Trying to change the status quo

Charlotte mayor and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Pat McCrory swung through Kinston once again Thursday in an effort to "change the status quo."

 McCrory first met with fellow Republicans at the Chef and the Farmer for a round-table meeting.

The seven-term mayor answered questions from the dozen or so men and women present and talked about his plan for the state.

He said earlier Thursday he had talked to farmers who told them they were hard hit from the energy crisis.

"It's having a tremendous negative impact," McCrory said.

Governors, McCrory said, need to take the lead in solving the energy crunch by cooperating with each other.

"Since Washington's paralyzed, why shouldn't the governors (pick up the slack)?" he said.

Part of his solution includes off-shore drilling, an issue he and his Democratic opponent Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue differ on. Perdue has said she wouldn't allow off-shore drilling if she is elected in November.

McCrory said he would take part of the millions of dollars generated by the drilling and put it back into coastal communities to help with their particular concerns, such as dredging and infrastructure.

The Charlotte mayor also noted the problems faced by law enforcement all across the state and especially in Eastern North Carolina. He said gangs are a major concern for police and sheriff's deputies, along with the state of the court system.

"Your sheriffs are overwhelmed because of a broken criminal justice system," McCrory said.

This makes it difficult to bring businesses into the state, he said, especially when there are visible signs of criminal activity, such as bars on windows.

One of the Republicans present, Vernon Hill, asked McCrory how Pitt County Memorial Hospital, in Greenville, could get more state funding for an oncology center.

"We don't have a Duke in this area," he said, citing the state's premier cancer hospital.

McCrory said different parts of the state need to concentrate on what they're good at.

"It helps the whole area when you go after your niche," he said.

Following the meeting, McCrory went to Grainger Stadium to watch the K-Tribe battle the Salem Avalanche and to meet people of all political leanings.

McCrory, who has been spending significant time in the eastern part of the state in the past couple weeks, said there's no reason why east of I-95 has to continue to be Democrats' territory.

"It is a Democratic stronghold," he said. "But I believe the leaders of the state Democratic Party have swerved far left."

This move by Perdue and others, he said, has alienated the moderate voters within his opponent's party, as well as independent voters.

"I think we have a good chance here," McCrory said.

Part of the reason for that is McCrory's stance on illegal immigration. The Charlotte mayor said illegal immigration has a heavy impact on all aspects of community life - schools, hospitals and jails.

McCrory said he supports 287(g), a federal measure increasing cooperation between local law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. The measure helps police sift the real documentation from the forgeries.

"There's so much false documentation," he said.

McCrory would also set up an immigration court and detention facility, which he said would relieve some of the burden from local and county jails.

But a big issue for McCrory is the transparency and accountability of state government. He said the scandals and closed-off nature of North Carolina's officials is terrible.

"I'd be a role model," he said. "... Not necessarily through ethics laws, but by having the common-sense approach of what's right and what's wrong."

In the 18 years he's been in politics, McCrory said he's not even had the slightest hint of a scandal, something he's proud of. He said he would bring a clean slate to Raleigh if he's elected in November.

"It's a very sad commentary that we've got a state government that looks like Louisiana's instead of one we can be proud of," McCrory said.

Vanessa C. Shortley can be reached at (252) 559-1076 or vshortley@freedomenc.com. Check out Vanessa's blog at http://vclarke.encblogs.com.