What will we talk about?

by Tom Campbell, Executive Producer and Moderator, NC SPIN, November 3, 2016.

Come Tuesday night (or soon after) we should know the outcomes of the long and contentious 2016 elections. It has been the subject of frequent conversations, dominated our news cycles, filled both our email and snail mailboxes and loaded our voicemails. We are weary from the election, but can’t help but ponder: when it is over what we will talk about?

North Carolinians need to devote our energies to helping thousands of our neighbors impacted by Hurricane Matthew. Governor McCrory says he will call a special session of the legislature to deal with disaster response, but government alone won’t be enough. The effects of Matthew will linger for many months, requiring churches, charitable organizations and individuals to help with cleanup, repairs and other necessities. People need our physical, emotional and financial support.

While the legislature is in Raleigh for the special session it is time to stop the bleeding resulting from HB2. Nobody likes to admit when they are wrong but most can agree the damage is real, significant and needs to stop. There is a common sense solution that can be a win-win. Since local governments are creations of the state, our legislature can overturn the Charlotte ordinance, repeal HB2 and simultaneously establish a high-level group of people from all perspectives to engage in honest discussions about discrimination and the rights for all. We have confidence such a group could find acceptable solutions and report to the 2017 legislature.

Thankfully, North Carolina’s economy has improved considerably. Some of that improvement can be directly attributed to actions taken by our legislature, governor and economic developers, but it also must be said that some of it is a result of the normal cyclical nature of our state’s economy. There are, however, trouble spots. Our unemployment picture is certainly brighter and more than 250,000 new jobs have been created, but much of that improvement has benefitted Mecklenburg, Wake and the more urban counties. Rural counties continue to suffer and decline. Income growth in the middle class is sluggish; many of the new jobs come from sectors that don’t pay as well as those requiring more skills and training. Employers increasingly complain they cannot find workers for the jobs they need to fill, inevitably leading into the topic of education.

Our state has made improvements in education but not enough. We need reform at the k-12, community college and university levels. We spend so much time talking about issues like teacher pay, per-pupil expenditures, test scores and subjects like charter schools, all worthy of consideration, but the ultimate goal is student outcomes. Those not wanting or unable to seek higher education struggle to find jobs and too many graduates require remediation courses to perform in community colleges and our universities. Community colleges are not adequately funded for workforce training and university costs are too high for too many. There is much work to be done.

The election has sidelined a long list of issues like healthcare, environmental, public safety, agricultural and other concerns. So let’s give ourselves permission to take a deep breath and clear our minds for a few days following the election. We’ve got a lot to discuss and we should renew our resolve to talk but, more essentially, to find solutions that will make North Carolina better.