Name as it appears on the ballot: David Ulmer
Campaign website: ulmernc.org
Phone number: 919-539-9486
Email: david.ulmer@gmail.com
Years lived in the district: One, but 13 in my Raleigh home, gerrymandering isn’t helping.
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?
Education, we need to allow local school boards to have greater control of their budgets, calendars and class sizes. Economic opportunity, we need to ensure occupational licensing is in place to truly keep people safe and not locking people out of the job market as is happening now. Healthcare, we need to end certificate of need laws as has been done in other states. These regulations drive up costs and limit access.
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 greater access to mental health professionals. We have had some horrific mass shootings in this country but on the whole we have never been safer.
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?
We have been unsuccessful stopping this problem through regulation. We should look at lifting caps on some types of lawsuits. I trust the courts and twelve of my fellow citizens in a jury box to fairly assess damages.
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?
Same answer as three, We have been unsuccessful stopping this problem through regulation. We should look at lifting caps on some types of lawsuits.
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?
The NCGA got it wrong. Juries aren’t influenced by donors and lobbyists. Hog farmers are not entitled to special property rights or protections.
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?
We should have special sessions when there is an unpredictable event requiring our attention, an example would be 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?
The process was not open or transparent and there was not enough time to debate the amendments. I support the tax cap and I oppose the voter ID amendment. The hunting and fishing amendment is a ‘get out the vote’ gimmick. I oppose the remaining three primarily because they were not sufficiently debated. Six amendments is way too many for voters to consider on one ballot.
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?
This is not just a funding problem. We need to allow local school boards to have greater control of their budgets, calendars and class sizes. The current allotment system of funding doesn’t give local school leaders the flexibility to move resources between programs. A per-student funding model and local control of budgets will allow local school boards more opportunities to respond to community and student needs they better understand.
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?
No, minimum wage laws especially when raised high enough actually lock some young workers out of the job market. An entry level wage for those under 23 is extremely important. Many people use their first job to develop the basic skills required of an employee.
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?
No, forcing employers to deal with a patchwork of employment laws across the state will likely be counter-productive. The market does a fairly good job punishing companies viewed as intolerant.
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?
I think separating taxing authority from the school board and keeping it with the county commissioners serves as a reasonable check. Both bodies are elected, so voters are still well served in a system designed to have checks and balances.
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?
These decisions, taken as a whole do not appear to have been made in the interests of public policy.
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.
Both parties have been guilty of partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina’s history. I support the creation of an independent, non-partisan redistricting committee. The League of Women Voters have offered a plan for North Carolina which I would support.
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.
I am more open to spending money on bike lanes than I used to be, particularly for new road projects. I have spoken to many people who simply think they are as basic as roads and meet a real need.
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.
I support the full legalization of marijuana in a legal framework similar to Colorado.
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