Name as it appears on the ballot: Allison Dahle
Campaign website: www.allisonforhouse.com
Phone number: 919-412-3054
Email: adahle@allisonforhouse.com
Years lived in the district: 15
1. What do you think are the three biggest issues facing our state? If you are an incumbent, what have you done to address those issues, and what more would you do if given another term? If you are a challenger, what would you do differently to address those issues than the incumbent has done?
Healthcare, Education and LGBT/Women’s rights.
When I serve in the NC House I will work to expand Medicaid in North Carolina, to fully fund public schools, K-12 and post-secondary institutions, and to pass legislation that gives full protection under the law to women and to those in the LGBT community.
2. It seems hardly a day goes by without news of another mass shooting. On the state level, what changes to gun laws, if any, do you support? If you do not support any changes, please explain why you think the current laws are successful.
I support the need for stronger background checks. I support red flag laws and other safety measures that keep guns out of the hands of people who may be in crisis.
3. In recent years, Duke Energy’s coal ash spilled into the Dan River and Chemours’s GenX leaked into the Cape Fear River. Do you think these companies have been held sufficiently accountable? Do you believe the state has put in place sufficient regulations to prevent these problems from occurring again? If not, what more do you propose doing?
I believe we have not done enough to protect our water sources; I would support properly funding the DEQ to do more research on these water safety issues and place more stringent regulations to prevent these problems from occurring again.
4. In the wake of Hurricane Florence, at least six hog-farm lagoons were damaged and more than fifty saw discharges or were inundated with floodwaters as of this writing, according to the DEQ. More than five thousand hogs have died, and right now it’s unclear what the ultimate long-term environmental impacts will be. Since Hurricane Floyd, environmentalists have warned that, in a severe flooding event, the farms’ “anachronistic” waste-disposal techniques could pose a threat to the state’s waterways and public health, while the industry has insisted that its farms utilize best practices and are already heavily regulated. Do you believe these farms, and their lagoons, pose a risk to the environment? If so, do you believe the state has done enough to minimize that risk?
The hog-farm lagoons pose a large environmental risk as well as a major problem for some of our poorest population that live near these lagoons. There is innovative technology that has been developed to harness energy from these lagoons, I believe we need to ensure that these measures are taken, and soon. And we need to clean up the waste, completely. I am not an expert and will not tell you that I know how to best clean up this problem, but I will work with the experts who do to make it happen.
We need to properly fund the DEQ to allow them to make sure that our water and land do not become more poisoned than they already have been.
5. This year, Smithfield Foods—the world’s largest pork producer—has lost three verdicts in North Carolina totaling millions of dollars, after juries found that its farms’ methods of waste disposal infringed on the property rights of their neighbors. But in the last two years, the General Assembly has taken steps to make it more difficult for these neighbors to sue or to recover substantial damages, citing the threats these lawsuits pose to the well-being of family farmers. Do you believe the legislature’s actions with regard to these nuisance lawsuits are prudent? Why or why not?
No, I do not believe that the legislature’s actions are prudent. I think that we need to hold the large corporations that own the product/farms accountable. Most of the farmers of pork and chicken work for a larger corporation that does not fund the farms enough for them to make a decent living and take care of the environmental hazards that the farming creates. I am again no expert but am on the side of the farmers and believe that if we work with the farmers to find out their needs and then help them negotiate a better rate we may be able to clean this problem up.
If the food producers are not going to pay to keep the farms clean, then they need to be held accountable. There is responsibility inherent in making money, part of the responsibility is taking care of the community in which you work and have a business.
6. It has been estimated that special sessions of the North Carolina legislature cost about $50,000 per day. Since 2016, the General Assembly has called seven of them to deal with everything from passing HB 2—the so-called bathroom bill—to passing restrictions on the governor’s powers after Roy Cooper defeated Pat McCrory to, most recently, clean up controversial constitutional amendment language so that it complied with a court order. Under what circumstances do you think it’s appropriate to hold a special session?
Special sessions certainly should not be held to legislate about bathrooms, that is for sure. Special Sessions should be used to address crisis issues, such as the special session that was called after Hurricane Florence.
7. What are your thoughts on the six proposed constitutional amendments before voters this November? Please explain which you support and which you don’t support and why. What do you think about the process behind these amendments—what critics have described as a limited public debate, for example, as well as the elimination of amendment numbers and ballot summaries, and the lack of so-called implementing legislation, which could be passed in another special session after the November vote?
I think we should NIX ALL SIX. The proposed constitutional amendments have not allowed for any public input and I believe that this is just a ploy to drive out the Republican base this election.
I am very concerned that the proposed constitutional amendments are not clearly defined and that voters are voting on an idea, not on an amendment. There are no definitions for some of the wording, such as what is a “traditional method of hunting”? Does this mean bow and arrow? Or does this mean that protected wildlife can now be killed because at one time it was plentiful but now is protected? This is just one example of an idea proposed, not defined, and is therefore dangerous. I do not trust the current state legislature to properly define these “ideas”.
8. In May, thousands of teachers from all over the state marched on the legislature to demand better pay, more resources for students, and more respect. Do you think North Carolina’s schools are being adequately funded? If not, what taxes would you be willing to raise—or what services would you be willing to cut—to fund them better?
School funding has steadily declined over the past 10 years and we continue to ignore this issue. There is approximately half a billion dollars unappropriated in the budget – why is this money not being used? This is not the rainy-day fund, this is unappropriated monies that could be used to adequately fund public education. Our state must do more to ensure that North Carolina has a strong future, and education is the only way to ensure that future. We must fund public schools.
9. Currently, twenty-nine states have minimum wages above the federal minimum. North Carolina is not among them. Do you believe North Carolina should raise its minimum wage?
YES
10. Under current law, toward the end of 2020, municipalities will gain the authority to pass nondiscrimination and living wage ordinances—unless the General Assembly intervenes. Since the winner of your race will be in office at that time, do you believe local governments in North Carolina should be allowed to make these decisions for themselves?
Yes, I believe not only should municipalities pass nondiscrimination and living wage ordinances, I believe the NCGA should vote to approve ratification the Equal Rights Amendment and protections for LGBT people. Further, we need to send a clear message that North Carolina does not believe in nor permit any kind of racism. We need to be a beacon for the world that ALL people are created equal.
11. Over the last couple of years in Wake County, county commissioners and school board members have battled over local school funding. Recently, some commissioners have made moves to petition the legislature to allow for a pilot program in which the Board of Commissioners turns over school-taxing authority to the Board of Education, as is the arrangement in most states. In general, do you believe the state’s elected school boards should have the responsibility to raise taxes for the schools they oversee? Why or why not?
If the state cannot fund public education properly then yes, I believe the Board of Education should have the right to raise taxes. However, I also believe that the Board of Education and the County Commissioners should work together to make any tax increase fair.
12. Since Governor Cooper’s election, the legislature has taken a number of steps to assume powers that were previously the executive’s domain, including overhauling the State Board of Elections. Do you believe these decisions were merely power grabs, as Democrats have alleged, or that they were made in the interests of public policy?
The current Republican-controlled legislature is merely using anything and everything they have to grab more power. The state legislature works for the people and I hope that in November the people of North Carolina will send a clear message that they are tired of being left out of government and that they want their legislators to work for them, not for power.
13. Over the last year, the state has frequently found itself in court over its legislative and congressional districts, which courts have ruled to be unconstitutional racial and partisan gerrymanders. Given this, do you believe the state legislature of that last several years has acted as a legitimate body? If not, what do you propose as a solution? If yes, please tell us why.
No, I do not feel this state legislature has acted in a responsible manner in regard to gerrymandering. I propose we achieve a better balance of power and by electing enough Democrats to give the Governor back his Veto power. And then we abolish gerrymandering by drawing legal and fair districts and passing legislation that prohibits it in the future.
14. Give an example of a time, during your political career, when you have changed your position as a result of a discussion with someone who held an opposing view.
My political career is new. I have been in conversations with people who have held opposing views and have changed my mind after speaking with them. I do not have a specific story to illustrate this point, but I am sure this will happen again. I have an open mind and believe that listening to others and their points of view is an important part of being an elected official and effective politician.
15. Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected that you suspect might cost you some points with voters.
Equal rights for LGBT people is non-negotiable. I will not waiver and will not compromise when it comes to the rights of humans. I believe that America was built on the promise of equality and we must work to make sure that all Americans are treated equally, and all Americans includes LGBT people.
