Wayne Democrats hold annual county convention
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on April 17, 2016 1:45 AM
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall speaks during the Wayne County Democratic Party Convention Saturday in Courtroom 1 of the Wayne County Courthouse. A former educator, Marshall has been active with the Democratic Party for more than 30 years.
The Wayne County Democratic Party held its convention at the Wayne County Courthouse Saturday, with representatives from the county's 30 precincts hearing from North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall who delivered the keynote address.
Ms. Marshall urged those in attendance to get out and vote, let their voice be heard and be activists for the party's progressive polices. She addressed everything from environmental issues and raising the standard of living in the state, to more contentious issues such as House Bill 2, which has stirred controversy across the state and is more commonly known as the "bathroom bill."
"Make no mistake, HB2 is a Trojan horse bill. It deals with considerably more than bathrooms," Ms. Marshall said. "People can't go to state courts for cases of discrimination anymore. You can walk into work on a Monday, and if you're a Baptist working for someone of a different denomination, you can be fired, and you have to go through the federal court system to file a discrimination suit."
Ms. Marshall said that HB2 came along at the time it did because it is a national election year, much like when North Carolina held its vote on Amendment One in 2012, which was an amendment that would have barred gay couples from getting legally married in the state. After its passage by popular vote, the amendment was found to be unconstitutional in October 2014.
"It is something that is meant to stir up the other side and raise money during an election year," she said.
Ms. Marshall shifted to the economic impact of the bill, sharing statistics on how much money the state has already lost due to the passage of the bill and transitioning to large scale issues facing the state in the coming future.
"HB2 has been in effect for three weeks," Ms. Marshall said. "It started with 120 companies protesting the bill, then 140, then 170, and now more than 200 companies are protesting the bill."
Ms. Marshall cited the canceled PayPal expansion into North Carolina, as well as several other companies, and the cancellation of a Cirque du Soleil performance. She said it has already cost the state $735,000 in revenue in just three weeks.
"Our merchants, our workers, cannot afford this. Jobs are hanging in the balance," Ms. Marshall said.
She urged the Democratic base to get out and vote, saying that the course of North Carolina's future can be altered for the better if people vote for Democratic Party candidates in this year's June 7 primary congressional election and general election in November.
Ms. Marshall said when she came to North Carolina from Maryland, her friends at the time warned her against coming to the South.
"I said North Carolina is the new South, it isn't like other Southern states. It is progressive, it has strong public education and plenty of opportunities," Ms. Marshall said. "But we are slipping into being part of the South that my friends warned me about before I came here."
Ms. Marshall closed her keynote address by stating the policies she most strongly supports, from strong standards of living to a robust public education system.
"I want to make sure the air is clean, we have good recreation, a decent standard of living where people don't have to work four jobs and have no idea what their families are up to -- that's the North Carolina I believe in, and that's what we can work towards achieving this November," Ms. Marshall said.
Local candidates competing in this year's election also spoke.
Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones and his challenger, Will Bland, spoke to the attendees of the convention, each asking for their support and thanking voters and delegates for their continued support throughout the rest of the election year.
"This is an important election -- it is important for me, obviously, since I'm running for re-election," Jones said. "I won the primary election, and I'm looking forward to November.
Bland detailed his experience and active involvement in many areas of the local community, saying the Superior Court judge election is of paramount importance since the Superior Court is the highest trial court in Wayne County.
"It is important to elect someone who serves the people they are elected to represent," Bland said.
Candidates for the local board of county commissioners -- John Bell and Ed Cromartie -- also spoke to attendees thanking them for their support and asking for their vote again in the general election in November.
The Wayne County Democratic Party ended Saturday's convention by electing delegates to represent the county's two districts -- District 1 and District 13 -- at the district and state conventions.