Power companies are pushing hard in Raleigh for a sweetheart deal in state law that would let them make enormously expensive mistakes—and leave the public paying the bill. Read More »

It's been another active week on the campaign trail since my last Campaign Journal report. Last Friday evening, I attended the NAACP dinner in Winston-Salem, then headed to Charlotte the next morning for a meeting of the National League of Cities' Central Cities Council Steering Committee, on which I serve. On Sunday, it was over to a campaign meet-and-greet in Chapel Hill (more on that in the next item). On Monday, city responsibilities kept me at home as the Winston-Salem City Council passed our annual budget. On Wednesday, I spoke to Boys State in Salisbury, then zipped to Raleigh for a Lillian's List fundraiser honoring Democratic women lawmakers. While in Raleigh, I stopped by the 51-hour Hog Vigil to express support for efforts to clean up hog waste lagoons permanently in our state. I also dropped in on my friends in the Wake County Progressive Democrats monthly meeting. Yesterday, it was back to Charlotte for the Uptown Democratic Forum discussion on dealing with gangs. From there, I made track ... Read More »

I had a great time in Chapel Hill last Sunday afternoon, talking with supporters and interested area residents at the home of Dave and Polly Moreau. Read More »

Most of you receiving this Campaign Journal will have received a separate note from me yesterday on this topic. But, just in case you hadn't noticed it yet, let me briefly mention it again. Read More »

On June 3, I headed east to Wayne County for the Third Congressional District Democratic Convention. Talking with the hard-working Democratic leaders of the Third District, I enjoyed speaking of my experiences during a decade living in Craven County, right in the heart of that district. For most of that time, I worked as a Legal Services attorney for poor families in ten coastal counties. Read More »

Yesterday, I took part in an extended and thoughtful discussion of how we can meet the growing transportation needs of our state, while acting as responsible stewards of our farmland, forests, and residential communities as well. The N.C. Alliance for Transportation Reform held its annual membership meeting in Kernersville, and invited me to be one of its featured speakers. We carried on a lively conversation on the roles of new road construction, maintenance, rail, and other public and alternate transit. Most participants agreed that a stronger coordination of transportation systems and land use planning is needed.

I am most appreciative of my colleagues in Winston-Salem city and Forsyth county leadership roles (especially Mayor Allen Joines, City Council Members Molly Leight, Wanda Merschel, and Nelson Malloy, County Commissioners Beaufort Bailey and Walter Marshall, and school board members Geneva Brown and Elisabeth Motsinger), for joining as sponsors of our first big fundraising event of this campaign. We had a great turnout and gratifying financial returns from the June 5 event at the Zevely House in Winston-Salem.

North Carolina this year can substantially shrink the number of children in poor working families who have no access to health care. Read More »

That usually means too little preventive care, health problems diagnosed late, and often desperate visits to the emergency room. Combined, that means more sick children—and even higher medical costs for the rest of us, adding economic insult to moral injury. Read More »

Today is Memorial Day. Today we honor the sacrifice of those who have lost their lives in striving to safeguard our country. I took part this evening in the memorial observation sponsored by the Triad Vietnam Veterans Association. The event is held every year at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, where a plaza of monuments honors each Forsyth County resident who lost his or her life in the armed service of our country, beginning with the First World War. The centerpiece of the Memorial Day event each year is the reading of each name aloud. There were new names this year. Read More »