Name as it appears on the ballot: Robert Reives II
Campaign website: www.reivesforhouse.com
Email: robert@reivesforhouse.com
Years lived in the district: As it is currently drawn, I have lived in District 54 since 2017. I had lived in the prior iteration of District 54 for my entire life.
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?
We've got to return our education system to its previous status through robust investment and a real increase in teacher salaries, expand Medicaid so that hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians can gain access to potentially life-saving care, and protect green spaces and natural resources like Jordan Lake and the Cape Fear River from pollution and other threats. I of course have introduced and/or voted for legislation and budgets that would address these priorities, but it will be necessary to break the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly before they can truly be advanced.
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 expanding background checks, raising the minimum age for the purchase of certain weapons, and banning the sale of items like bumper stocks and high capacity magazines.
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?
These companies have not been held sufficiently accountable. The state has not put sufficient regulations in place to remedy this problem. We are blessed in North Carolina and in the 54th district with a number of amazing natural resources. But our air, water and other natural resources face threats from a number of factors, including fracking, coal ash, and water pollution. I've been proud to sponsor legislation disapproving of rules laid out by the Mining and Energy Commission, limiting damage from fracking operations and ensuring such companies publicly disclose the chemicals they use in their process, expanding the coal ash structural fill moratorium, encouraging a diverse energy portfolio in North Carolina, incentivizing state agencies to save money on energy costs, protecting citizens from forced pooling, and more.
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?
I do believe these lagoons can pose health and environmental risks if waste is not properly disposed of, and I do not believe the state has done enough to minimize them. No one is looking to put farms out of business, but there are certainly common sense approaches to ensuring that these large-scale operations do their business in a way that does not put our waterways and well-being in jeopardy.
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. Our courts exist in part as a remedy for people who have been wronged by others, and limiting the ability of regular people to use them for that purpose is a bad idea. This is a subject I have debated many times on the House floor.
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?
The recent special session to address disaster relief needs is an example of an appropriate time. It is not an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars, however, to hold sessions like this for the purpose of taking away powers from an incoming governor or to pass divisive, hateful legislation like HB 2.
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 don't support any of them – all six are either unnecessary, misleading or outright deceitful. The cynical decision to place these amendments on the ballot appears to be more aimed at shaping the electorate in hopes that it is more favorable to the Republican supermajority than it might otherwise be. Doing something as serious as altering our Constitution should only happen after full public input and lengthy debate. Not in a quick backroom discussion where consequences are not fully addressed.
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?
Budgets reflect priorities, and the Republicans in charge of the General Assembly made it clear that they prioritized giving unnecessary tax cuts to the richest North Carolinians more than they did adequately funding public education. Governor Roy Cooper's budget proposal showed the way to prioritize our schools, and I look forward to a more balanced General Assembly that will be willing to do so. The Governor’s budget proposed aggressive teacher raises without raising taxes which again means it is a matter of prioritization not resources.
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. It has been far too long since North Carolina last did so, and no one who works full time should live in poverty.
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. What works for one community may not for another, and these are decisions that leaders in those communities know best how to make. Raleigh can and should not offer blanket solutions to communities with disparate needs, resources and populations.
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 would have to study the consequences of this arrangement in other states before forming a definitive opinion, but it stands to reason that if school boards across the state were in charge of their own purse strings, their reliance on boards of commissioners would be reduced and as a result so would potential partisan disagreements. That being said, when levels of government are required to work together, there is often an increased level of service and attention to citizens at all levels.
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?
If these moves were made in the interests of public policy, the Republican legislature could have done so when Pat McCrory was still governor. Since they did not, it is reasonable to assume that these moves were made in the interest of taking powers away from a duly elected executive because he came from the Democratic Party.
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.
The legislature is probably not entirely legitimate, but since it is impossible to go back in time and hold past elections again, the only solution is to reduce the influence of partisan gerrymandering on future legislatures, and I believe the best way to do that is to implement an independent, non-partisan redistricting commission. Voters should choose their politicians and not the other way around.
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 evaluation of the Tier system. When first elected I truly believed it was a good smart system to try and reasonably address resource deficiencies in different areas of the state. Different conversations about this system, especially lengthy and friendly discussions with my county manager, completely changed my view and convinced me the system needs to be reformed.
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.
Most political issues today have been made intentionally divisive but my answer here would be independent redistricting. Inherently this is not an issue that is divisive but what will cause the loss of votes will be what may be sacrificed to get us to true independence in the redistricting process. If Democrats are in the majority there may be constituents who do not want to relinquish that power. If the numbers are close then there may be goals that will have to be put on hold in order to achieve independent redistricting. I truly feel the vast majority of political ills and governmental dysfunction can be solved by passing this bill.
