I’ll be posting more details about next week’s Tea Party events on and around April 15. North Carolina activists have arranged for a couple dozen events around the state in the coming week or so, including several in the Cape Fear Region. Here’s one online list of events posted so far. And keep these dates in mind:
April 15
• New Bern — 4pm at the courthouse, then a march to Union Park
• Morehead City — 5pm at the K-Mart Plaza on Hwy. 70
• Wilmington — 6pm at the Federal Courthouse
April 16
• Whiteville — 5:30pm at the Court House
April 17
• Holly Ridge — 10am on Hwy 17 near the post office
• Hubert — 2pm at the Hubert Bingo Hall
• Jacksonville — 6pm at the Marina Cafe parking lot on Hwy. 70
At a Southport candidate forum, GOP candidates for Brunswick County offices argued their case. Sheriff John Ingram talked about drug enforcement and rehabilitation. Bettie Fennell and Bill Rabon campaigned for the party nomination to replace state Sen. R.C. Soles. Candidates for other legislative seats, county commission, judge and district attorney also spoke.
Meanwhile, in Onslow County the three Republicans vying to replace Rep. Robert Brady in the NC House did a forum in front of the local chamber of commerce. There was a lot of agreement but also a major disagreement:
Aragona, Shepard and Miller agreed the state should look into offshore drilling, pay teachers more, privatize alcohol sales, limit state legislature terms and end costly incentives to businesses to set up shop in North Carolina.
They all said the answer to possible upcoming state revenue shortfalls is to eliminate wasteful spending and reduce taxes.
What the didn’t agree on is how they intended to vote — as residents — on the proposed quarter-cent sales and use tax hike. Shepard and Miller said they saw the sales tax as fair compared to property taxes. Aragona said he would only vote for the sales tax if 100 percent of the revenue went to offset property taxes.
A similar program focused on the Onslow school board drew only three of the eight filed candidates.
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