The Growing Issue of Growth

OK, the title to this entry is a littly corny, but the presentations today at the NC Spin Forum on Growth were anything but. In fact it was an excellent overall presentation by a number of statewide leaders with expertise in a wide range of fields impacted by impending growth in North Carolina. With Tom Campbell driving the discussion and the scope of opinions demonstrated by the presenters ranging from Chris Fitzsimons seated on the left to John Hood on the right, there was much food for thought.

As a candidate for governor, what particularly caught my attention was the consistent call by the panelists for strong leadership at the state level. The need for candidates for governor to be open, candid and willing to talk about challenges and the cost to meet them was repeatedly emphasized. On several occasions panelists said that they hoped the campaign would focus on issues of growth and how we need to address these issues.

Well, I feel like I've been talking about these issues for months and trying to focus on where we're headed as a state over the next twenty years. The problem is that the press, partiucarly so-called TV news has paid precisous little attention. I'm ready for a real debate on the issues and I hope different groups will sponsor them over the course of the election. Growth is in fact a growing issue but if the candidates don't talk about it and the media doesn't adequately cover them when they do talk about the issues, then growth's an issue that won't get any traction in the months ahead.