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Vaughan enjoys big funds lead against Wilson

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

(Updated 8:05 am)

By Mark Binker
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO - Joe Wilson is under no illusion that the race for state Senate District 27 is a fair fight. The Republican faces Democrat Don Vaughan, who as of the last fundraising report had raised $80,000 more during the six months of the campaign.

Registered Democrats in the district outnumber Republicans by almost 33,000, and Vaughan is a well-known figure in local politics, having served on the Greensboro City Council for more than a decade.

But those are all reasons Wilson said voters should back him as state Sen. Kay Hagan's replacement. Hagan, a Democrat, gave up her seat to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

"People are sick of politicians and lobbyists," Wilson said. "I've been cussed out just for running."

For sure, the two men differ on some policy issues. Vaughan sounds like many of the state's leading Democrats, such as Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, when he talks about equipping students for a "global economy" and equipping classrooms with new technology.

"First, you've got to pay teachers properly," Vaughan said during an editorial board interview, prompting Wilson to interject.

"They're paid pretty well," Wilson said. "Teachers make $55,000 in North Carolina. That's pretty good ... ," he continued before getting cut off by an interviewer.

Wilson emphasized discipline and school safety as well as the need to cut back on testing when he talked about his own ideas for education.

However, the first pitch both candidates make concern who they are and their backgrounds rather than any particular issue.

"I am duly, truly prepared to go to the North Carolina General Assembly," Vaughan said. "For over 30 years, starting as a law clerk for a United States senator, I've worked with the North Carolina General Assembly. ... I can go toe-to-toe with the members of the North Carolina General Assembly and the members who are down there. I've represented this community on the Greensboro City Council and as mayor pro-tem."

Vaughan also has been a lobbyist at the General Assembly, working for causes such as the solid-waste industry and laser hair-removal technicians.

Wilson cites that and other work in saying that Vaughan is "too comfortable" as a political insider.

"While I may be green as new grass, I don't have any affiliations in Raleigh," Wilson said. "The only people I would owe are the people of District 27."

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

Photo Caption: Don Vaughan (left) and Joe Wilson

Additional Photos

N.C. SENATE DISTRICT 27

DONALD R. "DON" VAUGHAN

Party: Democrat

Age: 56

Lives at: 902 Sunset Drive, Greensboro

Family: Married, one child

Education: Bachelor's degree, UNC-Chapel Hill, 1974; master's in public administration, American University, 1976; juris doctorate, Wake Forest University, 1979

Occupation: Lawyer in private practice who works for individual clients and has served as the town attorney for Pleasant Garden. Has lobbied the General Assembly.

Political career: Served on the Greensboro City Council for seven terms, 1991-2005; lost his last re-election campaign in 2005. Has served on the N.C. State Banking Commission since 1998 and the Board of Visitors at UNCG.

Web site: www.votevaughan.com

JOE WILSON

Party: Republican

Age: 46

Lives at: 210 W. Cornwallis Drive, Greensboro

Family: Two children

Education: Graduate, Northeast Guilford High School; attended GTCC

Occupation: Owns a consulting firm that does development work; also works for a real estate firm

Political career: Candidate for Greensboro City Council, 2007

Web site: www.joewilsonforsenate.com

ON THE ISSUES

What, if anything, needs to be changed in the state's annexation laws?

Vaughan: Says annexation is "necessary" and expressly says he opposed a moratorium on annexation. Although specific abuses should be curbed, cities such as Greensboro have exercised the power responsibly, he says.

Wilson: Says people who live in areas to be annexed should have a voice in whether they are brought into a city's corporate limits. He says there should be a mechanism by which residents who would be affected could vote or otherwise confirm or reject their annexation.

State law restricts the number of publicly funded but privately run charter schools to 100. Should the state lift that cap?

Vaughan: "Charter schools have been successful in North Carolina," Vaughan says. But, he says, he has "not addressed" the issue of whether the cap ought to be raised.

Wilson: Says he did not know enough about charter schools and their performance to say yes or no. But he explains that having enough classroom space for Guilford County school students is a primary concern for him. "If something provides more venues for education, more possibilities, I'm probably going to be for it," he says. But he is cautious about the idea of turning over a public function to a private entity.

-Mark Binker