Governor candidate brings politics and BBQ to Murphy
By Dwight Otwell Editor

DWIGHT OTWELL/Sentinel photo Left, Republican candidate for governor Fred Smith listens to Michael Spineli.

Republican candidate for governor Fred Smith Thursday hosted an old fashioned political barbecue at which he told supporters about his conservative plan for running the State of North Carolina.

"We have got to get conservative voters in government in North Carolina," said Ron Ledford, chairman of the Cherokee County Republican Party.

Rep. Roger West introduced Smith at the Murphy High School cafeteria.

"Fred promised me that if he is elected governor and we have a problem, he will be out here," West said.

Smith is hosting a barbecue in each of the 100 counties in the state.

Smith is a North Carolina senator, a former county commissioner, an attorney, a conservative businessman and a U.S. Army veteran.

"To be (elected) governor, you have to go to every county, talk t o people and tell them that they matter," Smith said.

Smith said he wants to change a failing education system (one-third dropout rate) and a failed transportation system. Smith said it is important to build roads and infrastructure. He wants to stop "liberal Democrats" from transferring $172 million out of the Highway Trust fund to the general fund.

"Imagine what would happen if we had a government that wanted to empower the people instead of the bureaucracy," Smith said.

Some of Smith's positions on issues are as follows:

• Lower taxes. The right tax policy reduces burdens on working families and small businesses so people can keep more of their own money to spend, save and invest.

• Build and maintain good roads.

• Protect private property rights. No one should be able to take away your home for economic development.

• Provide affordable healthcare. Use health information technology to reduce medical error and cost and reform medical liability laws and offer health savings accounts to make healthcare consumer driven.

• Provide for a vote to change the Constitution so that it defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Our current laws are not enough to protect society's most important institution. Smith and Sen. Jim Forrester have introduced Senate Bill 13, which gives North Carolina voters the right to put marriage in a place where even an extremist judiciary can't touch it - the North Carolina Constitution.

• Support charter schools, which have proven that they are purpose and results driven. Charter schools are reforming education with a fresh innovative approach to teaching. They are also public schools. Many charter schools, freed of bureaucratic regulations imposed by the state, have been successful at raising test scores and improving student performance.

Smith said a program is needed to allow sheriffs to catch, detain and deport illegal immigrants who violate our laws.

After explaining his positions, Smith signed his book "A Little Extra Effort" for supporters.

"Extra effort trumps money and ability," Smith said. "I pledge that over the next 12 months I will put forth extra effort (in the campaign)," Smith said.

He noted that in the last governor's election, only 600 people or 7.5 percent of the people in Cherokee County voted. That is one of the worse voting records in the state, he said.

"You have 8,200 registered Republicans in this county," he said. "I am interested in winning. I am tired of the liberal Democrats in Raleigh not doing what is needed to make this a great state."