Insurance Commissioner Goodwin Criss-Crosses North Carolina

Though Not on Ballot in 2010, Statewide Elected Official Barnstorms All Over

Wayne Goodwin says he doesn't just meet consumers and voters during his election year, but each and every day.

To that end, he has picked up the pace of criss-crossing North Carolina from east to west, back and forth over the last several months.

Sometimes he's speaking to a group of 15 members of a civic club.

Another day he's bringing down the house in front of 1,000 senior citizens or small business owners at a conference.

Then there are the political events where he gets hundreds of people to respond back and engage with him as if they were in church.

And all in-between Goodwin informs, implores, cajoles, and makes his audiences laugh while proving each time that what makes him tick is good government, common sense leadership, consumer protection, transparency, doing what's right, and 21st century populism.

In the months of September and October alone, some of the Tar Heel places Insurance Commissioner Goodwin will have visited are:

*Carteret County Underwriters, Morehead City
*IIANC of Charlotte/Mecklenburg
*Roanoke Rapids Valley Chamber of Commerce
*Southeast Raleigh
*Anson County Democratic Party, Wadesboro
*Piedmont Triad 2010 Aging Conference, Greensboro
*Pharmacy Leaders' Forum, Greensboro
*Ashe Co. Democratic Party, West Jefferson
*Ashe County Homebuilders Association, Jefferson
*Gibson Fire Dept, Scotland County
*Employee Benefits Brokers Seminar, Charlotte
*NC Retail Pharmacists Annual Mtg, Raleigh
*Statewide Fire Drill/Fire Prevention Month, Cleveland Co. Fair, Shelby
*Tri-Community Fire Dept., New Bern
*Independent Insurance Agents of NC (IIANC) Annual Convention, Asheville
*Western NC Fire Training Center, Woodfin
*NC Assn of Health Underwriters - WNC (NCAHU), Asheville
*Governor's Aging Conference, Research Triangle Park
*NC State Fair (multiple times)
*Morrison-Deane-Goodman Annual Dinner, Hamlet
*East Carolina University (ECU), Greenville

Even more appearances and opportunities for citizens to meet him are slated in the coming months for coastal and eastern Carolina, as well as throughout the state.

And then there is all the activity he does actually in his office: ordering hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance refunds and rate reductions, fighting insurance fraud, protecting consumers, penalizing insurance companies for violations of the law, being a watchdog for insurance company solvency, approving and delivering grant funds to fire departments, keeping North Carolina ahead of the curve in many ways, and generally keeping a close eye on the work of his administration.

Suffice it to say, this state insurance commissioner - heralded as the best insurance commissioner in the country in Hamlet last night by Lt. Governor Walter Dalton and one of the best state insurance regulators in the nation by the President of the United States last month - is one of the hardest working, most accessible, highest octane state officials you'll ever find.

Eighth Congressional District Chairman Moderates Debate Among Lt. Governor Candidates

by Wayne Goodwin

I had the honor and privilege to serve as moderator for the recent debate in Fayetteville among the Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor.

Before sharing a few thoughts, it is imperative for me to say this:

North Carolina owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the young folks – the young leaders – comprising the N.C. Federation of College Democrats. They and they alone proposed, coordinated, and have successfully hosted these debates around the State.

Their leadership has done much to educate the electorate about the role of Lt. Governor and what the candidates plan to do if chosen to serve in the role of Chief Executive-in-Waiting. (Frankly, though the duties have been scaled back over the years, most especially when Republican Jim Gardner snagged the post in 1988, the office of Lt. Governor is – and should be – a tremendous bully pulpit. In addition to serving a constitutional role as perfunctory head of the State Senate and as the potential successor if the office of Governor is vacated, the Lt. Governor has the means, ability and – if the typical candidate is elected to the office – energy to make the position into whatever he or she deems is necessary. Perhaps we should discuss this more in a separate post.)

Fayetteville State University proved to be an apropos location for this particular debate.

Why?

Well, it is in the center of several issues central to the votes of folks in the Eighth Congressional District and the neighboring Seventh and Second Congressional Districts.

What are those Eighth District issues? In my opinion, they are:

* The impact of the military’s presence on the region’s economy

* How to transition more quickly and more efficiently those Eighth District communities devastated by the loss of manufacturing and textile jobs over the last 15-20 years

* How to provide focused economic development in counties with regularly-high unemployment stats, namely neighboring Scotland and Richmond Counties

* Whether these candidates favor keeping Insurance Commissioner Jim Long as the regulator of auto insurance rates

In addition to the above topics, we covered in detail approximately eight questions plus several from the audience.

And pursuant to the rules, the candidates were allowed rebuttal time as warranted.

Each candidate for Lt. Governor focused on his particular strengths.

Thankfully, there are additional debates remaining in the series so the public – or at least those paying attention this early - will have a “high-def” understanding of whom these candidates are and what their respective candidacies bring to the table.

I encourage visitors to Wayne’s World to check out my earlier posts from October-November 2007 here that provide a summary of what these four candidates are about, how to contact them, etc. On behalf of the Eighth District, these candidates have many thanks for making multiple visits to Richmond, Cumberland, and other counties in this district over the past year. In the last 24 years, it is irrefutable that this is the most attention paid to our area by an array of candidates for this important post. That says a great deal about these Democrats, the promise of the office, and the lasting legacy that Bev Perdue, Dennis Wicker and Jim Hunt have left from their service as Lt. Governor.

In closing, I encourage the four candidates – Dan Besse, Walter Dalton, Hampton Dellinger, and Pat Smathers - and their supporters to share additional thoughts here at Wayne’s World about the debate series and their campaigns so that the Eighth will hear from them once again. Through these continued contacts, voters will have no excuse for not knowing whom they should cast a ballot for in the May 2008 primary.

Walter Dalton, candidate for Lt. Governor, visits Richmond County

Walter Dalton

State Senator and Lt. Governor candidate Walter Dalton of Rutherfordton visited Richmond County last week for the 2nd Annual Morrison-Deane-Goodman Democratic Dinner & Rally. Richmond County Democrats recall that he attended the county convention earlier this year in April. Senator Dalton also serves as co-chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

As he did at the earlier county convention, at this year’s rally Walter spoke in the spirited form he has adopted for the campaign trail. He rallied the audience of 200+ Democrats by reminding them that he and Democratic legislators pushed through legislation that reduced class size, raised teacher pay and added accountability in the classroom, and helped make North Carolina a model for education reform. Of great interest to Richmond County Democrats, who all have been hit hard by manufacturing job losses, was his efforts to promote tax incentives for areas that have been hardest hit by this economic tsunami.

Walter’s campaign is managed by Morgan Jackson, who many 8th District Democrats recall worked for former Congressman Bill Hefner. State Senator Bill Purcell, former State Senator Richard Conder, and former Lt. Governor Bob Jordan all support Walter’s campaign. Furthermore, both Melanie and I have had the honor and pleasure of serving with Walter in the legislature. He is a hard-working lawmaker who has labored for his district with distinction.

Walter Dalton and any one of the Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor would make an excellent successor to current Lt. Governor and 2008 gubernatorial candidate Bev Perdue.

To learn more about the Walter Dalton campaign, check out www.walterdalton.org.

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Note to Reader: This is one in a series of synoptic posts about Statewide candidates who attended the Richmond County 2nd Annual Morrison-Deane-Goodman Democratic Dinner & Rally in Hamlet on November 8. Given that I serve as chair of the 8th Congressional District Democratic Executive Committee and am prohibited from endorsing in a primary, these posts are not and must not be interpreted as endorsements of any kind other than for Democratic candidates generally. I post these for information only, and encourage friends and supporters (and candidates themselves) who are willing to feel free to post their own comments to this entry.

Richmond Dems Rock: Annual Dinner Jumpstarts 2008 Elections

Richmond Dems Rock: Annual Dinner Jumpstarts 2008 Elections

By all accounts, Richmond County’s 2nd Annual Morrison-Deane-Goodman Democratic Dinner & Rally held on November 8th was a resounding success!

In 2006 the Richmond County Democratic Party hosted its first dinner and rally with this moniker and more than 500 people attended at the Hamlet Fairgrounds. Since this year – 2007 – is not an election year, we did not expect that same size crowd but were very pleased with the approximately 200+ Democrats who packed the patriotic-festooned American Legion Post 49 clubhouse in Hamlet.

And though the evening ran a little long due to the sheer number of candidates who attended, the 200+ attendees enjoyed an infusion of Democratic Party mainstays:

►A focus on education, better jobs, health care, fiscal responsibility, and ethics;
►A love of public service (including for our men and women who serve in the Armed Forces); and,
►Lots of Democratic blue (as opposed to Republican red?) meat and inspirational oratory.

Lighting the fuse for the rally was the re-election announcement and campaign fundraising reception for State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin. Joining in the early festivities at the historic Hamlet Train Depot were Speaker Joe Hackney; Insurance Commissioner Jim Long; State Representatives Tricia Cotham, Pryor Gibson, Garland Pierce, and Doug Yongue; State Senators Walter Dalton (candidate for Lt. Governor), Bill Purcell and Janet Cowell (candidate for Treasurer); former State Senate Majority Leader Richard Conder; Congressional candidate Larry Kissell; Hampton Dellinger, former chief legal counsel for Gov. Easley and candidate for Lt. Governor; Zeb Smathers, son of Mayor Pat Smathers and candidate for Lt. Governor; Dan Besse, Lt. Governor candidate; Michael Weisel, a candidate for State Treasurer; Eddie Davis, NCAE President and candidate for Superintendent for Public Instruction; NC Democratic Party chairman Jerry Meek; countless other Statewide and regional candidates, local officials and supporters; and, of course, yours truly, the lesser half and immediate predecessor to Melanie in the legislature.

We were also especially pleased with the strong contingency of Cumberland County Democrats who carpooled together and attended both events. (Kudos to Roberta Waddle and Reva McNair for making the arrangements!)

See below a small sampling of photographs snapped throughout the evening.

Very soon I plan to have video of several of the candidates uploaded for your pleasure.

My plan is to highlight in separate blog postings most of the Statewide candidates and special guests who attended and spoke, as well as a summary of what House Speaker Joe Hackney shared with the assembled crowd. Expect to see the initial entries starting this week!

I encourage attendees and – most importantly – visiting candidates to share their feedback via the comments section here on the blog, BlueNC, or any other blog where this subject is cross-posted.

Meanwhile, do enjoy the local newspaper coverage about the event. Here’s the link: http://www.yourdailyjournal.com/articles/2007/11/09/news/news03.txt

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Get Ready for Nov 8: Richmond County's Morrison-Deane-Goodman Democratic Dinner & Rally

2nd ANNUAL
MORRISON-DEANE-GOODMAN DEMOCRATIC DINNER & RALLY

THIS THURSDAY, November 8th

Dinner @ 6:30 pm, Program @ 7:15 pm
Hamlet American Legion Post 49
402 Lakeside Drive, off U.S. Hwy 74 Business
Hamlet (across from the Armory)

Democrats and Unaffiliated Voters are invited to join us for dinner and the program.

ONLY $10 per person.

An old-fashioned chicken bog, prepared the traditional way.

Call 582-2950 or 997-1301 for more details. Sponsorships range from $25 to $500.

Among those providing remarks are:

House Speaker Joe Hackney of Chatham County
Speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives

Walter Dalton, Pat Smathers, Dan Besse, and Hampton Dellinger
Candidates for Lt. Governor

House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman
State Representative, Davidson County

Insurance Commissioner Jim Long

Janet Cowell, State Senator and candidate for NC State Treasurer

Michael Weisel, Candidate for NC State Treasurer

Larry Kissell, 2006 Congressional nominee

Linda Stephens, Court of Appeals Judge

Bill Purcell, State Senator

Melanie Wade Goodwin, State Representative

Eddie Davis, President of NC Assn of Educators & Candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction

Wayne Goodwin, Asst. Insurance Commissioner, 8th District Chairman and former legislator

Jerry Meek, NCDP State Chairman

Judge Kristin Ruth, candidate for NC Court of Appeals

Tricia Cotham, one of several legislator-guests

plus other State & Local Officials, Candidates

Special Music: Richmond County’s own Vickie Daniel!

Our Democratic candidates support: Public Education. Fiscal and Personal Responsibility. Economic Progress. Opportunity for Growth. Security. Justice. Public Safety. God, Country, Faith and Family.

Make Your Voice Heard: Please Vote. The future of our nation depends upon it.

Immediately before this event, State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin will have her campaign kick-off reception at the historic Hamlet Train Depot, 2 Main Street, Hamlet. 5:30-6:30 pm. Suggested donation: $25-$50. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by calling 910-997-1301 or emailing gwaynegoodwin@gmail.com