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  Gubernatorial candidate visits Lilesville
LILESVILLE -- They just kept coming in. It may have been the lure of free barbecue, or it may have been curiosity from the book they received in the mail, but by the time lunch was over, the audience had almost doubled. But the author wasn't there to read from his book, "A Little Extra Effort," although like Senator Barack Obama and former President Franklin Pierce, he was using this book to help launch his campaign for political office. Fred Smith, 65, is a third-term State Senator representing Wake and Johnston counties, and he is seeking the Republican nomination for North Carolina Governor. On Monday, 21 people, some Democrats, some Republicans, got in line to start eating at the Lilesville Fire Department. By the time they finished 45 minutes later, there were 38 people total. Ralph and Helen Lail, both of Wadesboro, were two of the people in attendance. They have lived in Wadesboro for about nine years and Helen Lail has already decided to vote for Smith. "I like the fact that he doesn't give up, that he keeps trying," she said, commenting on his book. "He just has a good head on his shoulders." Ralph Lail isn't sure if he'll support the candidate yet. "I probably will, sounds like he's got some good ideas," he said. Peachland resident Herbert Taylor said he wants to hear about changes in government, especially immigration. He also considers balancing the budget and the "water situation" key issues. "There's only so much to go around," he said, tying water issues and illegal immigration together. "Each family depletes the system." Taylor also plans to vote for Smith. William Clark, of Lilesville, said he enjoyed the book. He said that he was an orphan in Winston-Salem and it helped him to relate to Smith. Smith grew up in the Methodist Orphanage in Raleigh, where his parents worked. "I like his conservative views on things," Clark said. Time and again, people said that they decided to vote for Smith after reading his book, which they received in the mail. During the meal, Smith ate and talked with some of those in attendance. The BBQ was the 96th in his quest to visit all 100 counties in North Carolina. After a slide show, Smith took to the podium. "Politics is a team sport," he said, calling on those in attendance to help him become the next governor of North Carolina. He said that the government in Raleigh is "broken." "People are disappointed that we have the highest tax rate in the southeast in this state," he said. In the course of his speech, he called for an end to "defensive medicine" from doctors fearing malpractice suits that he claims drive up health insurance costs. He said he wants to take a tough stand on illegal immigration, protect "the unborn" and insure that marriage will only be between a man and a woman. He also called for more transparent government. "I guarantee to post on the Internet how every dollar is spent," he said. He ended his speech with a story about how he learned the value of giving his best at all times. Smith said that in eighth grade, he and a friend were performing drills on the football team and decided to slack off, knowing that the coach wouldn't notice. It was a Thursday and his father typically worked all week, leaving on Monday morning and returning Friday afternoon. His ruse worked, but as he left he noticed his father waiting to drive him home. After a long, silent ride, his father sent him to work in the garden for about an hour. His father came out and told him a quote by former Michigan State University football coach Biggie Munn, "The difference between good and great is a little extra effort." Smith said the quote changed his life, that he put it on a plague in his shop class and has kept it with him as a reminder ever since. After the speech, Smith said that there was a "groundswell" on illegal immigration. He said he wants to make sure that anyone who signs up for a driver's license or registers to vote is here legally. He also wants to ensure that government agencies do not give benefits to illegal immigrants. "People want roads built," he said. "There are places we have to have public transportation, but you need a critical mass of people." He said that most of North Carolina does not have that critical mass. He said it was hard to speak about just a few problems that need to be fixed, because they were interrelated. "Jobs affect education and healthcare," he said. He said there was no "silver bullet," for a solution to bring jobs to places like Anson County, which suffers from 6.8-percent unemployment rate. The state average is 4.7 percent. "In the long term, we need to educate our workforce," he said. He said the education system should hire the right teachers, minimize disruption in the classroom and look at other ways to meet people's needs. He said that vocational schools, community colleges and charter schools were important parts of the solution. "Charter schools are public schools," he said. He wants to remove caps on the number of charter schools, saying that they meet students' needs for less. He said that the state has lots of "cellulosity" from plants and animal waste that could be used for biofuels or alternative energy and to create jobs. However, he said, creating jobs is primarily the responsibility of the private sector and that government was primarily about creating the right "environment" for job creation. "The answer is the private sector," he said. The article above by Justin Allen was published in the Anson Record and is available online here.
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