HD 22 Challenger Smith Says He Offers 'True Conservative' Alternative | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Donna Martinez, who is a contributor to the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Incumbent Rep. Brisson voted with GOP majority on some issues


    RALEIGH     Republican Ken Smith says his campaign to oust Democratic incumbent Rep. William Brisson from the House District 22 seat in the General Assembly is nothing personal.

    Residents of big swaths of Bladen and Sampson counties, and a small portion of Johnston County, need an average person with strong conservative credentials to represent their interests. Brisson, he says, simply doesn't fit the bill.

    "He does have a good voting record as in voting many times with the Republicans. I acknowledge that," said Smith, an ordained minister. "And I'm not personally attacking Representative Brisson. Representative Brisson is a good man. But I also know there is a need to see that there's people who want a true conservative, not someone that just says they're a conservative."

    When asked for specific examples of where he believes Brisson falls short, Smith mentioned the Second Amendment, but spoke at length about North Carolina Senate Bill 353, titled "Health and Safety Law Changes."

    The bill, signed into law last year, increased safety standards for facilities that perform abortions, prohibited sex selective abortions, and provided conscience protections for health care workers.

    General Assembly voting records show Brisson voted against S.B. 353, which passed the House 74-41. Smith supports the law's provisions, and believes residents of the district agree with him.

    Carolina Journal was unable to obtain an interview with Rep. Brisson despite repeated requests made over a 10-day period. His campaign did respond with a brief e-mail, providing a basic biography and a list of the legislator's "top issues."

    Brisson, a self-employed farmer and a former chairman of the Bladen County Board of Commissioners, was elected to the General Assembly in 2006 and serves on 18 committees, and is vice chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.

    Smith also has his eye on the economic stability of the district. Bladen is one of nine counties struggling with double-digit unemployment. Non-seasonally adjusted rates for August put Bladen's rate at 10.3 percent, according to data from the Division of Economic Security. Sampson and Johnston counties sit at 6.9 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively.

    The reality of the jobless numbers hits home for Smith. He says he meets people every day who are hurting financially.

    "It's not that these people are not willing to work," he said. "It's just that the job base, the factory base, where some of them have worked in factories, some of them have had jobs like that, now are having to turn to part-time jobs without benefits just to survive."

    Smith's path forward is a recruiting strategy that includes lowering the tax burden for business and focusing more educational opportunities on trades and skills.

    "Businesses are willing, want to locate in areas where the tax burden and rate is low, and also where there are qualified workers," Smith said.

    The list of "top issues" e-mailed by Brisson's campaign to Carolina Journal includes "Job creation and reducing burdens that restrict employers from the ability to grow, and to provide needed services for our Elderly and others that cannot provide for themselves."

    In September, Brisson was one of 32 House members endorsed by the North Carolina Chamber PAC. Lew Ebert, president and CEO of the North Carolina Chamber, described the 32 legislators as "pro-jobs candidates" in a news release.

    Smith acknowledges that taking on a multiterm incumbent is tough sledding. He says if the election were based on fundraising, he'd be out of luck.

    He purposely hasn't spent a lot of time raising money and won't accept contributions over $1,000 so he can "continue to stay unbiased." And if he wins the election, his decision will have meaning.

    "Whenever I'm in Raleigh, I'll be able to vote with a clear conscience because I won't feel like I owe any one particular person, political PAC, payback simply for the fact that they've made a large contribution to me," Smith said.

    The most recent campaign finance reports posted to the State Board of Elections website show Brisson with a sizeable cash-on-hand advantage: $54,442 to Smith's $601.

    The North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation's 2014 Almanac of NC Politics rates the House District 22 race as competitive. The voter affiliation profile is 51.1 percent Democrat, 30.2 percent Republican, and 18.5 percent Unaffiliated.
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