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News: Primary Election 2008 Preview
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Primary 2008Return to the list of candidates. Nena ReevesAge: 48 Residence: Clayton Occupation: Former owner of Health Services Personnel Inc. Q: How do you plan to balance Johnston County’s needs with the needs of Wayne County? A: Both counties have deep roots in eastern North Carolina culture and our economy. As senator, I will look to build a stronger bond between community leaders in both counties. There may be a county line that divides us but really we are not that different. Q: How can the state help the counties/regions in terms of economic development, farmland preservation, water resources? A: By restructuring our state government to provide better utilization of our tax dollars. Therefore, increasing our local tax burden is hurting not only farmers, but all our citizens and businesses. Q: Will you continue Medicaid relief? A: Raleigh needs to assume the responsibility. There also needs to be tighter restrictions on who qualifies for these services and who doesn't. 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: DOT should be dismantled and completely restructured to allow more local control over local roads. We need to replace the so-called “equity formula” with one that is based upon current and future growth needs. Q: Will you lower state income taxes? A: I will introduce legislation for an expanded child tax credit for our working families that will lower the state income tax for working families in North Carolina. Our entire tax structure needs to be overhauled. There also needs to be tax breaks for our elderly who are on limited incomes. 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: First, we have not been saving enough, so the rainy day fund needs to be increased. Secondly, we need to prioritizes our funding needs so our biggest priority is funded first, then our second priority and so forth. Q: How do you plan to deal with the rapidly overcrowding of the state’s prisons and county jails? A: We need to examine more cost efficient measures in the Department of Corrections and go to a no-thrills but secure prison systems. We should provide the bare minimum. Secondly, we need to force the federal government to do their part created by their failure on immigration. Q: What can be done to help counties deal with school facility financing? A: Stop sending unfunded state mandates to the counties so the tax revenue generated locally can go into school construction projects. Q: What message do you want to take to Raleigh about eastern North Carolina? A: That we are part of what make North Carolina the greatest state in the Union and that if we want to keep it that way, we better start approaching solving the problems of our state with a little eastern North Carolina common sense and less politics from the politicians. Our leaders should represent us, not special interests. |
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