SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — A former Marine, Democratic candidate Eric Terashima will face off against incumbent Frank Iler (R) in Brunswick County’s District 17 race for the N.C. House of Representatives.
Port City Daily has sent a questionnaire to every candidate appearing on ballots in the tri-county region, even those unopposed, ahead of the Nov. 8, 2022 election.
PCD asked candidates to address issues such as PFAS, women’s rights, affordable healthcare and more.
Terashima’s stances on issues are discussed below. All answers are included in full and the candidate’s opinions and statements are not a reflection of Port City Daily. Responses are edited only for grammar, spelling and clarity.
The paywall is dropped on candidate questionnaires to help voters make informed decisions ahead of Election Day.
To prepare, here are a few dates for readers to keep in mind:
- Absentee ballots will be available Sept. 9 and have a Nov. 1 deadline.
- Registration to vote will open until Oct. 14; afterward, according to the state board of elections, same-day registration only will be available during one-stop early voting.
- Early voting begins Oct. 20 and remains open through Nov. 5 (3:30 p.m.).
- Election Day polls open Nov. 8, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Locations to vote early in Brunswick County include the government center (30 Government Center Dr.), Leland Cultural Arts Center (1212 Magnolia Village Way), Brunswick Center at Southport (1513 N. Howe St., #1), Brunswick Center at Shallotte (3620 Express Dr.), and Southwest Brunswick Branch Library (9400 Ocean Hwy W.).
Once early voting closes, voters will need to go to the location listed on their voter registration card.
To see a sample ballot for the upcoming election, fill in voter registration info here.
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Port City Daily (PCD): Name three projects that you would advocate for funding and why.
Eric Terashima: Replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge is important as the main artery that connects New Hanover and Brunswick Counties.
Teacher pay needs to be significantly increased so that the salaries are competitive to attract and retain high quality teachers.
Medicaid coverage needs to be expanded to provide healthcare coverage to more people.
PCD: What can you bring to the table to address the affordable housing crisis currently facing residents?
ET: Greedy corporations have been wantonly raising rent. We need a tenant protection law that is tied to the Consumer Price Index. NC also needs to reinstitute incentives for developers to make housing appropriate for lower income folks.
PCD: How do you propose the government assist with combating inflation and its ramifications — raising rents, groceries, utilities, prescription drugs, gas — on working families?
ET: We need to start with feeding the children in public schools. Hungry children cannot learn to the best of their ability. Not only is this good for the children, but it will help their hard-working parents with the bills and time they dedicate to feeding their children.
PCD: There has been a lot of talk about reforming ABC laws in the state, often called “draconian” by business owners tied to them. Would you support revising some of the laws and do you support privatization — why or why not?
ET: Yes, I support privatization. This will generate business and increase the state’s coffers by reducing all of the overhead. It will also increase availability to the public. Tax alcohol so that it remains a viable income stream for local and state governments.
PCD: Where do you stand on women’s reproductive health rights and would you support legislation to further restrict abortions in North Carolina?
ET: I am pro-choice, and support legislation that reduces the restrictions that are currently in place.
The US is in first place in the industrialized world for maternal death. That is not where we should be. The state has no place impeding women’s healthcare, and this will result in further reductions to the bureaucracy of the state government.
PCD: The state has been recognized as one of the best in business. How far should North Carolina go to attract companies and promote economic development?
ET: Promoting economic development and creating more, good paying jobs should be one of the state’s highest priorities.
PCD: What needs to be done to address PFAs in North Carolinians’ drinking water?
ET: More testing of PFAs needs to be conducted to clearly understand the threat and especially of long term exposure. Cleaning of PFAs needs to be more stringent as well as holding companies accountable for putting PFAs in our water.
PCD: What do you consider the top issues in our K-12 schools right now and how would you work to address it?
ET: New teacher applications have been declining and teacher attrition has been increasing. Significantly increase teacher pay. Hire additional support personnel such as psychologists and social workers. Increase infrastructure to help reduce class sizes.
PCD: Where do you stand on the decriminalization of marijuana? Explain.
ET: Marijuana should be decriminalized for medical use. When North Carolinians are ready for recreational use and expungement of criminal records, that should be voted by referendum. Give the power back to the people.
PCD: How does the state need to improve its flood resilience plan to prevent disaster scenarios, like Hurricane Florence’s aftermath?
ET: Improving the roads for better trafficability, and improve the power grid for better resilience. The state also needs to drastically improve the recovery plan for those who are displaced from their housing. It should not take this long to get people back into their homes and to have their houses properly repaired.
PCD: Do you support the state’s progression toward offshore wind development? Clean energy tax breaks? Explain.
ET: Yes, the state should develop more offshore wind power to create more jobs, and to help clean the atmosphere. Yes, clean energy tax breaks should continue to incentivize people to invest in solar energy and clean running vehicles.
PCD: What would your main priorities be to address infrastructure needs in North Carolina?
ET: Repair and replace bridges because they are inherently dangerous. More roads need to be widened with overpasses installed to reduce traffic.
PCD: Are there any actions you support to make North Carolina a more equitable state and provide opportunities to historically marginalized populations?
ET: Criminal justice codes need to be changed to reduce the prison population, and stop the disenfranchisement of people when getting out of the jail system.
PCD: Coming out of 2021, wherein NC garnered over $400 million from film projects, should North Carolina take steps to strengthen the industry, such as improving grants?
ET: Yes, movie industry grants should increase to continue to foster a better relationship with the industry.
PCD: What resources do we need in place to continue to fight Covid-19? How should the state prepare for a future pandemic?
ET: The current resources to fight Covid-19 are sufficient. NC should prepare for a future pandemic by developing a playbook, and prepare a stockpile of PPE.
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