Charlie’s proven record of advocacy shows he’s ready to start making change for the High Country.
We need someone who can step in on day one with local experience, strong relationships, and a clear plan. I’m ready to bring that experience to Raleigh and represent House District 93, serving the people of Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga counties.
Campaign Priorities
We have neglected our teachers and students for far too many years. North Carolina consistently ranks low in the country in public education funding, per-student spending, and teacher pay. We need to immediately restore full funding to education and pay our teachers what they deserve. We need to stop the so-called “Opportunity Scholarship Program” that is diverting taxpayer dollars to wealthy families who are already sending their kids to private school. Our public school funding should be kept in public schools, not in private schools that are not held to the same education and reporting standards.
While the most recent budget gave teachers an average 8% raise, many of those increases are allocated to beginning teacher pay, leaving dedicated veteran teachers without adequate raises or stipends. This should be followed by the reinstatement of master’s pay, not only to reward those who have already earned these degrees, but to incentivize veteran teachers to continue their education. A quality public education is the core of our constitution, and legislators take an oath to uphold that constitution and should be fighting to protect our schools.
In September of 2024, Western North Carolina experienced the most devastating hurricane in our history. The cost of damage totals $60 billion, and continues to rise the longer that funding is held back by bureaucracy and red tape. To date, we have received roughly $12 billion of that, and are expecting a $700 million relief package from the most recent state budget. While every fund is being put to great use to help us rebuild, we still need more support from our governments. Most disasters are covered at 40-50% of the cost by now. We have continually had to advocate to the state and federal government for every dime. As members of the Governor’s WNC Task Force for Hurricane Recovery and the Watauga Long Term Recovery Group, we have been on the front lines, scraping for every dollar we can get from the public and private sectors. We have to realize this rebuild is going to take years, and we can’t just keep kicking the can down the road. We need real funding to finish rebuilding.
Over the last several months, I have had conversations with many people around the district, and housing is one of the top concerns. Many of our families have lived in Western North Carolina for generations, and that is what makes our community so strong. Our community members recognize that it has become too expensive to live in this area anymore. We must consider all possibilities to make living in the High Country affordable. There are many great initiatives currently underway. For example, the Watauga Housing Council has become a manufactured home provider and is already working with Watauga County, the Town of Boone, High Country COG, and Ashe County to address housing needs. We need collaborations like this, as well as help from the legislature, to ensure governments have all the tools and resources available so that people can afford to keep living in the High Country.
During Hurricane Helene, we saw how important it is that we invest in our emergency services in rural areas. That’s why, as a Watauga County Commissioner, I advocated for the new 911 center and ambulance base. It’s too expensive for a small county or town to purchase the necessary equipment and vehicles without state assistance. Our residents deserve the same right to fast, affordable care that larger cities across the state have access to.
Healthcare costs across North Carolina continue to rise. North Carolina has the highest health care costs in the nation, according to a Forbes study. This is unacceptable, especially when our state government has the resources to expand medicaid coverage and help lower these costs. Rural areas like ours are the first affected by large cuts to healthcare funding, and rural hospitals are the first to be closed due to lack of funding. We have seen right here in Watauga County the effects, as our health department has had to lay off healthcare workers over the last several months. Our families and communities deserve access to affordable healthcare.
Our state employees have been left behind for over a decade; this most recent state budget only begins to address these issues. Our teachers are short-staffed because their pay does not cover the work they complete, or keep up with the current financial needs of our economy. We have also seen a shortage in state law enforcement. Recent pay raises were given only to cover the large staffing gap we have seen across the state.
We have seen the General Assembly use state employee pay as a bargaining chip too frequently, and that needs to change. Our state employees work hard to ensure that our state runs smoothly and safely, and they deserve to be treated with respect and paid fairly.