John, I was up in the mountains last night—Transylvania County, beneath the eaves of the Pisgah National Forest. Something I’ve always admired about our state is our commitment to public lands. From our National Forests in the west to our National Seashores in the east, conservation is an important investment that we make in our communities, preserving these spaces for recreation and education for generations to come.
Transylvania County is also, like so many areas in our state, a prime example of how changes economic headwinds have affected our communities. Once a bastion of manufacturing, folks here experienced firsthand the need to pivot as companies and opportunities left the county for greener pastures—in fact, in 2002, the county lost thousands of jobs in one year when three of the largest employers in the area closed.
Now, a state forest stands on the land that DuPont’s factory once occupied, and the tourists who enjoy it and Transylvania’s many other natural amenities are the lifeblood of the economy. The people of Transylvania County were able to rally when faced with adversity and transform their community, and today, it's an area on the upswing once more.
Things aren't perfect there by any means, but they're trending positively, and that's not true in every community. A lot of Transylvania’s success came from within—but it also happened because state and local government embraced the transformation and helped create the opportunity for success to happen.
I don't see why we can't replicate that story in every community in North Carolina. There are too many places that have been left behind, but they just need a little help to pick themselves up again.
That kind of help won't always look the same in every community—not every area needs or wants to rely on a tourism economy, after all—but by investing in North Carolina companies and leveraging the Local Government Commission to help our municipalities afford necessary infrastructure, the Treasurer's office can make sure that communities have the tools in their hands to make their own success.
But to do that, we need to flip the Treasurer's office.
Grayson, my campaign manager, sent you an email earlier this week talking about just how we plan to do that and some of our fundraising needs around it—well, this weekend is our very first end-of-month fundraising deadline of the general election, and whether or not we hit our goal will be a major factor in determining how much of our strategy we can afford to implement.
If we want to get off on the right foot and be able to reach every voter who needs to hear from us, then I need to raise another $5,000 before midnight on Sunday. And since this is a holiday weekend, I probably really need to raise it by midnight tonight.
So if you believe we can replicate the success of counties like Transylvania all across North Carolina, if you believe in government as a force for good, then I hope you’ll make a contribution to my campaign. $25, $50, or whatever you can spare today will help us put the right foot forward as we head toward November.
