In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would find myself running for Governor of North Carolina. Then again, I never imagined those of us living in this state would find ourselves under attack from radicals who want to control every aspect of our lives.
The folks running the show in Raleigh may very well be good people, but the effect of their policies is destructive in more ways than we can count. They want to pass laws making it harder for families to get ahead, while cutting taxes on millionaires and billionaires. They look down from their high horses, saying they know what’s best for North Carolina cities and towns. They’ve taken a chain saw to our education system, cutting millions from public schools and giving that money to private businesses with no record of accountability or success. The list goes on and on.
Meanwhile Mr. McCrory continues to talk about his fancy E’s: efficiency, economy, and education. It’s too bad he couldn’t count higher than three. It’s too bad he doesn’t understand the importance of excellence, environment, and ethics.
What good is efficiency without excellence? If you’re doing the wrong things, it doesn’t matter how efficiently you do them, they’re still bad ideas. What good are economic gains if you’re destroying our priceless environment along the way? How can you talk about integrity to young students when your administration is mired in one ethical quagmire after another?
Pat McCrory was paid to run for governor for more than a decade, first by Duke Energy and then by a well-connected law firm. Now that he’s in office, he’s doing just what those special interests wanted all along. Rubber stamping the actions of a legislature controlled by Republican extremists. Interfering in personal choices where government has no legitimate business. Telling cities what they can and can’t do. Making it harder to vote in fair elections.
Many of these destructive policies are rooted in deep disdain for government and driven by free market fantasy.
As an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, I understand the tremendous value that businesses can create. But I also understand their limitations. That’s why I place so much importance on excellence in government, protecting the environment, and ethics and integrity. If we do those things right, we’ll meet our other goals effectively. We’ll recruit the kinds of businesses needed to grow our economy. We’ll attract the best people into public service and operate more efficiently. And we’ll deliver on our sacred promise of public education for generations to come.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that Pat McCrory and his gang are out of control – and someone has to stop them. I wish that someone didn't have to be me, but until another voice for sanity emerges, I'll gladly step up.
Join Progress NC Action and a number of our allies as we send a message to Pat McCrory right before NC's first gubernatorial debate tomorrow night: the people of North Carolina have a right to know who you have financial ties with and if it will affect your ability to represent our interests. 
