Bell seeks third term in House
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 7, 2015 1:46 PM
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John Bell
District 10 state Rep. John Bell of Goldsboro has filed for a third term.
"It has been a great honor to serve the 10th District in Raleigh," said Bell, a Republican. "I am continually humbled by the outpouring of support from the voters in Craven, Greene, Lenoir and Wayne counties. I am tremendously proud of the work we have been able to accomplish, but our job is not over, and I am asking for your support, prayers, and vote in 2016.
"I will continue to fight for a better and stronger eastern North Carolina, and I am hopeful that the people of Craven, Greene, Lenoir and Wayne counties will continue to support my efforts on their behalf."
The candidate filing period for the 2016 primary and general election began at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and ends at noon on Monday, Dec. 21.
"The reason I filed is that I feel we need strong representation in eastern North Carolina," Bell said. "That was the reason I filed at the very beginning.
"With some of the changeover (in the House) and people leaving it gives me the opportunity to be more effective and fight for rural North Carolina. That is why I decided to file again."
In addition to being elected the chamber's majority whip this past session, Bell currently serves as chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee.
He is also chairman of the Sportsman's Caucus.
"In the next cycle I will actually be the senior chair," he said. "Senator (Buck) Newton is co-chair and he is running for attorney general. So that just leaves me. We have a number of wildlife issues and what we were able to do with the Outdoor Heritage Act.
"Then we have the push we are making to ensure that our sportsmen have a voice in Raleigh. We are working on fishery issues we have on our coast and making sure our outdoor heritage is relevant and has a voice in Raleigh. That is something that I will be working on. This last session, looking at a lot of things we did really benefited eastern North Carolina."
For example, stopping a transfer from the Highway Trust Fund put between $220 million to $230 million back into transportation, he said.
"Also, look at the things we did to protect our military bases, whether it is in-state tuition for our veterans," Bell said. "Those are all key for our area and district."
Another accomplishment is the change as to how sales tax revenues are distributed that will mean a little more than $1 million to Wayne County and more money to the other counties in the district, Bell said.
Bell also pointed to efforts to get Wayne County's proposed $16 million agricultural and convention center "off the ground" by getting a countywide 1 percent hotel occupancy tax approved.
An upcoming state bond referendum would bring about $4 million to Wayne Community College, $8 million to Lenoir Community College and around $4 million for Craven Community College, he said.
"Our community college system does a good job, and we need people to be employed and get back to work," he said. "They (community colleges) are the No. 1 entity that makes it happen."
There are still things to do, Bell said.
For example, the state was able to issue bonuses to all state employees, he said. Bell said he wants to continue to work to ensure state employees are fairly compensated for their work and to continue to move teachers up the salary charts.
Also, Bell said he wants to continue to push for a long-range energy policy for the state to reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Being energy independent is "key" since it not only affects everybody, but also because it is a national security issue, he said.
It is important as well to continue to promote the leading two economic engines in the state -- agriculture and the military, Bell said.
A Mount Olive native, Bell and his wife, Kelli, have a 15-month-old daughter.
He is the business development officer at North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union in Goldsboro.
Bell is a member of the Agriculture Committee, Banking Committee, Commerce and Job Development Committee, Finance Committee, Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee, Judiciary III Committee, Public Utilities Committee, and Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House Committee.
He serves as a member of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Information Technology and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the North Carolina State Lottery.