SW Wake HD 37 Considered a Battleground in Three-Way Race | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal, and written by Evelyn Howell, contributor.

    House District 37 (covers southern Wake County bordering Johnston, Harnett, and Chatham counties.)

• John Adcock, Republican (appointed incumbent). Occupation: Attorney, small business owner. Education: Appalachian State University, double major bachelor's degrees in community/regional planning and geography. The Catholic University of America, master's in international affairs. Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, juris doctorate. Career Highlights: Contracting officer for the U.S. Department of Defense international office. Local government land use planner. Worked on Town of Boone Planning Commission.
• Sydney Batch, Democrat. Occupation: Attorney, small business owner. Education:UNC-Chapel Hill, bachelor's, master's of social work, and juris doctorate degrees. Career highlights: 10th Judicial District Grievance Committee member. Adjunct faculty member for UNC School of Government continuing legal education. Former N.C. Family Court Advisory Committee member. Former board member Wake County Women's Center.
• Guy Meilleur, Libertarian. No profile available.

    Education, health care, and transportation are among candidates' top issues in a southeast Wake County battleground district.

    Republican incumbent John Adcock, Democrat Sydney Batch, and Libertarian Guy Meilleur are vying to fill the House District 37 seat left vacant Aug. 31 when first-term Republican Linda Hunt Williams resigned. Her husband got a job in Louisiana, and the Republican House Executive Committee unanimously selected Adcock to complete her unexpired term.

    The N.C. FreeEnterprise Foundation, which closely tracks state elections and voter behavior patterns, rates the district competitive, although Hunt Williams won in a three-way race with 52 percent of the vote in 2016.

    For years, political battles have percolated in North Carolina over gerrymandered legislative and congressional districts. House District 37 was among those involved in federal court-ordered changes this year, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a revised map of the district from being implemented.


CJ Photo by Kari Travis
    The district is still part of a state court lawsuit seeking to declare it unconstitutional.

    Calls to establish a nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission have intensified amid the spate of lawsuits. Adcock is receptive to such a change.

    "I want a fair, transparent process of redistricting. I want a bipartisan group, and I want to see specifics," he said.

    Adcock said improvements to transportation are greatly needed, and must be a priority.

    "We are a rapidly growing area. The issues in our district all revolve around growth," Adcock said. "We have an outdated transportation system. The roads were never designed to deal with the demands of today."

    Carolina Journal made several attempts to contact Batch. Her campaign declined to arrange an interview, and did not respond to an email with questions. She announced in August she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She took some time off from campaigning, but said she would remain in the race.

    Meilleur did not respond to requests for an interview.

    Batch said on her Facebook page "health care is what matters in this election," and that she will "stand up and fight for family's health care."

    "Properly funding our public schools and investing in our children's futures will help our state continue to grow," she said on her Facebook page.

    Adcock said parents should have options for their children, and that is why he is an advocate for well-run charter schools and school vouchers.

    "I want to find the best means to provide the best education," Adcock said. "Charter schools should be held accountable to regulations that are put in place. Their success needs to be measured just as we do all public schools."

    He supports more classroom resources, efforts to retain good teachers, and increased teacher pay.

    Adcock wants to support more programs for post-secondary vocational education and training.

    "A four-year college for some students is something they may not want to pursue," he said.

    Adcock said if elected he will continue to support a strong, vibrant local economy, and effective, state-of-the-art schools.

    "We are blessed to have a booming economy and growing opportunities," he said. "The General Assembly is doing a great job. I want it to continue with strong fiscal policies."