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News: Primary Election 2008 Preview
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Primary 2008Return to the list of candidates. Kathy TaftAge: 60 Residence: Greenville Occupation: Executive Director of Communities in Schools of Pitt County, state Board of Education Q: How do you plan to balance Greene and Pitt counties’ needs with the needs of Wayne County? A: I will balance the needs of Wayne County with the needs of Pitt County and Greene County by having good communication with the people in all three counties and being visible as often as possible. Q: How can the state help the counties/regions in terms of economic development, farmland preservation, water resources? A: Balance is going to be a huge issue in the legislature. The value of economic development is a reality but we must balance this development with environmental concerns and the preservation of the family farm, our forests, clean water and air quality. Q: Will you continue Medicaid relief? A: I will continue to make certain that our Medicaid funds are spent in an efficient manner and that state and federal government does not burden our counties with responsibilities we simply cannot meet. Q: Will you raise the gas tax? If not, how will you pay for transportation needs? Will you pledge to not push secondary road maintenance responsibilities onto the counties? A: At this time I have no plan to raise the North Carolina tax on gasoline. Again, we must balance the transportation needs and make certain that we use careful, smart planning when addressing transportation needs. I will not make promises that as a legislator, I may be unable to keep but will do what I can to not burden our communities. Q: Will you lower state income taxes? A: I will look at creative ways to address the state income taxes paid by North Carolina residents. Q: With the state experiencing surpluses in recent years, how will you deal with the likely deficits as the economy continues to go south? A: As a newly elected legislator, I will study, listen and learn and will make decisions based on what the people in Greene, Pitt and Wayne counties support. I will continue to do what I have always done and vote for what serves the greater good. Q: How do you plan to deal with the rapidly overcrowding of the state’s prisons and county jails? A: We must focus on preventing the overcrowding and search for newer and better ways to handle our state’s criminal process. Q: What can be done to help counties deal with school facility financing? A: The North Carolina Education lottery is helping with school facility funding but we need to do more. I am more than willing to looking at the manner in which counties receive capital outlay funding and at rules and regulations that hamper 21st century planning and building of school buildings. Q: What message do you want to take to Raleigh about eastern North Carolina? A: I have represented eastern North Carolina for over twenty years on the North Carolina State Board of Education. I have traveled the roads and visited the communities. I believe that eastern NC is the best place to live and raise a family. We are very important to the economy of North Carolina and this must be recognized and we must receive our fair share. I will not shy away from bragging about what we offer and demanding that we receive our fair share in the east. |
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