Dirt Road Logic for Edgecombe, Martin, and Bertie — real fixes, not talking points.
I’m not running to pass feel-good resolutions or chase headlines. I’m running because too many
people in our district are doing everything right and still falling behind. These priorities are
about what folks here talk about at the kitchen table — whether they can see a doctor, keep the
lights on, protect their homes, send their kids to a good school, and have a reason to stay in
Eastern North Carolina. This isn't a complete list — it’s a snapshot to start the conversation.
Small-Town Economy
Rural Healthcare
Housing & Homes
Family Farms
Education & Pathways
Seniors & Veterans
Safe Communities
Community Strength
Honest Government
Modern Infrastructure
PRIORITY 1 — ECONOMY
Rebuilding small-town economies so people can work, live, and stay where they’re rooted.
Building an economy where every community in our district — workers, small businesses, and farmers —
has a fair chance to grow, not just watch growth happen somewhere else.
People in our district work hard, but the tools for growth simply haven’t been available to them.
State incentives favor larger regions, local small businesses struggle to access capital, and farmers face
rising costs with limited support. Our communities deserve an economic system designed for rural strength —
one that grows jobs, supports local businesses, and puts families first.
The Problem
Across our district, economic challenges share the same roots:
State incentive formulas favor urban counties, making it harder for rural areas to compete for industry.
Local workers aren’t connected to the jobs being created, leaving employers understaffed and residents underemployed.
Small businesses lack access to capital, marketing help, and technical support, slowing or preventing growth.
Farmers face rising equipment costs, changing markets, and limited modernization support, threatening one of the region’s most important sectors.
Industrial projects often come with no local hiring guarantees or community benefit requirements, meaning growth doesn’t always translate into local prosperity.
These gaps prevent rural communities from participating fully in North Carolina’s growth — and they are fixable.
The Plan
A clear, practical strategy the state can implement to strengthen small businesses, support farmers,
grow local jobs, and make rural communities competitive statewide.
1. Fix the way state incentives are distributed
How:
Rewrite state incentive formulas so rural counties receive proportional support — not leftover funding.
Create a dedicated “Rural Growth Tier” with guaranteed access to industrial recruitment dollars.
Require annual public reporting comparing rural vs. urban investment to ensure accountability.
2. Require local hiring agreements for state-supported projects
How:
Tie state incentives directly to commitments that a percentage of new jobs go to district residents.
Work with community colleges to build customized short-term training pipelines for incoming employers.
Establish a district-wide workforce registry that identifies qualified workers before companies arrive.
3. Strengthen small businesses and entrepreneurs
How:
Expand micro-loans, grants, and state-backed financing specifically for rural businesses.
Create a Rural Business Support Hub offering help with licensing, digital presence, compliance, and marketing.
Offer targeted tax credits to small businesses that hire within the district or expand operations locally.
4. Treat agriculture as a core economic engine — not an afterthought
How:
Provide state grants for equipment upgrades, crop diversification, and precision agriculture technology.
Expand local food supply chains and farm-to-market programs to increase farmer profitability.
Strengthen voluntary farmland-preservation tools that help families keep their land productive and protected.
Support agricultural training partnerships that prepare the next generation for farm management, ag tech, and value-added processing.
5. Build workforce pathways that lead directly to real jobs
How:
Align community college programs with high-demand careers in trades, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and clean energy.
Expand paid apprenticeships so residents can earn while they learn and move quickly into good-paying roles.
Launch a Regional Employer Advisory Council to ensure training programs match actual labor-market needs annually.
PRIORITY 2 — HEALTHCARE
Making sure every community in our district can access quality care without long drives, months-long waits, or unaffordable costs.
District 23 sits in the heart of what public-health experts call the “Stroke Belt” — a region with some of the highest rates of stroke, heart disease, and chronic illness in the country. Many of our rural communities and communities of color face even higher risks when preventive care, specialists, EMS coverage, and hospitals are difficult to reach. Healthcare in our district isn’t just a convenience issue — it’s a life-and-death challenge that demands action.
The Problem
Healthcare challenges in District 23 are widespread and growing:
Hospital closures and service reductions have pushed basic and emergency care farther away.
Long EMS response times put rural residents at greater risk during emergencies.
Limited access to primary care, mental health, and addiction treatment forces people to delay or skip care entirely.
Rising costs — doctor visits, prescriptions, and insurance — make treatment unaffordable for many families.
Healthcare workforce shortages leave clinics overwhelmed and specialists out of reach.
These challenges compound over time, creating worse outcomes and higher long-term costs for families and taxpayers.
The Plan
A practical path to restoring reliable, affordable, and accessible care across all communities in the district.
1. Strengthen rural clinics and urgent care access
How:
Expand funding for rural primary care, urgent care, and mobile health units.
Incentivize providers to open satellite clinics in underserved areas.
Support partnerships between hospitals, community colleges, and health systems to improve local staffing.
2. Improve EMS response times and emergency services
How:
Increase funding for rural EMS departments based on call volume and geographic coverage.
Modernize equipment and vehicles through targeted state grants.
Create county–state coordination plans to prevent coverage gaps and long response times.
3. Expand mental health and addiction treatment access
How:
Increase state investment in rural behavioral-health providers.
Integrate mental-health professionals into primary care and school-based health programs.
Expand community-based recovery and crisis-intervention programs to reduce ER dependence.
4. Make care more affordable with state-driven cost controls and access programs
How:
Expand state-funded “rural specialty rotations” so cardiologists, neurologists, OBGYNs, and other specialists regularly travel to rural clinics — reducing costly travel and improving preventive access.
Cap surprise out-of-network billing for emergency services so families don’t get hit with unexpected thousand-dollar charges.
Expand the state’s prescription-assistance partnerships that negotiate bulk drug prices for low-income and fixed-income residents.
Create a Rural Health Access Card offering discounted primary care, telehealth, and prescription pricing through state-negotiated agreements with providers and pharmacies.
Strengthen community-based preventive screening programs — including blood pressure, stroke risk, diabetes, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer screenings — to catch health issues early and reduce long-term costs for families.
Increase support for sliding-scale and low-cost clinics, which reduce out-of-pocket costs for uninsured and underinsured families.
5. Grow the local healthcare workforce
How:
Partner with community colleges to expand nursing, EMT, and health-tech programs.
Create “earn while they learn” pathways for CNAs, EMTs, and medical assistants.
Offer retention incentives to keep healthcare workers serving in rural communities.
PRIORITY 3 — HOUSING
Protecting homeowners, seniors, and working families from rising costs — and keeping people rooted in the communities they’ve built.
For too many people in our district, the dream of staying in their home is threatened by rising taxes, insurance spikes,
aging housing, and limited attainable options. Seniors on fixed incomes, first-time buyers, and families trying to build
stability all face pressures that make staying rooted harder than it should be. Housing is not just shelter —
it’s security, dignity, and the foundation of strong communities.
The Problem
Housing challenges in District 23 share common causes:
Rising property taxes and insurance premiums are squeezing seniors and fixed-income homeowners.
Limited attainable and workforce housing pushes families into long waiting lists or overcrowded living situations.
Aging homes and outdated systems lead to repair costs many homeowners cannot afford.
Developers prioritize higher-priced builds, leaving moderate-income households with few options.
Zoning and land-use rules often restrict the smaller, more attainable housing types that fit rural communities.
Large corporate investors are increasingly buying up local homes, making it harder for local families to compete.
These pressures combine to force people out of the communities they’ve invested in for decades.
The Plan
A focused, realistic strategy to keep people in their homes and expand attainable housing across the district.
1. Strengthen protections for seniors and fixed-income homeowners
How:
Expand eligibility for property-tax relief and keep applications simple and accessible.
Cap rapid year-to-year tax increases for qualifying seniors and disabled homeowners.
Provide targeted state grants to help seniors make critical home repairs needed to stay safely at home.
2. Address rising insurance and housing-related costs
How:
Support legislation that increases transparency and oversight on insurance-rate hikes.
Create a state-backed home-insurance assistance program for low-income seniors facing unaffordable premiums.
Expand funding for weatherization and energy-efficiency upgrades that reduce monthly utility bills.
3. Increase attainable and workforce housing options
How:
Offer state incentives for builders who create affordable, modest-sized homes suited for rural communities — not luxury developments.
Support zoning and land-use changes that allow smaller homes, accessory dwelling units, and duplexes where appropriate.
Restore local authority taken away in 1987 so municipalities and counties can address sudden rent spikes, unsafe rental conditions, and housing shortages with community-based tools.
Establish a Rural Housing Partnership Fund to support local nonprofits that build and rehabilitate attainable homes.
4. Help homeowners repair and preserve aging homes
How:
Expand state grants and low-interest loans for essential home repairs, accessibility updates, and safety improvements.
Support programs that help with roofs, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical repairs to prevent displacement and maintain safe living conditions.
Partner with community colleges to grow trades-training programs that supply local expertise for home repair and rehabilitation.
5. Revitalize neighborhoods without displacing longtime residents
How:
Require state-funded revitalization projects to include protections so existing homeowners and renters aren’t pushed out.
Support land banks and community land trusts that return abandoned or tax-foreclosed properties to productive, community-centered uses.
Tie revitalization dollars to community benefit outcomes — local hiring, attainable housing, and repair support for longtime residents.
6. Protect local homebuyers from large corporate bulk-buyers
How:
Require state-level reporting and transparency when large investment firms purchase multiple single-family homes in a county.
Limit bulk purchases by corporate investors in designated rural or workforce-housing priority zones.
Create first-look programs giving teachers, veterans, seniors, and first-time homebuyers priority access before outside investors can bid.
Offer tax incentives to sellers who choose local families or owner-occupants instead of corporate cash-buyers.
Establish penalties for investment groups that leave homes vacant or flip properties in ways that destabilize local housing markets.
PRIORITY 4 — AGRICULTURE
Supporting the farmers, landowners, and agricultural businesses that feed our communities and sustain the rural way of life.
Agriculture remains one of the strongest economic foundations of our district, but farmers face rising costs, unpredictable markets,
limited processing options, and pressure from outside investment groups buying up local land. Many younger and first-generation
farmers also struggle to access capital, equipment, and training. Strong rural communities depend on strong family farms —
and the state must give them the tools, protections, and modern infrastructure needed to thrive.
The Problem
Farmers across our district face significant challenges:
Rising costs for fertilizer, fuel, feed, equipment, repairs, and insurance.
Unpredictable markets and consolidation that squeeze small and mid-sized farms.
Limited processing, storage, and distribution options, reducing local profitability.
Aging farm owners and barriers for younger farmers, including access to land and capital.
Outside investors and corporate groups buying up farmland, driving up prices and shifting control away from local families.
Insufficient investment in water systems, flood mitigation, and rural infrastructure essential for productive farm operations.
High levels of food insecurity and multiple food deserts across the district, despite having productive farmland nearby.
Loss of farmland to single-use energy projects, reducing long-term agricultural capacity.
The Plan
A clear, actionable strategy to strengthen family farms, protect land, modernize operations, expand agricultural opportunities,
and ensure every community has access to fresh, local food.
1. Lower costs for farmers through targeted state support
How:
Expand cost-share programs for fertilizer, seed, equipment, and fuel relief during price spikes.
Increase support for equipment grants, repair assistance, and farm modernization tools.
Provide tax credits for farmers investing in energy-efficient equipment or precision-agriculture technology.
2. Protect farmland and keep ownership local
How:
Require transparency when large investment firms or outside groups purchase or lease farmland.
Prioritize state preservation tools — including conservation easements and the updated 2025 Conservation Tax Credit — to help families keep land in production.
Expand “First Opportunity Programs” giving local farmers priority access before outside investors purchase farmland.
Strengthen and expand Present Use Value (PUV) protections so farmland remains taxed based on agricultural use, not speculative development value.
3. Strengthen local processing, storage, and distribution
How:
Invest in local and regional processing facilities for livestock, produce, and specialty crops.
Support farmer cooperatives that share cold storage, transportation, and packaging capacity.
Expand farm-to-school, farm-to-institution, and farm-to-community purchasing programs to keep more food dollars local.
4. Grow the next generation of farmers
How:
Expand beginning-farmer grants and low-interest loans for land, equipment, and startup operations.
Partner with community colleges, FFA, and 4-H to offer training in ag technology, farm management, and value-added production.
Provide tuition support or loan assistance for students entering agricultural fields that serve rural communities.
5. Support crop diversification and value-added agriculture
How:
Offer incentives for farmers exploring high-demand specialty crops or value-added products such as milling, packaging, or processing.
Expand state-funded research and technical assistance on diversification, soil health, and water-resilient practices.
Provide grants for farmers piloting new crops or innovative production systems.
6. Strengthen rural infrastructure and resilience for farm operations
How:
Build on the 2025 Farm Act by investing in water infrastructure, drainage improvements, and flood mitigation systems where heavy rains threaten operations.
Improve disaster-preparedness support for farms facing hurricanes, droughts, and severe weather events.
Increase rural broadband and road maintenance funding to support daily farm logistics and transportation.
Provide cost-share support for conservation practices that protect soil, improve water retention, and strengthen long-term farm productivity.
7. Reduce food insecurity and eliminate food deserts by building local farm-to-community pipelines
How:
Expand farm-to-school, farm-to-senior center, and farm-to-community partnerships so locally grown produce feeds local families first.
Support mobile farmers markets, community food hubs, and cold-storage cooperatives to reach communities without grocery stores.
Provide grants to small farms and community groups to establish neighborhood produce stands and weekly pop-up markets.
Incentivize grocery stores, co-ops, and food box programs to partner with local farmers and operate in underserved rural communities.
Work with churches, nonprofits, and food banks to create direct-distribution programs that bring fresh, local food directly to households in need.
8. Modernize agriculture through innovation, technology, and dual-use land opportunities
How:
Support urban farming, community gardens, and vertical farming projects to strengthen food access in areas without grocery stores.
Expand state grants for indoor agriculture, hydroponics, and aquaponics, enabling young or small-scale farmers to enter the market with lower land requirements.
Promote dual-use solar agriculture (agrivoltaics) that allows farmers to generate energy revenue without removing land from production, enabling crops, grazing, or pollinator habitats under and around solar panels.
Provide incentives for farmers who combine renewable-energy income with active agricultural operations.
Partner with community colleges and universities to pilot drought-resistant crops, soil-improvement systems, and water-efficient farming technologies.
PRIORITY 5 — EDUCATION
Expanding opportunity so every learner — public school, homeschool, or alternative — has the pathways to build a future right here at home.
Education today looks different than ever. Rural families use a mix of public schools, community colleges,
homeschooling, and alternative learning models. Parents want safe campuses, strong academics, career pathways,
and transparency — no matter which path they choose. Our job as a state is to support every learner, remove outdated
barriers, protect rural public schools, and ensure public dollars come with public accountability.
The Problem
Across District 23, families and educators face real barriers:
Teacher shortages in math, science, special education, and CTE.
Outdated buildings and facilities that are costly and sometimes unsafe.
Limited course options in rural schools, including fewer AP, arts, and advanced CTE pathways.
Long bus routes that affect attendance and extracurricular participation.
A rapidly growing homeschooling population without local support infrastructure.
Uneven oversight among publicly funded programs across the state.
A disconnect between education and local job opportunities.
Outdated community-college residency rules that slow degree completion.
These structural challenges limit opportunity and weaken the local workforce pipeline.
The Plan
A statewide education strategy that supports public schools, empowers families, modernizes community colleges,
and ensures accountability wherever public dollars are spent.
1. Strengthen the teacher pipeline and keep great teachers in rural classrooms
How:
Expand loan repayment, salary supplements, and retention bonuses for high-need areas.
Partner with community colleges and universities to create “Grow Your Own Teacher” programs.
Offer paid student-teaching and internships to remove barriers for future educators.
2. Modernize public school buildings and learning environments
How:
Increase state grants for HVAC, roofing, water systems, and classroom upgrades.
Expand the Public School Capital Fund so rural counties can replace outdated facilities.
Support energy-efficient improvements that reduce long-term operating costs.
3. Support and expand dual enrollment, CTE, and workforce pathways
How:
Partner with employers and trades to build programs aligned with real job openings.
Support and expand dual-enrollment opportunities so high school students earn college credits or certifications at no cost.
Modernize CTE labs, tools, and equipment to meet current industry standards.
4. Improve student support, safety, and well-being
How:
Increase funding for school counselors, mental-health professionals, and social workers.
Support school-based health and telehealth programs.
Provide tools and training for evidence-based crisis-prevention and school safety programs.
5. Expand opportunity in small rural schools
How:
Use virtual instruction and regional course-sharing for advanced classes.
Support arts, athletics, and extracurriculars to keep students engaged.
Expand transportation assistance so distance doesn’t limit participation.
6. Strengthen early childhood education and readiness
How:
Expand Pre-K availability, especially in childcare deserts.
Support partnerships with churches, nonprofits, and childcare centers.
Invest in early literacy initiatives that prepare children for kindergarten success.
7. Support homeschooling and alternative education while ensuring accountability and protecting rural public schools
How:
Create voluntary regional resource hubs offering testing access, curriculum support, and participation in local programs.
Allow homeschool and private-school students to join CTE, arts, and workforce pathways through public schools.
Ensure that any state-funded educational option — public, private, charter, or alternative — meets equal standards for transparency, safety, reporting, and academic accountability.
Establish a funding stability safeguard so when students attend charter or private programs, rural public schools retain essential operational funding.
Create a baseline funding guarantee to ensure schools with 50 students or 500 still receive the resources they need for transportation, staffing, and safe operations.
Require publicly funded charters to coordinate with local districts on transportation and services to avoid shifting burdens unfairly onto rural communities.
8. Strengthen community colleges and remove outdated barriers to degree completion
How:
End the rule that forces students to complete half of their credits at the same community college before they can graduate — even though all 58 colleges operate under the same statewide accredited system.
Allow students to earn degrees, diplomas, or certifications based on completed credits, no matter which community colleges they earned them from.
Create a seamless statewide digital transcript so students never lose credits when they move, change programs, or take online classes.
Expand online, hybrid, evening, and weekend courses to help working adults finish faster.
Align short-term credentials, certificates, and degree programs with the real jobs available in the district.
Increase financial support so adults can upskill or change careers without taking on debt.
9. Make education a pathway to staying in the district — not leaving it
How:
Align high school, community-college, and workforce programs with local job opportunities.
Offer “stay here” scholarships or signing bonuses for students entering high-need local careers.
Expand entrepreneurship, leadership, and financial-literacy programs that prepare students to build futures here at home.
PRIORITY 6 — SENIORS, VETERANS & AGING-IN-PLACE SUPPORT
Honoring the people who built and defended our communities by ensuring they can age with dignity and stay rooted at home.
District 23 has one of the highest senior populations in the region, along with a strong community of veterans,
retired service members, and surviving spouses. But aging in rural North Carolina comes with challenges:
limited access to healthcare, long travel distances, inadequate transportation, rising home costs, caregiver shortages,
and complicated benefits. Seniors and veterans deserve policies that protect their independence and keep them rooted
in the communities they love.
The Problem
Seniors, veterans, and disabled adults face challenges that threaten their ability to age safely and independently:
Long wait times and long distances for medical, specialist, and VA care.
Shortages of caregivers and in-home support, leaving families struggling alone.
Rising costs for home repairs and property taxes, making aging in place harder.
Limited transportation options to medical care, groceries, pharmacies, and community programs.
Complex, confusing systems for benefits, VA claims, and support services.
Isolation and loneliness, which increase health risks and reduce quality of life.
Aging homes that lack ramps, accessibility, or safety features.
These issues are especially serious in rural communities where services are already scarce.
The Plan
A practical strategy to support seniors, veterans, caregivers, and aging adults so they can stay safe,
healthy, and independent at home.
1. Strengthen healthcare access for seniors and veterans
How:
Expand mobile clinics, telehealth access, and visiting-provider programs in rural communities.
Recruit more rural providers with incentives in geriatrics, primary care, dentistry, and mental health.
Improve coordination between state services and the VA to reduce delays and duplicate appointments.
Create transportation vouchers and ride programs for medical, pharmacy, and wellness visits.
2. Support aging in place with home repairs, safety upgrades, and tax relief
How:
Expand grants for home repairs, accessibility upgrades, ramps, roofs, HVAC, and weatherization.
Strengthen property-tax relief programs for seniors and disabled veterans on fixed incomes.
Partner with nonprofits and workforce programs to complete repairs quickly and affordably.
Support “Healthy Homes” initiatives to fix safety hazards before they become crises.
3. Expand caregiver and in-home support services
How:
Increase state funding for in-home care and home-health agencies serving rural areas.
Grow the caregiving workforce through community-college training, fast-track certifications, and stipends.
Offer respite-care vouchers so unpaid family caregivers can take needed breaks.
Simplify hiring processes and credential transfers for home-health workers.
4. Improve access to resources, benefits, and local support networks
How:
Create “One-Stop Aging & Veteran Support Hubs” to help families navigate VA claims, benefits, healthcare options, and local programs.
Expand partnerships with churches, senior centers, and nonprofits to provide meals, wellness checks, and social activities.
Support mental-health and peer-support programs for seniors and veterans, including teletherapy options.
Increase funding for senior-nutrition and meal-delivery programs in rural communities.
5. Strengthen housing stability and create senior-friendly community options
How:
Prioritize seniors and disabled veterans in housing rehabilitation and rural repair programs.
Support transitional housing for veterans at risk of homelessness.
Require better oversight and accountability in assisted-living and long-term care facilities.
Develop small, walkable senior communities by revitalizing vacant blocks and unused lots:
Convert abandoned or underused blocks into single-story, accessible senior homes.
Include safe walking paths, green spaces, and community gardens.
Ensure proximity to groceries, pharmacies, clinics, churches, and senior centers.
Provide incentives for builders who create affordable, senior-friendly housing models.
Support multi-generational layouts that keep families connected while preserving independence.
6. Expand transportation options for seniors and veterans
How:
Fund rural transit routes and shuttle services connecting seniors to essential services.
Provide mileage stipends or vouchers for volunteer driver programs.
Support partnerships with nonprofits to increase mobility for those who no longer drive.
Improve coordination between county transit systems and veteran service organizations.
7. Honor veterans with real support, not red tape
How:
Expand the number of state Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) to help file claims and reduce wait times.
Ensure veterans facing long delays at the VA can access community care without added barriers.
Support job retraining, credential transfers, and small-business grants for veterans.
Strengthen suicide-prevention and mental-health programs with local partnerships and peer-support networks.
Improve support for surviving spouses navigating benefits, healthcare, and long-term planning.
PRIORITY 7 — SAFE COMMUNITIES
Building safe, stable neighborhoods by supporting law enforcement, strengthening emergency services, investing in youth, and revitalizing community spaces.
Every family deserves to feel safe in their home, on their street, and in their community. But rural areas often face challenges that big cities overlook —
long emergency response times, understaffed sheriff’s offices, high EMS call volumes, abandoned properties, limited youth programs,
and limited mental-health support. When safety breaks down, it affects everything: quality of life, economic development,
and trust in local leadership.
The Problem
Communities across the district face challenges that undermine public safety:
Long EMS and fire response times due to staffing shortages and long distance coverage.
Underfunded and understaffed sheriff and police departments, especially in small towns.
Blighted or abandoned properties that attract crime or create unsafe conditions.
Limited mental-health and substance-use resources, driving avoidable emergencies and repeat crises.
Few youth programs, creating idle time, lower opportunity, and higher risk for negative outcomes.
Aging equipment and inadequate training budgets for first responders.
Lack of community trust and engagement in some areas due to years of neglect.
Safety is more than just policing — it’s about stability, opportunity, and prevention.
The Plan
A balanced, community-centered approach that strengthens law enforcement, expands prevention,
and supports first responders.
1. Support law enforcement while building trust with the community
How:
Increase state support for rural sheriff’s offices and small-town police departments to recruit, train, and retain qualified officers.
Provide funding for modern equipment, body cameras, and communications tools.
Promote community-policing partnerships that build trust, especially in neighborhoods that feel underserved.
Expand crisis-intervention training for de-escalation, mental-health calls, and substance-use emergencies.
2. Reduce EMS and fire response times
How:
Increase state funding for rural EMS staffing, training, and overtime support.
Expand incentives for volunteer firefighters and first responders, who remain essential in rural areas.
Strengthen regional partnerships so emergency services can share resources and cover large rural areas more effectively.
Modernize emergency communications systems and dispatch tools.
3. Revitalize neighborhoods and eliminate safety hazards
How:
Convert abandoned homes, empty lots, and unsafe buildings into community assets — senior housing, youth centers, small parks, or affordable homes.
Expand state grants for town revitalization, demolition, cleanup, and redevelopment.
Support neighborhood improvement partnerships with local nonprofits, churches, and civic groups.
Strengthen code-enforcement collaboration to reduce hazards before they escalate.
4. Expand youth opportunities and violence-prevention programs
How:
Support after-school programs, mentorship, summer jobs, and career-exploration opportunities.
Partner with churches, schools, and community groups to expand youth sports, arts, and leadership programs.
Provide funding for evidence-based violence-prevention initiatives that give young people alternatives and support.
Support local re-entry programs that help at-risk youth get back on track.
5. Address mental health and substance-use emergencies
How:
Increase funding for mobile crisis units, detox options, and local treatment beds.
Support partnerships between law enforcement and trained clinicians for crisis response.
Expand peer-support programs for addiction recovery and mental health.
Increase teletherapy and telehealth access in underserved areas.
6. Support strong neighborhoods and community leadership
How:
Provide small-grant programs for community-led safety projects — lighting, cleanups, neighborhood watches, and beautification.
Support partnerships between law enforcement and community leaders to build trust and collaboration.
Expand senior-check-in programs and wellness calls for isolated households.
7. Improve infrastructure for public safety
How:
Upgrade rural roads and signage to help emergency vehicles reach calls faster.
Improve street lighting in neighborhoods with high accident or crime rates.
Expand broadband so emergency communications, telehealth, and public-safety systems remain reliable.
PRIORITY 8 — COMMUNITY STRENGTH
Rebuilding the heartbeat of our small towns by investing in local people, local spaces, and meaningful connections.
Strong communities don’t happen by accident — they happen when people have places to gather, programs for youth and seniors,
support during tough times, and leaders who show up and listen. Across District 23, too many neighborhoods have lost their resources,
their gathering spaces, or their sense of connection. Revitalizing our communities means investing in people, purpose, and place.
The Problem
Many local communities face challenges that weaken connection, pride, and belonging:
Few community spaces, especially where young people can safely gather.
Limited nonprofit and faith-based support because many organizations don’t have resources to grow.
Abandoned or underused lots and buildings that sit empty and drag down nearby neighborhoods.
Families stretched thin without access to childcare, senior programs, or local support systems.
Loss of community identity and traditions as towns have seen jobs and population decline.
Limited opportunities for youth engagement, mentorship, and leadership development.
Small towns competing for shrinking state and federal dollars while larger cities get priority.
Thriving communities require strong relationships, strong spaces, and strong local leadership — not more division.
The Plan
A comprehensive strategy to strengthen neighborhoods, support families, revitalize gathering spaces,
and rebuild small-town identity across District 23.
1. Revitalize local gathering places and create new community spaces
How:
Repurpose abandoned buildings into community centers, youth hubs, senior spaces, or multipurpose resource centers.
Support local libraries, parks, and recreation facilities with state grants for upgrades and programming.
Create small-grant programs for towns to build outdoor gathering spots: pocket parks, walking loops, small playgrounds, and community gardens.
Prioritize safe, accessible public spaces that encourage connection across generations.
2. Strengthen nonprofits, churches, and community organizations
How:
Expand state grants that help local nonprofits grow capacity, hire staff, and serve more families.
Support partnerships between churches and community groups on food access, youth mentoring, senior support, and community events.
Create a “Community Partnership Network” to connect local organizations with state resources, grants, and training.
Reduce red tape so local organizations can focus on serving people, not paperwork.
3. Invest in youth opportunity, leadership, and mentorship
How:
Support after-school programs, arts initiatives, youth sports, trades exploration, and summer jobs.
Create leadership and entrepreneurship programs for teenagers and young adults within the district.
Partner with schools, faith groups, and nonprofits to expand youth mentorship and conflict-prevention programs.
Provide funding for safe teen spaces and weekend activities to reduce idle time and risky behaviors.
4. Support families with childcare, senior programs, and community resources
How:
Expand access to childcare, especially in rural childcare deserts.
Support senior centers with more programming, wellness checks, and social activities.
Provide grants for family resource centers offering parenting support, financial literacy, and life-skills classes.
Promote partnerships that bring services — tax help, job training, benefits navigation — directly into small communities.
5. Rebuild neighborhood pride and identity through local revitalization
How:
Support community cleanups, beautification projects, murals, and neighborhood pride events.
Invest in restoring historic sites, cultural landmarks, and Main Street corridors.
Create small-business pop-up zones in vacant storefronts to bring life back to downtown areas.
Encourage locally led visioning sessions where residents help shape the future of their own communities.
6. Support local volunteers, civic groups, and first responders
How:
Provide training, stipends, or tax credits for volunteer firefighters and EMS members who keep rural areas safe.
Support civic groups like Ruritans, Rotary, and neighborhood associations that lead local projects.
Expand state support for community-driven disaster response and emergency-preparedness programs.
7. Make state government a true partner for small-town communities
How:
Ensure rural towns get fair access to state grants, not pushed behind big cities.
Simplify state grant applications so small towns with limited staff aren’t locked out of funding.
Bring more state agencies directly into the district through satellite offices, resource fairs, and mobile service units.
Promote regional collaboration so small towns can pool resources and pursue larger opportunities together.
PRIORITY 9 — HONEST GOVERNMENT
Restoring trust by demanding transparency, modernizing outdated laws, protecting voters, and ensuring every community has a real voice.
For too long, rural communities have felt ignored, overruled, or shut out of major decisions. Outdated laws create loopholes.
Redistricting has become a tool for political advantage, not fairness. Local voices are overridden in processes like Special Use Permits.
And residents have almost no mechanism to hold elected officials accountable between elections.
This priority modernizes state government for the people — transparent, responsive, and fair.
The Problem
Residents across District 23 and rural North Carolina see government that isn’t working for them:
Hundreds of outdated or redundant statutes still on the books.
Redistricting that lets politicians choose their voters instead of the reverse.
No recall option for elected officials who stop listening or break trust.
No way for citizens to petition issues onto the ballot.
Special Use Permits held as “quasi-judicial” hearings, cutting out community voices.
Election rules that confuse voters or disadvantage rural communities.
Transparency gaps that leave residents unsure where their tax dollars go.
People want a government that works with them, not around them.
The Plan
A bold statewide reform agenda to rebuild trust, modernize government, protect voters, and put rural communities back at the center of decision making.
1. Require full transparency for how tax dollars are spent
How:
Create a statewide public spending tracker showing where major state funds go — by county, agency, and project.
Require quarterly public updates on all state-funded projects.
Increase reporting requirements for any agency or organization receiving state grants.
Make financial transparency accessible and easy to understand for all residents.
2. Launch a full audit and modernization of North Carolina laws
How:
Conduct a top-to-bottom audit of all state laws to identify outdated, redundant, or contradictory statutes.
Establish a bipartisan “Modern NC Code Commission” to recommend annual clean-up legislation.
Remove old laws that allow loopholes or penalize people due to outdated language.
Simplify the legal code so citizens and small businesses aren’t harmed by complexity.
3. End gerrymandering through a constitutional amendment
How:
Create an independent, citizen-led redistricting commission to draw maps.
Ban partisan and incumbency-protection gerrymandering in the NC Constitution.
Require maps to follow strict guidelines:
compactness
respect for communities
no partisan data in drawing
Require all final maps to pass the legislature with a 3/5 supermajority — ensuring bipartisan agreement.
Mandate all map-drawing meetings and drafts be public with full comment opportunities.
4. Give voters the power to recall elected officials
How:
Establish a statewide recall system for state and local officials who break trust or stop listening.
Set reasonable signature thresholds to prevent political abuse.
Trigger special elections when a recall is certified.
Protect the public’s right to hold leaders accountable between elections.
5. Allow citizens to petition to place issues on the ballot
How:
Create a clear, structured process for citizens to gather signatures to place non-appropriations public policy measures on the statewide ballot.
Ensure rural residents can participate without being blocked by red tape.
Promote direct democracy in areas where the legislature refuses to act.
6. Fix the Special Use Permit process and restore community voice
How:
End the requirement that SUP hearings be “quasi-judicial” and prohibit public opinion.
Restore open public comment so residents can speak about local impacts.
Require transparency from businesses or developers seeking major approvals.
Ensure local boards can consider community concerns, not just technical evidence.
7. Modernize election rules for clarity, fairness, and access
How:
Simplify election rules so voters always know where to vote, what ID is needed, and what’s on the ballot.
Ensure rural areas have fair access to early-voting sites and polling locations.
Improve election equipment, cybersecurity, and training for rural poll workers.
Enhance transparency in campaign finance and third-party political spending.
Require voter rolls to be updated accurately and regularly to reduce confusion.
8. Make state government truly accessible to rural communities
How:
Hold regular, rotating town halls across every community in the district.
Bring “State Service Days” into local towns for direct help with benefits, licensing, and support.
Create a “One Call, One Office” constituent line that actually solves problems.
Require state agencies to provide quarterly updates on service delivery in rural counties.
9. Strengthen ethics and accountability for public officials
Increase penalties for misuse of public funds or abuse of office.
Strengthen whistleblower protections.
Require public bodies to maintain up-to-date online minutes, votes, and agendas.
10. Hold myself to the same standards
How:
Publish regular updates on votes, legislation, and district projects.
Refuse gifts, benefits, or special favors.
Stay accessible — in person, by phone, and by email — in every community, every month.
Show up, be transparent, listen, and do the work.
PRIORITY 10 — INFRASTRUCTURE
Building the foundation rural communities need to grow — safe roads, reliable water and sewer, strong broadband, and resilient systems for the next generation.
District 23 cannot move forward with water and sewer lines that are 50, 60, or even 80 years old, unsafe roads, unreliable internet,
or drainage systems that fail every time it rains. Infrastructure is more than pipes and pavement — it determines whether businesses
can open, families can stay, ambulances can reach calls, and towns can prepare for the future.
For decades, rural communities have been left behind. Towns struggle to compete for grants, replace aging systems, or manage new development.
Meanwhile, places like Princeville — one of the most historically significant Black towns in America — are still waiting for the flood protections
they were promised after storms dating back to 1999.
We cannot build the future while communities are still fighting yesterday’s problems.
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