Miles Faces Garrison For House 32 Democratic Nod | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Leslee Kulba, who is an associated blogger for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Winner of March 15 Democratic primary will have no GOP opponent

    RALEIGH     North Carolina House District 32 will have a new representative next year, and it appears likely it will be either seven-term Vance County commissioner Terry Garrison or Gary Lamont Miles Sr.

    Attorney Nathan Baskerville, a Democrat who has represented the region encompassing Vance, Warren, and part of Granville counties for the last two terms, is not seeking re-election. No Republicans filed to run in the district, so barring a write-in or unaffiliated candidate in the General Election, the primary winner would be the next House member.

    Terri Campbell, a food service worker from Bullock, told Carolina Journal she was withdrawing her candidacy.

    Miles, an Army retiree, said he believes in grass-roots solutions to problems. For example, he would like to see churches and other social groups doing more to get a grip on crime.

    He is not opposed to legislators offering incentives to large companies that create jobs, but he would be more inclined to support incentives for small business, he said.

    "I believe economic development first starts with community accountability. When there are abandoned buildings, and condemned houses in abundance, cities become unattractive, and the property values drastically decrease," Miles said.

    "This creates a breeding ground for criminal activity. It is imperative that property owners maintain their properties by keeping them up to code and attractive. This is a crime prevention method as well as a lure attracting business owners, franchises, and companies to bring their businesses to the district," Miles said.

    He believes government should take better care of teachers, whose role in providing an education is essential to deterring crime as students grow to adulthood. Teachers should be paid wages high enough to slow attrition, he said, and he would like to see a pay scale structured like the military's.

    He also favors allocating more resources for veterans, the mentally ill, and the elderly, many of whom in his district live "from pension check to pension check," and must put food, shelter, and medications in triage.

    "Our elderly population should never be stressed by the fears of becoming homeless or going without food. The Medicaid program has also cut out the services for the elderly to receive eyeglasses. We must render better service," Miles said.

    Miles is a former teacher, pastor, and single parent of four "educated, professional, law-abiding citizens." He says he's running because, "Personally, I am appalled at the conditions of our counties, and the minimal efforts to correct, build, and serve our communities."

    Garrison, currently chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, is the owner of Tegarris Associates Realty.

    When contacted, Garrison said campaign and work schedules did not allow him time for an interview. He declined to do an abbreviated interview, or answer questions by e-mail.

    He is a member of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Hall of Fame, having served as president and general board member.

    Garrison ran for the Senate District 4 seat left vacant in 2012 by the death of Sen. Ed Jones. Then-state Rep. Angela Bryant of Rocky Mount beat him in an election by the Democratic Executive Committee of the Fourth Senatorial District.

    At the time, Garrison cited as job qualifications having met with White House and congressional staff, and groups across the state representing, among other things, labor and education.