, my my grandparents and my grandfather always has said, you know, you know, you got to be leery of somebody who says, oh, just pass this and then we'll figure out later.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: I have seen eight proposals, eight different proposals of how they're gonna handle this property tax mess.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: And none of them are a good option at all for our county.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: We need to have local control.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: We need to have a say and how we levy our property tax.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: As a commissioner, uh, myself and others on the commission asked for the Commandant Commissioners Association to lobby for us to have say and leeway in how we levy property tax and it not just be a flat rate across the board.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: We need to have better options and we can come up with it.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_05: All right, question number three goes to Mr.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_05: Hughes.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Omar.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: A coalition of North Carolina business leaders points out that our state ranks among the top two for business, but 50th in what it spends per student.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_02: Two out of three jobs here now require education beyond high school, yet only 31% of ninth graders earn a degree or credential within six years.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_02: These leaders tie that gap to low teacher low teacher pay and under-resourced classrooms.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: What will you do in the next two years to fund public schools so they produce the workforce our employers need, and how will you pay for it?
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um sorry.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh this just hits home uh so hard.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're currently itemizing the the things we have in our classroom to ensure that if we need to, you know, if someone needs something like, you know, some printer paper or a pack of pencils, they're not somewhere else.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: So we're not wasting money.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um I I have a box of staples um and uh a few markers I bought myself.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, that's one of the big issues.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: We have to increase um not only the the funding, the pure per pupil spending.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: And the way that I propose we start this path is by ending the wasteful school voucher program that takes our hard-earned tax dollars right on and moves them far away from here.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: Most of that money goes out east.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, these private schools um have very little requirement.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: One individual with a background check that's in charge and a structure that can pass a fire safety test.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: That to me does not equate a quality investment.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so I would seek to end that.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: This year we lost two and a half million to it.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um and if I do not win this election, I've I'm afraid that in the next uh two years we'll lose another five uh million.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I would like to see that end, and then we can go from there.
• 21:51
  unknown: Mr.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_05: Picker.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_04: I've advocated for more spending in education ever since I've been there.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_04: But currently it's running anywhere from fifty-four to fifty-eight percent of our state budget now goes to education.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_04: That leaves the rest to go for everything state government does.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_04: We do need to advocate for more.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_04: I advocated for this past budget.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_04: That's the reason it was late.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_04: Because we were fighting to get more money into the school system.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_04: We were fighting for teacher raises.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_04: We fought very hard for it.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_04: It took an extra year, but we did get it.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_04: We need to work at our see how our lottery is working.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_04: We are getting more money into the lottery.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_04: The way it's structured, we're not getting as high a percentage of those income to our school systems.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_04: So we need to look at that to bringing more money from the lottery and getting them in the school systems where it can help.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_04: People play the lottery, we can use that money to help our school system.
• 22:50
  unknown: Mr.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_05: Walla?
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um education has been a strong passion of mine all my life.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: I I come from a lifelong uh uh family of educators, uh, from my grandfather, on down, aunts, uncles, uh, mom, dad.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so I know how critical it is to fund uh the school systems.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I agree with Mr.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: Hughes down there.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think it's a travesty that we've sent a half a billion dollars this year alone uh to private schools for the voucher program.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that money could have been used in so many better ways across North Carolina.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I wonder if uh that 58% that uh that was mentioned just a few minutes ago, if that includes that half a billion that went down there that could have been reallocated somewhere else, uh, not only across the school system, but for the other needs that uh have been mentioned.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so I I want to be a strong advocate for those folks in Raleigh.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to be able to hear their hear their thoughts and ideas from local teachers, from local superintendents, from everyone in the three counties.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to hear how they want us to to address and how much money they need and how we can get better about getting the more money.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: But the first thing is we've got to be able to divert the uh the school vouchers back because that would be so critical in helping us meet the shortfall that that uh that we're having in all the school systems.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because yes, the pure people funding has gone up and teachers are just having to shoulder the burden even more, and that's just unnecessary.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we have to do better for our still for our children in this uh in this state.
• 24:25
  unknown: Ms.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_05: Bender.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_03: I want to start by saying that children are a future.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_03: Anyone that doesn't look at it that way, it's already lost on my ballot.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we need to focus on the kids.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, they are gonna be the future politicians, doctors, plumbers, clerk workers, whatever they're going to become, but we need to get them there.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_03: What it's gonna take is for us to focus on what really matters.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_03: We as parents have a choice to take our children, whether it's to a private school or a homeschool setting.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_03: That's never been not a choice for us.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_03: It's been there, we do it.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_03: On that note, the vouchers is an absolute uh horrible way to spend our resources.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_03: Keep it in the school system where everybody, whether it does not matter of your race, doesn't matter how much money you have in the bank, doesn't matter if you have a disability, all our children are welcome and they're entitled to have that education.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_03: The lottery system is almost funny to even talk about it because that needs to be completely stripped down.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: If we look at it, it was set to be for helping the education system.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's not doing it.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_03: We need to go back in there, strip it, start from scratch, and then vouchers.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_03: I am an absolute uh against them.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_03: It's not helping our children, it is not helping our future, and the standards that we have for those educators, it's not the same.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_03: So, again, you want to take your children to private school, that's perfectly fine.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: But the money that is allocated for the school system needs to stay in the public school system.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_06: Question number four, we'll start off with uh Ray Pickett.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you very much, Omer.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_06: Uh this year the state budget created the first statewide minimum rate for child care subsidies, a change that high country business leaders push for in Raleigh and Wataga providers will see one of the largest increases in the state.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_06: But the need still outpaces the funding.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_06: What is the next child care challenge the state must address, and what would you do to support getting that done?
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_04: I guess the next thing would probably be some regulations that uh seem to be getting in the way.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_04: I know some of them are local, some of them are state, that seem to be getting in the way of some daycares being able to open.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_04: We've got a serious crisis and not just not just in North Carolina, it's across the country the child care.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_04: I think we need to start working more with some of our larger corporations in this area, whether it be ASU, the hospital, and work with expanding daycare that some of them already have.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_04: ASU has a daycare on campus.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_04: We need to start working with some of those that'd be a benefit to their employees.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_04: Blow and Rock did it with their daycare for their town employees.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna have to look at some things like that and think outside of the box to get this done because it is definitely a crisis.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_04: There are hundreds of kids with nowhere to go, and that's taking people out of the workforce.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_04: I've been working extensively, especially over in Ash County with Ash Early Development, of some things we can do to expand their program over there, but it does take funding.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_04: So I'll be advocating in Raleigh to get that funding to help organizations like that to expand their daycare.
• 27:38
  unknown: Mr.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: Wall.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, child care is so critical to this area.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: It is so critical to uh to our needs in the business world uh because uh businesses look for flip for places that have good childcare.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: And we are woefully uh inadequate, not only here in Wataga, but also in Ash and over in Allegheny as well.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I've been able to uh to sit on a couple of uh task force meetings over in Ash County uh in the last year, uh listening to child care providers uh talk about the struggles over in Ash County uh and how that they need more funding and how we need to pay the uh childcare workers better.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh a few years ago, I was knocking on doors here when I was running for county commission, and I came across a child care worker who was house sitting, and she got into tears, she started crying because she was so upset she didn't want to quit being a child care provider, but she didn't know how she was going to keep doing it.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so we've got to pay them better.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: We have to find better ways to get money to our child care workers.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: When I was on the county commission, uh I had a record of listening and wanting to do what's right for child care.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we actually commissioned the study that the chamber used, and we actually helped fund it so that uh so that we could have the comprehensive child care study that the chamber was able to use to implement um their funding and grants that they have started, and they've done such a great job, but it's not enough.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: We need to do more.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: We need to advocate for more in Raleigh, and we need to do more for our child care so that we can have more centers because we don't have enough centers.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: As someone who provided child care, and my wife and I had to like make some difficult choices, you know, it it it is it hits home.
• 29:20
  unknown: Ms.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_05: Bender.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's been a half minute since I've had a child on child care.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: Uh all my kids are adults, but I have plenty of friends that have small kids, and and I be honest, I don't know how they do it.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, child care is extremely expensive.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, there are not enough choices, which is another issue that we're uh facing in just about any community that you talk to.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's just all over the country at the moment.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I will say when it comes to fixing a problem that we have that is across pretty much the state in this case, um, vouchers.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_03: What about we would consider vouchers for that?
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_03: Not to pay at all, but that could be a possibility.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I am not against looking at something like that because a lot of parents do have the need because they don't have another form that is affordable or free.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_03: And and I am not a lover of uh vouchers, but I will say in the childcare, these folks need their babies to be taken care of so they can go to work.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_03: So I feel like that would be something that I would like to look into it a little bit more myself.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but but we do have to find a way to get better resources.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_03: The teachers, it's it's hard to find uh good educators because the pay is also so low.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but those are very big issues, and it's not just in North Carolina, it's across the country that I keep hearing when I knock on doors, that is about 20% of the folks ask, what can we do about childcare?
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_03: So it is a problem.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, Cowwell County and Wataga doors that I've been asking the questions, so we we can ignore the fact of it.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: Mr.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_01: Hughes.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, it is certainly uh a major issue.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, when I I think about it, and I I mean this might be uh one one potential pathway uh I can see to increase some childcare is ensuring that our schools have uh pre-K, ensuring that pre-K and kindergarten programs are funded in all of our public schools.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: And one thing is it just I get reminded all the time at McDowell High, when I first got there, we had a program with the early childhood development courses, uh CTE course that you know taught young people how to care for children.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they ran a daycare at the school, and it was for, uh I think mostly for school employees, um, but it was an awesome program.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the students that were involved in that, they learned a lot, they got firsthand experience.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and these, and to have the uh little kids around the high school kind of kept a lot of the high schoolers' behavior in check, right?
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: Because they knew they had to be role models.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: But anyway, I think um that there's some things we can do.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: I know in Avery County, a lot of the elementary schools offer food through the summer.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: We could expand our summer programs to involve childcare.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and again, though, there is a, of course, the question of money, and we've got to make sure we're not wasting it and that we're not dropping that corporate tax to zero and cutting off a major revenue stream.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_05: All right, we now go to question number five that uh Charlie Wellin will start with.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_05: Last week, the governor released the Western North Carolina Economic Recovery Plan, a long-term economic recovery plan for Western North Carolina.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_05: What have you seen in the plan that fits the region's economic development priorities?
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_05: And would you support state funding for initiatives based on the priorities outlined in the plan?
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm glad you brought the plan up.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, as a member of the task force, uh it was a wonderfully done 114-page uh document.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, thank you to uh to Mr.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: Jackson uh of the chamber who sat and co-chaired that uh committee.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it has a lot of great things in there.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh one of the big things is it addresses our local businesses and trying to help them get the funding they need.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: They're struggling really.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it is uh I hear it every day from all of our local uh shops, not only here, but in uh Ash County and over in Allegheny.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, they came by COVID and they were struggling to get back on their feet.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then they get smacked with uh with Hurricane Helene and the uh the fund and it just they can't get their heads above water.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, they they need the help.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a lot of great things in that plan that will help create um more infrastructure streams, uh, more grant opportunities to help our local businesses.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: Another big key is the transportation.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_00: We need to really focus on transportation here in the high country.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: We need to make our roads better.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we have fallen behind the rest of the state.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, when you look around, there's no rail service.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: You can't get off the mountain uh anywhere from even an Asheville.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so you know, we need to look at our transportation system.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: It would be really great.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: I know that uh that I had some uh conversations with some of the senators on the group, and we were talking about how it'd be great to have a four-lane that just went from here to Asheville.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we hear that all the time.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: When I worked at the university, I would hear it from parents as can we get to to Asheville quickly?
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, No, I'm sorry.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we can really expand that area as well that was in the plan.
• 34:28
  unknown: Ms.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_05: Spender.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_03: Last month I was at the Thrive Senior Center in Lenore, and one of the things that came up was transportation.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's a big issue, not just for our elderly community, but for everyone.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I I do a lot of nonprofit work, and some of the folks that I work with, home visitors, and I also uh we we focus on a lot with families, so they don't have uh reliable vehicles to get around.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_03: So not having that piece uh in a community is is very frustrating.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we we we have something in place, but it's not enough, and it doesn't cover everyone, so it just puts a burden in folks uh to go ahead and feel like they're being supported and how their tax dollars that we just continue to see going higher um are not uh just covering all the needs.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_03: And I will say, as I own my own business and I closed actually the weekend of Helene when it happened, um that was a coincidence, it was nothing to do with that.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I will have to say um that plan gave me hope uh because I survived COVID.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_03: I um didn't have to go through Helene, but I have many friends that did.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: And the devastation and the faces, I see folks that are nothing but happy and full of hope and want to continue to be a part of the community, and and that creates jobs.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_03: It really does.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we are also the biggest supporters of uh the like the local schools and fundraisers, but it's it's good to see a plan in place that is going to give them hopefully grants or some other sources to uh improve this.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_05: Hughes.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I have not had the the time to go through this uh plan, so I don't know all the ins and outs.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I can certainly say that you know we have a great opportunity uh for some infrastructure change.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_01: I know in uh uh, for example, in Mitchell County, um they had they've had a serious water issue, uh just a sewer system that's outdated.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so they're hoping to put that back in place as we know access to water is key to business.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_01: And when we think about infrastructure and transportation, um as someone who commuted to Boone from Avery County for college, it was kind of always a joke to me.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: My grandmother uh commuted from Elk Park to Boone on the back of the Tweetsea Railroad, you know.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so she rode that here to Boone to go to, well, the teacher college.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then when I came, uh, it's like you come to Linville, you come to the light there in Linville, and you and you know, the 10, 15 cars in front of you, the 10, 15 cars behind you are gonna turn left and they're gonna go straight through Invershill, they're gonna go straight through Fosco, and they're gonna come right into Boone.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I just keep thinking, I'm like, well, you know, four lanes nice, but by the time we do that, gas will be so expensive, we'll want to train.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, rail or public transport would be a fantastic way to support our businesses to help employees make it to those uh job opportunities.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_05: Pickett.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_04: Well, the governor and I have had conversations on this, especially when it came to helping out local businesses.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_04: We don't always agree on a lot of things, but we agreed on this and I tried my best to get it through the General Assembly, but I kept running into constitutional problems with the commerce clause of you can't give money directly to a private business from state funds.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_04: So we've been trying to work around that and come up with some grant ideas and some things to help local businesses because believe me, I talked to him after Helene.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_04: It was day after day of talking when when are we going to get some relief.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm glad he put that in his plan.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_04: I hope that he continues to work with us and so we can get something done on that.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_04: Transportation, we've got to make our stuff more resilient to to weather.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_04: We do have some issues with roads up here.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_04: That's the number one call I get every week is about roads.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_04: There's that's that's my number one subject.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_04: I am very well versed in working with DOT on this because we do have issues.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_04: We you can't see our lines, half of them are gone, you can't see them when it rains, half our roads are potholed up, and we do have rough weather.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_04: Our weather, the road salt we put on road does deteriorate them faster.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_04: But we can come up with something better.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_04: We have some of the best engineering institutes in the country right here in this state.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_04: I think they can come up with something that can make it last a little longer.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_05: Interesting, all four of you mentioned transportation.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_05: Get ready for this question.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_05: We'll start with uh Miss Bender.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_02: As cars become more fuel efficient and more electric, the gas tax that pays for North Carolina's roads is bringing in less money.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_02: How should the state pay to build and maintain roads, especially in mountain communities like ours?
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I will say we'll start with uh taxing corporations that we're giving them very little to no taxes uh at this point.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_03: And they should pay at least uh what our working folks pay minimum.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_03: And and I am not, I wouldn't like to stop there.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_03: I would like to go higher.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_03: And that's not gonna benefit only the roads, it's gonna benefit every community and education system, it's gonna definitely fund the schools a little bit better, if not a lot.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, which I know earlier the folks were talking about um looking at the schools and all the improvements that had to be done.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um, these are ongoing problems.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_03: They will not stop.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_03: And in in five years, you're done with one school, you need to move on to the next one, then you need to move to the next one.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: It will never end.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_03: So, something that we continue to not do is tax corporation.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_03: I believe that's where it starts, is going to improve a lot of the issues that we're seeing in the community.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_03: Now, I was looking at the news the other day, and I please don't quote me on this, but I think it was Colorado, and um, he was asked about the corporate tax, and um he said um we it's not zero.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_03: If you come here, you have to pay.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_03: And my goodness, I absolutely love that statement because they're coming here uh because we are giving them all the opportunities.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_03: And I know they're employing folks, and I'm very grateful for it, and I know they're probably some of the better paying jobs, but if we tax them, we will see the results pretty quickly.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_01: Mr.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_05: Hughes.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, uh, so I know that the we do have one of the higher uh gas taxes in the in the country because North Carolina itself is kind of a little strange in the fact that the majority of our roads the state maintains.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and a lot of states, you know, uh county roads are up to county governments and things like this.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_01: So we definitely need to think about this tax um in the in the the fact that it is, uh, we're getting less revenue for it and it's our main uh funding for the DOT.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we could probably invest in some more sustainable road surfaces.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh concrete has a higher um upfront cost, but it is has a much longer life.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't deteriorate as fast as asphalt.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in fact, the the the autobahn in Germany is concrete.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, that's a pretty good example of a fantastic road.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I think for for us here, we might need to change the way we think or the way we maintain our roads.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_01: To uh it might be a little more investment up front, but making sure that the roads are more resilient to weather, more resilient to heavy traffic, and more resilient to uh the various um oils and greases that come off of cars, um, it'll probably be a good investment.
• 42:10
  unknown: Yeah.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_05: Pickett.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_04: Well, this has been discussed for more years than I've been in Raleigh of what we're gonna do with lowering with lowering let me start over there, with less money coming into our fund for our highways.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_04: Because cars are getting more and more efficient, we're getting more and more EVs, so we're having more miles driven, but we're collecting less taxes.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_04: I've yet to hear an idea of what they're gonna do.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_04: I've yet to hear an idea come out and say, okay, we're gonna get the money from here, we're gonna get the money from there.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_04: It's a complicated subject the way we do things in North Carolina.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_04: We're second only to Texas in the miles of roads we have to maintain.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_04: Second only to Texas because of what he just mentioned.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_04: All of our roads are state maintained with the exception of the ones that are inside municipalities.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_04: The rest of them are maintained by the state.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_04: We have no county roads in North Carolina, so we have to maintain them all.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_04: And we've got to come up with a better funding model.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_04: And I haven't seen one yet.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_04: I have worked with transportation committees and everything, and we still have not come up with one and we need to.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_04: I appreciate the idea of using the corporate tax, but that's such a small part of our budget, it's only about four percent.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_04: You're not gonna cover roads with that.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_04: I've heard suspend the gas tax.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_04: Why the gas prices are so high.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_04: If we suspend the gas tax now, that will put us even further behind.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_04: We've got to have that road use tax to keep our roads in shape.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_04: And honestly, we've got some up here that are not in that great a shape.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_05: Wong.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um I agree I I uh appreciate what uh the others have said here about the corporate tax rate.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the reason it's it's gotten lower and lower is because the uh percentage keeps getting lower and lower.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_00: And in 2030, when it completely expires, we're headed for an economic cliff.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: If these tax amendments pass, uh that expires, we are headed for an economic cliff in this state.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: And transportation is not gonna be the only thing that we're not gonna be able to fund.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're not gonna be able to fund schools, we're not gonna be able to uh fund any of our service pro service projects.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: We are gonna have a really big need in this state.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: And where's it gonna come from?
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna, it's gonna have to be another services taxed.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's the only extra revenue stream that that'll be left.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_00: And uh because there won't be any money coming in from any of the other areas.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh transportation is huge.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_00: We used to be number one in roads, but over the last 14 years, that has declined.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we've seen a legislature who's robbed that that account uh to take and use money to help build back roads.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and they are and it's just dwindled and dwindled and dwindled.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: And we've got to come up with better options.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_00: I uh find it surprising that uh in uh the time that he's been in Raleigh, he hasn't been able to find a good plan yet.
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I I want to work with many people.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: I want to work with the local DOTs around here, I want to work with the state DOT, and I'll work with leaders across both aisles till we can find a solution.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_00: There is an answer.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: We just have to be hard at looking for it and finding it.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_05: All right, and we'll go to the next question, which will start with Mr.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_05: Hughes.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_06: We know that there are a variety of ways that people access housing through rental or home ownership.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_06: What is a specific state policy that you would champion to help build housing that local workers can afford?
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, let me think.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_01: Uh there's a few things I think about uh when it comes to local affordable housing.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_01: I know um that one of the things um, you know, we have, especially in Avery County, um there's not interestingly enough, there's not necessarily a housing shortage.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's just simply the cost of housing is so incredibly high.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I think last year the average sale price in Avery County was$450,000, while the average income was$22,000.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that we need to do something.
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um potentially, um, you know, a uh a tax on second homes.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I know it sounds a little crazy, but we tax a lot of luxury goods and we need homes for people, uh, we need homes for people who need homes.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: And we don't have a lot of room up here.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um we've got a lot of steep hills.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we, you know, nobody wants to build right on the river anymore.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna have to be a little more creative in where we find places for these homes.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then of course, making uh monies available um and uh to to construct these things as well.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it does seem like we're gonna have to do something like not drop the corporate tax to the ground.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_05: Pickett.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_04: That's always a tough question to answer.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_04: Because, like you said, our values up here are very high.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_04: Homes up here cost a lot, but at the end of the day, you can't change the price of a two by four.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_04: You can't change the price of a yard of concrete.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_04: It's the price that it is, and it costs X number of dollars to build anything up here.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_04: It's hard to come in and say we will have affordable housing, but how are we gonna do it?
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_04: Who who's gonna take the hit that if something costs$350,$400 a square foot to build it, and that's cost?
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_04: That's expensive.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_04: The cost of everything is up right now, has been since COVID.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_04: Things went up after COVID and they continued to go up and they've leveled off a little, but they're still very expensive.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_04: So the affordable housing is going to have to be a collaborated effort.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_04: Mr.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_04: Jackson and I worked on something for about a year and well, didn't get it done, but we came close, and the only thing I know to do is try again.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_04: We had a plan, we thought we had something that would work well.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody was working together to have some housing for local teachers and first responders and things of that need.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_04: We have other ones in the state, so I think we can get it done.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_04: We're just gonna have to take another shot at the General Assembly to get the proper language passed so they're allowed to do it.
• 48:32
  unknown: Mr.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_05: Wall.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, affordable housing is uh one of the uh issues that has been uh critical uh for me over the years uh as someone who has seen folks not being able to uh to live in this area, and us lose good teachers and uh good firemen and good police officers and um hospital nursery nurse nurses and workers uh in the healthcare field.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we have to do better.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we have a lot of folks in the high country, uh, the chambers, uh, the north the housing task force.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we have two great programs uh in Habitat here and in Ash County, and uh that are working hard to try to solve this problem for more housing for folks.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_00: And how can we better build more workforce housing?
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we had some great discussions uh as county leaders and as town leaders as we all came together.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I know we've incorporated Ash County at times, uh, but there is mechanisms that we could use in Raleigh.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_00: We can help push whatever bills that we need.
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I uh would want to go down to Raleigh and work across the aisles.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, again, you know, um my opponent is in control and in power.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_00: They are they are the leaders in the uh in the House and the Senate.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I I can't believe that they could not find a solution and that he could not get agreement by working across the aisles and working with people in his own party.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to find those solutions.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I've said to somebody, I'm not smart about all of different things, but I got a lot of resources in this area and a lot of good folk and good people who can sit down and talk with me and say, Charlie, this is what we need to do.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: I need you to advocate for this, and that's what I plan on doing.
• 50:18
  unknown: Ms.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_00: Bender.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_03: We have two problems.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_03: We have an affordability problem.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, that's a big one, because the housing that we have is too expensive.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then we have the problem of we don't have enough housing that is affordable.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's like it's like a it's like almost like a vicious cycle uh that we're dealing with here.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_03: Because I mean, when you're looking at someone that is working for minimum wage, but they're trying to move out, but it's$1,200 this plus the first month down payment and whatnot.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, by the time you think of it, uh they got to come up with like$4,000.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and they're renting a one bedroom, one bath, um, and they probably have to share a parking spot.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I want to say that we need to focus on finding a way to make houses that people can afford.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we also have to uh cover the part of affordability, which it comes to can we get them a decent wage that they can afford that house?
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, because$450,000 homes will sit there for a hot minute.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's just the reality of it.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_03: We can build them, um, but they're not gonna probably sell.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and it's when we may sell a few of them, they'll come out of state, and we appreciate the the the what they're gonna add to the local community, but we still not fixing the problem that we have in-house.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_03: So we need to find houses that people can afford, and we need to help them in affording those houses.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_05: All right, we go on to the next question, and Mr.
• 51:51
  SPEAKER_05: Pickett will be first to answer.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_05: Um, local businesses cite high health insurance costs and shortages of doctors and mental health providers as barriers to hiring here in the high country.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_05: What would you do in Raleigh to lower costs or expand access to care in rural counties, like Wataka?
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_04: It's a subject that um we hear a lot about in North Carolina because we do have high cost of health care here in North Carolina.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_04: Some of it I'm not completely sure of why it costs so much more.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_04: What what are the costs?
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_04: Why is it cost more here?
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_04: As far as getting doctors and things to come to this area, I don't know what the state could do to make doctors want to come to an area like this.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_04: I know a few doctors, serve with a few doctors.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_04: They tell me so a lot of the issues that they have of able to try to get doctors to come into rural areas.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_04: They get young doctors coming out of med school, they don't want to go to the rural areas.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_04: They prefer to go to the big cities, they prefer to go specialize in the really high-level specialties, and that's what they like to do.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_04: I remember I had an eye doctor here many years ago, and he retired.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_04: It took almost a year for them to find another eye doctor, and that was their words to me, and I was I was just a citizen.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_04: I had not served on council or anything at that time.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_04: And they said that they could not find anyone in young doctor that wanted to move up here.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_04: They were having to try to find older doctors that were ready to do something different and come up here.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't know why.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_04: It's the most wonderful place to live.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_04: I've lived here and stayed here.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_04: It's a beautiful place to live.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_04: It's so nice.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_04: Got great schools, we have great people.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm not sure why we have problems getting some of those folks to come to this area.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: Mr.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_05: Wallin.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, one of the reasons that uh I have heard from many folks uh of why we can't have the uh healthcare uh professionals in this area is back to what we've talked about a lot tonight.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_00: We've talked about how we we don't have adequate child care across the uh across the uh region that we can provide for folks and uh affordable housing.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you know, even I I remember at one of the early forums on the task force, uh, the comment was made by hospital uh personnel that even doctors and uh some of the other healthcare professions struggle to find places to live.
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're a new doctor coming out and you're paying for your loans back and you're trying to find a home in this area, the high cost of living is just is is really hurting us here in the high country to be able to provide um to provide and have places for them to come and live.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh another big thing that we're gonna have to focus on is to continue uh expanding the Medicaid.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we have to continue to fund it because our rural hospitals rely on it.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I am really nervous about what's gonna happen over the next five or six years as we see a severe decline in our rural hospitals, and fewer and fewer folks are going or having that option in rural areas.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_00: And we've got to do better about making sure that our local hospitals, our health department had to lay off 39 people this past year because they didn't have enough money to cover those positions across the board.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_00: We have to do better.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_00: We have to find use Medicaid, we have to use other funding sources to make sure that we provide health care for this state.
• 55:28
  unknown: Ms.
• 55:29
  SPEAKER_05: Bender.
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'll have to say the same thing.
• 55:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, affordability, housing, childcare.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_03: This is why they don't want to come to an area that will pay them probably$20,000 to$50,000,$70,000 less a year that go into the bigger cities.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I will share something that may some of you know, some may not, but in Cowell County, um, in our hospital, which I think is, you know, uh I've had some good uh experiences and others not so great.
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um it all comes to different situations.
• 56:02
  SPEAKER_03: But I will say if you are having a baby in Cowell County, we do not have a way for you to have it in our hospital.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_03: We have lost that capability a couple years ago, and now you have to go either to uh Morganton or you have to go to Hickory, and that is unbelievable, heartbreaking.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, what does that tell families that would like to move to this area that we can't even deliver your children?
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and that is a core problem.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, this is not the only issue.
• 56:33
  SPEAKER_03: We have others, um, but if we cannot entice these uh folks, doctors, specialists to come here, then now we're putting the burden into our community that they have to drive to the bigger cities.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_03: And as gas expensive as it is, that some of them may not have it.
• 56:50
  SPEAKER_03: So we we need to focus on giving affordable uh services and um just keep taking back that Medicare extension.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, um come on, uh we we can do better.
• 57:01
  SPEAKER_03: We need that service for our community, for our elderly and for the children and the disabled community.
• 57:07
  SPEAKER_01: Mr.
• 57:07
  SPEAKER_01: Hughes.
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I know uh the uh the the budget this year came through, and there was uh to my knowledge, nothing really for mental health, which has created a serious burden.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I was talking with the Sheriff's Department in Avery County, and you know, with the the cuts to mental health, the services we have in Avery County are almost nonexistent.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_01: So the sheriff's department has to kind of pick up that tab and that responsibility, but they receive no training, they receive no extra funding.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so they're having to kind of bring in people with mental health issues, and they, I mean, they've got nowhere to put them but in jail for a little time.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's a real travesty.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_01: And just, you know, when we think about what we're talking about here, we are looking for funds and money.
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_01: We're looking to for people, for their education, for their health care, for their mental health, for the real things that the people of Western Carolina need.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_01: And we know that over the last 10, 15 years in Raleigh, there has been a direct move to reducing taxes.
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_01: And our taxes are our revenue, right?
• 58:17
  SPEAKER_01: That is how we provide these things.
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_01: Governments are the purpose of government is to serve the people.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason we levy taxes is so the government can do its work and serve the people.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_01: So until we fix this uh just going downhill on our corporate tax and reducing our tax streams, I don't really see a great way that we're gonna produce the revenue to meet these needs.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_05: All right, we're gonna give you a chance now to make your case to the voters.
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_05: You'll have two minutes for your closing comments, and we'll start this off with Mr.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_05: Wallen.
• 58:55
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I just want to thank everybody who came out tonight um and uh are present in the audience and anyone who might be watching the live stream at home.
• 59:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I appreciate you being here, being engaged citizens, uh wanting to learn more about all of us so that you can make an informed decision.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I hope that you have learned something tonight.
• 59:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we'll uh we'll take it and uh and share with your friends uh the information that you heard tonight.
• 59:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I appreciate uh members of the press who are here tonight, uh who have done a uh who were covering the event and we'll we'll share as well.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I want to thank the chambers for putting this event on.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it is it is so nice that uh that you provide this, as I've said.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_00: And one last time to the app theater uh for opening the doors again and making this space available.
• 59:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um folks, um, we have real decisions to make come November uh the third, and we have real decisions that we need to make of how we're gonna go forward as a state.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we have serious challenges ahead of us.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we need real leaders who are gonna go to Raleigh, who are gonna advocate, who are gonna step up, and who are gonna try to do what's right for the constituents and listen to all the people here in Wataga Ash and Allegheny County and take back the ideas and be able to work across the aisles.
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_00: I have made it a passion of mine to not just uh listen to one side or the other.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_00: I worked across the aisles.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_00: I've worked across the aisles as a county commissioner uh with many of my colleagues who were who were of who were the Republican side, and we worked together to come up with some of the best plans.
• 1:00:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, our country was funded, founded on a uh system of everyone coming together and working out what is best for everyone, and that everyone should be included in all the conversations and not just a select few.
• 1:00:44
  SPEAKER_00: Folks, uh, I want to go and be a difference in Raleigh.
• 1:00:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, my uh my opponent has V has voted against a lot of the interests of this area over time, and I'd encourage you to look.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_00: But I ask for your vote, and I will make a difference, and I will be available, and I will be the leader that you want for this high country.
• 1:01:02
  unknown: Ms.
• 1:01:03
  SPEAKER_03: Bender I wanted to say thank you, uh, you guys, for inviting me, especially because um I'm the majority of my constituents are not in this part of the district, and but they are all as important.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_03: And I wanted to say um when you look at someone to vote for, I do not necessarily like to say, oh, it's red, oh it's blue.
• 1:01:28
  SPEAKER_03: That is not what matters.
• 1:01:30
  SPEAKER_03: We need to focus on who can do the job, who can do a better job, who can represent it, who can fight for what we need.
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we are in Western North Carolina, and sometimes I feel like we are forgotten because we're a little further out.
• 1:01:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and if we don't have good representation, it shows.
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_03: It shows in the quality of what we have to deal with in the day-to-day.
• 1:01:54
  SPEAKER_03: So I hope people think uh when they're ready to vote, um, look at it, uh, check it out, ask questions, email, uh, make a phone call.
• 1:02:03
  SPEAKER_03: Happy to answer whatever you might need.
• 1:02:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, because I know tonight is not enough time for people to get to know us.
• 1:02:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I do like to remind folks, this is not about a party.
• 1:02:14
  SPEAKER_03: It is not about that.
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's about people that will sit there and do the job and do whatever it takes.
• 1:02:22
  SPEAKER_03: Because if I cannot get along with the next person, whether it's next to me, whether it's across from me, I am not the right person for the job.
• 1:02:30
  SPEAKER_03: I need to go there.
• 1:02:30
  SPEAKER_03: I need to fight for you because when I fight for you, I fight for my family.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_03: My children live here, my husband here.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_03: We work here in this community.
• 1:02:38
  SPEAKER_03: We chose to be here.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_03: For the last 20 years, we have called Cowboy County our home.
• 1:02:43
  SPEAKER_03: And I want to say I've made that choice, and I want to go ahead and give everybody the opportunity to have a representative when they go ahead and just fill that ballot uh November 3rd or earlier.
• 1:02:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I hope that you vote early.
• 1:02:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I like to let people know, make sure that you do your research.
• 1:03:01
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, follow what they've done for the incumbent side, what have they done for you, and then give us a chance to go ahead and do a better job if that's what you think we need to do.
• 1:03:11
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_05: Hughes.
• 1:03:13
  SPEAKER_01: All right, yeah, thank you, everybody.
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you all for coming out.
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the midterm is, of course, uh, like we said, an incredibly important time.
• 1:03:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, don't forget early voting is on the 15th.
• 1:03:23
  SPEAKER_01: And you, you know, vote early.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, uh, and that way, just in case something happens on the third and you can't make it, you're taken care of.
• 1:03:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I would like to say, you know, one of the things that I will say, uh, my opponent has been in office for 16 years.
• 1:03:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm a big supporter of term limits because I think it helps us get fresh ideas in the office.
• 1:03:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and what you have seen from me tonight is just that.
• 1:03:49
  SPEAKER_01: I've been, uh we weren't given these questions beforehand.
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so on several of these questions, I've been tossing out um ideas.
• 1:03:56
  SPEAKER_01: And that is one of the things I want to find these solutions.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_01: And to find these solutions, we have to have discussions.
• 1:04:03
  SPEAKER_01: To find these solutions, we also have to work together.
• 1:04:06
  SPEAKER_01: Political party or no political party.
• 1:04:08
  SPEAKER_01: The most important thing in North Carolina is the people of North Carolina.
• 1:04:12
  SPEAKER_01: And the people in Raleigh need to be working for us.
• 1:04:16
  SPEAKER_01: We need to be working as hard as we can to meet all these various needs.
• 1:04:21
  SPEAKER_01: So we've got a long way ahead of us.
• 1:04:23
  SPEAKER_01: We've got a lot of work to do.
• 1:04:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I hope I can count on your support in November to send me to Raleigh and help work on these uh tough problems and bring us real solutions to help increase our quality of life here in Western Carolina.
• 1:04:38
  SPEAKER_01: And again, uh, my name is uh Frank Hughes, and it has been an honor to be here.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, all I'm gonna say with this campaign from Allegheny County down to Haywood, we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
• 1:04:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to make sure that this is a wonderful place to raise a family, to live your life, to retire in, and to enjoy.
• 1:05:01
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you very much, everybody, and have a good night.
• 1:05:05
  SPEAKER_05: Mr.
• 1:05:06
  SPEAKER_05: Pickett.
• 1:05:07
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 1:05:08
  SPEAKER_04: I want to thank everyone involved.
• 1:05:09
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you for inviting me.
• 1:05:10
  SPEAKER_04: It's been a pleasure to be here.
• 1:05:12
  SPEAKER_04: But tonight I'm asking for your vote to go back to Raleigh because I have advocated for this district nonstop for six years.
• 1:05:19
  SPEAKER_04: I brought a lot back to this county.
• 1:05:21
  SPEAKER_04: I bought a brought back to Ash County and Allegheny as well.
• 1:05:24
  SPEAKER_04: I've done a lot for this district to try to help people here.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_04: I've heard a lot of ideas up here, but all of those ideas need one thing.
• 1:05:32
  SPEAKER_04: Where's the money coming from?
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_04: Because corporate taxes will not do it.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_04: It's gonna take taxes increased on everybody in the state to implement all these plans to give things out the way they want to give them out because it's gonna cost money.
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_04: And it's gonna have to come from every one of you because you can't just tax one group of people and pay for all the things that needs to be done.
• 1:05:55
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna have to do them piecemeal, we're gonna have to do a little bit at the time, and we're gonna have to try other revenue sources.
• 1:06:01
  SPEAKER_04: And we can find some of those, and I'm the leader that can go to Raleigh and get some of those ideas done.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_04: I reach across the aisle.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_04: I have many friends on the other side, and they are my friends.
• 1:06:11
  SPEAKER_04: And we talk about ideas.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_04: They listen to my ideas, I listen to them.
• 1:06:16
  SPEAKER_04: I'm a leader you can count on in Raleigh, and I hope that you'll vote for me in November.
• 1:06:21
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 1:06:25
  SPEAKER_05: These are your candidates for NC House and NC Senate, NC House District 93, incumbent Ray Pickett, and his challenger Charlie Wallin.
• 1:06:36
  SPEAKER_05: For NC House 87, Iris Bender is the challenger for Destin Hall, the incumbent.
• 1:06:43
  SPEAKER_05: And NC Senate 47, Frank Hughes III is the challenger to incumbent Ralph Heist.
• 1:06:51
  SPEAKER_05: Please give them a big hand.
• 1:06:52
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you for your service.
• 1:06:55
  SPEAKER_06: That concludes this special edition of Mind Your Business.
• 1:06:57
  SPEAKER_06: Subscribers of our podcast will see these full archives for each of our individual candidate interviews, as well as the full archives of our in-person forum broken down by race, all available on your podcast platform of choice.
• 1:07:10
  SPEAKER_06: A benefit from being a subscriber.
• 1:07:12
  SPEAKER_06: You can also visit Boodchamber.com for a link to our MindYour Business archives.
• 1:07:16
  SPEAKER_06: It will have a list on our main page access to these archives as well.
• 1:07:21
  SPEAKER_06: Thanks to the staff and volunteers of the food area and bowling chambers of commerce for making this more flexible.
• 1:07:27
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you for your interest in our local elections.
• 1:07:30
  SPEAKER_06: We encourage you to ask your ballot and have your voice heard in this 2026 general election.
• 1:07:36
  SPEAKER_06: Thanks for listening.
• 1:07:37
  SPEAKER_06: I'm David Jackson.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_06: So long, everybody.