The Mount Airy News contacted the four candidates running for the North Carolina Senate District 36 seat, representing Mount Airy and Surry County. We presented the candidates with three questions, asking them to limit their answers to roughly 250 words per question. Here are their answers. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Shirley Randleman
Shirley Randleman, 71, of Wilkesboro, has served in both the North Carolina House of Representatives, from 2009 to 2013, and in the State Senate, from 2013-2018. Prior to that she was a long-time Clerk of Superior Court for Wilkes County.
Question: In recent years, there has been a lot of public discussion on the role of government, big vs. small government, intrusion in private lives vs. basic freedoms, and the like. In your opinion, what is the role of the state government in North Carolina?
Randleman: First and foremost, the role of government is to protect our rights as citizens.
Question: What do you believe are the two or three biggest issues facing North Carolinians today, and how do you believe the state government should attack those issues?
Randleman: 1. K-12 education in North Carolina is a major issue with more parents seeking alternatives to public education. We need to create a K-12 education system that meets the needs of parents and students. And of course, teachers. Because of discipline issues, teachers and students should not go to school in fear for themselves because of a lack of discipline. We must demand accountability, discipline in the classrooms, parental involvement, and the use of common sense. I will work with The House Select Committee on an Education System for North Carolina’s future to expand what works and eliminate what doesn’t work. We need to get back to the basics of education “reading, writing, and mathematics” and demand an end to “social engineering” and the indoctrination of our most precious resource, our children.
2. Our counties and the entire state are trying to figure out how to deal with issues associated with mental health and substance abuse. Access to care is a major hurdle for these individuals as overdose deaths have reached record numbers. In the recent opioid settlement agreement, North Carolina will receive $750 million over the course of 18 years most of which will go to the counties to help people and communities impacted by the overdose crisis. With specific guidelines for how each county can use its share of the money, I will push for careful monitoring and oversight of the State Health Department to make sure the guidelines are being followed and that the funds are being used for their intended purpose.
Question: Why are you running for office, and why should voters cast a ballot for you? What sets you apart from your opponent?
Randleman: The Legislature is the law-making branch of government. I served as the elected Clerk of Superior Court for Wilkes County, working in the court system for 34 years. My job was to help people. I implemented, instructed on, and enforced the laws enacted by the legislature. In my role as a legislator, both in The North Carolina House and Senate, this practical experience enabled me to have input on matters being considered and how they would affect individuals and businesses in our communities using a common sense approach.
Eddie Settle
Eddie Settle, 62, of Pleasant Hill, is serving the his third term as a member of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners. He has spent four years as chairman of that board, as well as an additional three years as vice chairman. In addition, he has served on a number of community and civic organizations, including as a deacon at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, and with the Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Board; as a North Carolina Agriculture Committee Chairman for 6 years; Wilkes County Economic Development; on the Wilkes County Library Board for four years; on the Wilkes County Airport Board; the High Country Council of Governments; as well as serving as chairman of the Wilkes County Social Services Board
QUESTION: In recent years, there has been a lot of public discussion on the role of government, big vs. small government, intrusion in private lives vs. basic freedoms, and the like. In your opinion, what is the role of the state government in North Carolina?
Settle: Since my experience is in business and agriculture, I firmly believe in smaller government. I have experienced the state mandates and federal government regulations stifling business. We are still trying to recover from the past two years of Gov. Cooper’s executive powers and mandates. I believe there should be no government mandate for vaccinations, wearing masks, closing businesses or churches. I believe in life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness without government intrusion. The role of state government should include providing good roads, educating our children without indoctrination. Another issue is protection from burning and looting our cities during peaceful protests. When i.e., peaceful protesters start burning and looting our cities, blocking our roads, government should stand with our law enforcement to protect the citizens.
QUESTION: What do you believe are two or three of the biggest issues facing North Carolinians today, and how do you believe the state government should attack those issues?
Settle: Our children are first and foremost the biggest issue. Public education has allowed some educational districts to take a critical turn of direction to indoctrinate our children with Critical Race Theory (CRT), sexism, and racism. Now is the time to take control of this issue! Our children have suffered over the past two years by too many state mandates.
Another issue is voter identification. Voter ID is needed to restore confidence in North Carolina’s election process.
QUESTION: Why are you running for office and why should voters cast a ballot for you? What sets you apart from your opponent?
Settle: I am running because, I can make a difference. I can work across the line and I have a record that supports this.
I am running for the futures of our children, and grandchildren. I am running for the elderly, the veterans, and the working class folks. I grew up being taught by my parents and grandparents, if you don’t’ work, you don’t eat. and that your good name is all you have. I believe in seeking God’s will in my life and the decisions that I make, because I believe in His promise.
What separates me from my opponents are that I believe Donald Trump proved a businessman can run this country better than a politician. I am a businessman and a farmer, not a politician.
Vann Tate
Vann Tate, 57, of Mount Airy, is making a bid for his first elected office, “but I can offer 30 years of experience working in the government since that was my job as an NC State Highway Patrolman,” he said. Tates has held a number of volunteer posts over the years in community civic clubs and in his thurche. “When I retired as an NC State Trooper I established a partnership as president and co-owner of USA Investigative Services, LLC, where I work as a licensed private investigator.”
QUESTION: In recent years, there has been a lot of public discussion on the role of government, big vs. small government, intrusion in private lives vs. basic freedoms, and the like. In your opinion, what is the role of the state government in North Carolina?
Tate: I believe that the closer home a problem is managed, the easier it is to get a hold on. We are seeing difficulties that occur from regulations that come down from DC, meant for the entire country, but often cause concerns for one area while benefiting another. The more each individual state can manage the concerns that area has, the easier it is to manage, and the same goes for each individual county. Each county is like a family, with different needs, different financial setups, and it is more beneficial to keep the management of those needs confined as much as possible. Smaller government does not intrude as greatly into people’s private lives which allows them to feel the freedom that our US Constitution was written to provide us. The role of the state government in North Carolina is to protect those rights, to assure the residents that their lives are as protected as possible, even making new laws to provide that, and to even be the firewall between North Carolina’s citizens and federal regulations that might intrude on the way of life that has been established here in our great state.
QUESTION: What do you believe are the two or three biggest issues facing North Carolinians today, and how do you believe the state government should attack those issues?
Tate: The people of North Carolina need to feel protected in every way possible. It isn’t just a safety issue of having sufficient law enforcement to assure that we have licensed officers at hand, but it is also protection of our way of life. Unfortunately with the “Defund the Police” and the harassment of law enforcement over these past few years, our law enforcement entities have lost personnel, and many are still operating on limited staff. There needs to be encouragement and recruitment for these careers which will help all departments throughout the state. Another concern is also the pay that is available to these individuals who get into law enforcement. The county commissioners and town boards need to step forward along with the state departments to compensate these who serve and protect as they deserve.
The second part of protection is protecting the way of life we have enjoyed in North Carolina. So much of it has been under attack in these past years from our farmers facing unforeseen regulations along with natural disasters to our loss of businesses, both larger and small businesses due to Covid. There have been federal funds that have come into North Carolina from FEMA and from Covid allocations that were made available, but every week I am reading that those funds have also been abused. There must be better oversight as the funds are given out to see that those in need get what is promised as well as the money being invested wisely by the municipalities and counties. Along with the Covid influence has come a surge in population with an unforeseen influx moving primarily from the North into our state, causing a rush on the housing market. This has been profitable for some while putting a burden on our residents to find needed housing which is another developing concern.
And … third … is protection for our children. The new ideals and whims that are being pushed into our educational system need more evaluation before our children are subjected to them. It seems that the educational system has drifted from teaching the basics to often using our children as guinea pigs. Parents have made an impact by stepping forward and objecting which is a great sign because it is not up to the educational system to teach values to the students but something that needs to start at home.
QUESTION: Why are you running for office, and why should voters cast a ballot for you? What sets you apart from your opponent?
Tate: I have known for quite some time that my life experiences have given me much to be shared with others. I want to take to Raleigh what I have learned from working with various departments of the government and from first-hand knowledge of seeing our state laws put to work throughout the years. From my experience as a Trooper I have worked across all socio-economic lines, dealing with all segments from the distressed and needy all the way to working as member of the Security Detail for the Governor of North Carolina.
One thing that sets me apart from my opponents is that I am the youngest of the four so should have a few more years to devote to serving in the State Senate. I also have more diversity than the others seem to have since I have worked in state government and in the private sector as well as having lived and worked in several counties across North Carolina. Because of my years of experience in dealing with people, with some during the worst circumstances of their lives, I have learned to care about each one I encounter. People tell me they find me immediately trustworthy and compassionate and feel I care about their wellbeing. I certainly enjoy working with others, sharing viewpoints and concerns, and finding common ground with a sensible way to address concerns. The most important qualifier that sets me apart from the other candidates is integrity which has been the basis for my life, being honest and putting the needs of others first.
Lee Zachary
Lee Zachary, 75, of Yadkinville, has served four terms — eight years — in the North Carolina House of Representatives. He has also served as mayor of Yadkinville for four years, and as a member of the Yadkin Board of Commissioners for four years.
QUESTION: In recent years, there has been a lot of public discussion on the role of government, big vs. small government, intrusion in private lives vs. basic freedoms, and the like. In your opinion, what is the role of the state government in North Carolina?
Zachary: Overall, I favor less government involvement in citizens’ lives, although I recognize that there are areas in which the government, by virtue of its constitutional duties, needs to be involved. Those areas are transportation, education, and the courts. These three areas consume the vast majority of our tax dollars. By their nature and the number of citizens affected, these government agencies are very large, as they have to be in order to provide the service.
There are other areas of governmental intervention that are very important to the citizens of our state, such as mask mandates, employee vaccination requirements, and zoning issues. This country was founded on individual rights and the right to own and control your property, and I strongly support our Constitution. The less intrusion by government into our individual rights and right to own and control our property, the better.
QUESTION: What do you believe are the two or three biggest issues facing North Carolinians today, and how do you believe the state government should attack those issues?
Zachary: One significant issue is the need to expand broadband internet service across our state. Broadband internet services are provided by communication and utility providers, and require large capital outlays. The best way for government to encourage expansion is by providing loans and grants to the providers. I will continue to support these projects, particularly in rural areas where the requisite capital may not be as available as in urban areas.
It is clear that one of the biggest issues facing our state is election integrity. If the public does not have confidence in the integrity of our elections, the public will not respect our laws and will lose faith in our government. The state has enacted laws to make the voting machines “tamper proof.” However, I have been informed that the real election integrity problem in North Carolina is the failure to purge the voter rolls of deceased voters. To rectify this problem, I am preparing legislation that would require the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHS) to send death certificates each month to local boards of election, which the local boards would be mandated to use to purge the voter rolls of deceased persons, and then to certify the changes to the State Board of Elections, where the State voter rolls could be amended. This would make voter fraud much more difficult to accomplish in North Carolina.
Another major issue facing our state is public education. Under our Constitution, the unelected members of the State Board of Education are charged with “supervising and administering the free public school system.” The elected Superintendent of Public Instruction is just the “secretary and chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education.” If the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction were in charge, we would not be dealing with Critical Race Theory or other such problems. I am currently working on a constitutional amendment to eliminate the unelected State Board of Education and put the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction in charge of the Department of Public Instruction, as most North Carolinians think the superintendent is now.
QUESTION: Why are you running for office, and why should voters cast a ballot for you? What sets you apart from your opponent?
I am running for the NC Senate so that I can continue to help citizens with problems that they have with the state government. I feel that I am the best qualified candidate to serve the people of this district. As a current member of the NC House, I know the members of the NC Senate, having served with most of them for several years and worked successfully with them on legislation. As a lawyer, I know how to read legislation, how to write legislation, and how to make sure the legislation says what we want it to say and not what someone else tells you it says. I am also a veteran, and a proven conservative, having received the Certificate of Conservative Excellence from the American Conservative Union Foundation for my commitment to American constitutional principles.
If you like the job we’ve been doing in Raleigh to reduce taxes, set back money for the rainy day fund, fight the tax and spend crowd, protect 2nd Amendment Rights, and expand school of choice legislation, then I am a proven vote for conservative issues.
And I would appreciate your vote in the Republican primary!
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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