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Senate hopefuls try to attract crowd

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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

(Updated 3:00 am)

By Mark Binker
Staff Writer

WINSTON-SALEM — The three best-known Democrats running for U.S. Senate hit the latest stop on the stump-speech circuit Monday night, hoping to convince a crowd of Democratic volunteers they were somehow unique, or at least uniquely qualified to beat Republican incumbent Richard Burr this fall.

Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham of Lexington, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall of Raleigh and lawyer Ken Lewis of Chapel Hill each took turns trying to rally and rile a crowd inside Winston-Salem State University’s student center. Three lesser known contenders — Marcus Williams of Lumberton, Susan Harris of Old Fort and Ann Worthy of Gastonia were invited but did not appear.

“We have to beat Richard Burr ... But that’s a bar set too low,” Lewis said. “We have to send to the United States Senate someone who will create change, not just occupy a seat, not just to change an 'R’ to a 'D.’ ... Let’s not revert back to the old tired politics of the past.”

The line was a subtle swipe at both Cunningham, the choice of Washington Democrats, and Marshall, a veteran politician running in her second Democratic Senate primary.

“I’m not a career politician nor have I spent my life designing a resume for politics,” Lewis said after the speech when asked to explain the line.

For her part, Marshall embraced her standing as a four-term Secretary of State, contrasting that experience with Lewis’ and Cunningham’s aspiration-laden rhetoric. She ticked off a list of interests she has tangled with in Raleigh.

“Insurance companies, Wall Street and crooks: sounds like the same work that needs to be done in the United States Senate,” Marshall said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got hands- on experience.”

Marshall also took a swipe at both parties’ work in the Senate over the past year. “In Washington right now we’ve got one side saying 'no’ and the other side running scared.

That’s not leadership,” Marshall said.

Cunningham made only passing reference to his opponents as “other good Democrats.” He split his time between telling the audience that “jobs will be the defining issue of this campaign” and hammering Burr on a litany of issues, promising to take the Republican to task.

“Richard Burr took the floor of the United States Senate and said putting more children on health insurance would be more pigs at the government trough,” he said. “I’m the Democrat who will hold him accountable for that.”

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

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NANASIX

March 9, 2010 - 10:06 am EST

Elaine Marshall is as qualified for the US Senate as any 5th grader. She hasn't modernized the SOS's operation; she has allowed it to get years behind in every aspect. Thousands of corporations fail to file the required Annual Reports, and she continues to show them as "Current & Active" for years after they should have been Administratively Dissolved,, or at least show the number of reports due. My research proves this has been going on since she took office, with no action to bring records current that small changes in their computer system could and would correct. She should be charged with "Malfeasance of Duty" for the manner she has allowed a state office to operate under her control. Many times the N.C. Dept. of Revenue will Suspend a Corp., and she allows it to continue for years without dissolving the corporation, if ever. Laws were passed in 1997 requiring the "Nature of Business" be provided on every filing, yet her office continues to accept filings for years with no info provided as to the nature of the business on hundreds of corporations repeatedly. Her office files reports with no signatures, or date, and even worse, files many with "Arabic" or forged signatures, never doing anything, when all they have to do is "Reject" the filing and return it to be corrected or completed. They fail to send out notices as was done under her predecessor which showed the year the report was being filed for and the due date. When they do send an Adm. Notice, which isn't often it states they have sixty (60) days to file, yet when no report is received, it is usually 10 months before action is taken, if ever. I've seen many where it has taken 4 to 6-8 years to Adm. Dissolve the corporation after a Notice.

If you think we're in bad shape now, you have no idea what can happen if this woman is allowed in the US Senate. After researching the SOS/Corp Div. for many months, I have the info available for anyone that would like to see what she's allowing that is costing our state millions of dollars. Millions more would/could be coming into the SOS/Corp division (our state) were things handled properly.

Granted, she has a good looking resume, but it means nothing when she has NO COMMON SENSE, no experience running a business such as the SOS operation, and evidently answers to no one, and isn't held accountable for her lack of keeping records current. She is not qualified and doesn't know how to run the SOS/Corp. Div., much less more wide spread government issues that could affect every U.S. Citizen. This is the most frightening thing I've heard in a long time.

I wrote to the SOS, outlining many issues whereby she puts the state in a position it could be held liable as a result of the manner her records are kept and reported to the public, as Current & Active, when in fact they are many years behind in filings. There have been many instances whereby companies such as AM2Pat were being sued, as a result of deaths in relation to their products, and it's possible that companies/hospitals, etc., relied on corporate info to purchase the supplies from this company that filed a Cert. of Authority in NC in 8-03, and never filed an annual report until 4-08 at which time they filed 4 reports. Some involved have served time for their actions, with the owner being on the run from the FBI. This is a small example of what is happening and must change.