SOUTHEASTERN, N.C. — Senator Bill Rabon is running for re-election in the North Carolina State Senate District 8, serving Brunswick, Pender and Bladen Counties.
Senator Rabon has served the region since 2010, and is now hoping to be elected for a fifth term. A registered Republican, Rabon will appear on the ballot alongside newcomers Democrat David Sink and Libertarian Anthony Mascolo.
Below are Rabon’s answers to Port City Daily’s questions:
What do you bring to the table?
Experience – both in the real world, running a small business, and in the Senate, where I’ve served four terms and now serve as the Rules Chair.
What bills do you hope to introduce this legislative session?
More tax reform – to help families and businesses keep more of their hard-earned money and keep our economy headed in the right direction.
What is the weakest aspect of the General Assembly at this time?
Most members of the minority party refuse to work with the majority on even the most common-sense solutions because of politics.
What is the strongest aspect of the General Assembly at this time?
Discipline. We have resisted spending every dime the state takes in, balanced our budget and saved for a rainy day – and it’s paying off. We have the resources to help our community rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, we have the resources to fight GenX, we have given tax relief to families and workers, and we have raised teacher pay and invested substantially in public schools.
How are you similar to your constituents? How are you different?
We all love Southeastern North Carolina. And I believe most of my constituents agree we need to find conservative, common sense solutions to the state’s problems.
What are the top three issues District 8 faces at this time?
- Recovering from Hurricane Florence
- Jobs
- Education
How specifically do you plan to address these issues as an elected representative?
Recovering from Hurricane Florence: With so many families and businesses displaced and suffering, this must continue to be the General Assembly’s top priority. I was proud to help build up the state’s Rainy Day Fund to over $2 billion dollars in case a natural disaster hit us hard. Now that one has, we have appropriated over $800 million to help victims recover and rebuild. I’ll make sure the state does its part and ensure families and businesses get the relief they need.
Jobs: North Carolina’s economy is headed in the right direction, thanks to smart budgeting, tax relief, regulatory reforms and education investments that have made our state a better place to live and do business. I will keep taxes low and protect pro-business policies that are putting people back to work and attracting new industries to Southeastern North Carolina.
Schools: Our students are our future workforce – soon they’ll power our communities and our economy. I voted to raise teacher pay five years in a row, reduce class sizes, build new rural schools, and guarantee students are reading proficiently by fourth grade. I’ll always support education reforms that improve our schools and help our students succeed.
What do you consider to be the greatest accomplishments of your current term?
Voting to save a record $2 billion dollars into the state’s Rainy Day Fund, and then appropriating $800 million of that money to help our state recover from Hurricane Florence.
Do you believe the state’s film industry shift from an incentive to a grant program for the film industry has been successful?
I supported Senator Michael Lee’s successful efforts to stabilize film revenue and increase the size of the grant program to protect film jobs in Southeastern North Carolina.
Does the state’s environmental team have the resources it needs to address the issues we’re facing?
It does now. This year, thanks to Senator Michael Lee, we appropriated over $10 million dollars to the state agency responsible for solving the GenX problem and gave Governor Cooper the authority to shut down the Chemours plant.
Send tips and comments to Johanna Ferebee at johanna@localvoicemedia.com
