Representative George Cleveland is Welcomed at 3^rd District Meeting

Vice Chairman Rachel Sturz, introduced NC House District 14 Rep. George Cleveland. After 25 years, George retired from the Marine Corps in 1978. He attended University of Maryland, earning a degree in Math Education, and taught school for 8 years. George   worked for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U. S. Department of State for four years prior to full time retirement.  He returned permanently to N.C. in 1989 and in 2004, was elected to the NC House; George is currently in his second term serving Onslow County.

In his bold and colorful way, George gave us an update and overview of some of the current happenings in Raleigh. Our current State Treasurer, and wannabe governor, says we can borrow money even with our current debt. Our State Auditor, Les Merritt disagrees, he says we need some major spending changes before we can take on more debt.

Of course, and unfortunately, we increased our budget. George states, “The crows are coming home to roost.” Our economy is slowing down.  We have challenges, and some of them could have been solved, but the Democrats would not do it, he says they like to function in a crisis mode. George suspects that a tax increase is on the horizon.

The Blue Ribbon Panel on Transportation is going to recommend that the 172 million dollar transfer from the highway trust fund to the general fund be stopped. The Panel will also recommend that the Legislature fund what is called the gap for toll roads.  This gap is the difference between the amount of tolls that can be collected to pay for the roads and what they actually cost to build. Consequently, toll road projects are being studied. They are also looking at couple of other ways to raise funds that includes: A 2 million dollar bond for roads, which will require a vote; and increasing the fees for driver licenses, tags etc. After spending millions to build I795, it is falling apart and will require another 10 million to fix it.  This is because the leadership at DOT ignored warnings from the local district engineer that the thickness of the asphalt was too thin.  He stated that the Department of Transportation problems will only be solved by a revamping of the agency and getting politics out of road building.  The State Auditor alluded to this in a performance audit that found that DOT wasted 152 million dollars in funded road projects from unnecessary changes and delays.

George stated that the Mental Health reforms were very good, but the implementation was extremely flawed and created an expensive and embarrassing debacle. It appears that the new director of Health and Human Services will make positive changes. And Dorothea Dix will remain in operation for the foreseeable future.

Education in North Carolina is a challenge. The high school graduation rate is dismal, and too many of our kids cannot read. There must be more options and emphasis placed on vocational education as well as academic pursuits. George stated that, our universities and colleges are the best, but they are taking more money than they should. We must deal effectively with the tuition fees for illegal immigrants.

Our prison population has increased significantly, putting pressure on the Legislature to change the sentencing structure in the State. The moratorium on the death penalty brought about by the Medical Association ruling that doctors could not be present at executions is in court and should be resolved this year.

George let us know that we have challenges ahead. He gave us the benefit of his experiences and mentioned a few ideas for candidates in regard to issues to raise while campaigning. George is running for re-election but has an opponent in the Primary on May 6^th.

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