I Won’t Walk By Mistakes In NC-11th District

Putting Boots on the Ground in the 15 counties that comprise NC-11th District has been the highlight of my congressional campaign. As I travel through our district, my first stop is the courthouse in each county. The courthouses keep me grounded and reminds me of what’s important to the men, women, and children of each county.

In Macon County, climbing 105 steps to view 95 names of men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country reminds me of sacrifice. That memory is emblazoned in my mind, and for serving something greater than ourselves. Every county is important within the 11th District. However, the monument in Rutherford County of a soldier standing on top with the – one word written on the base, is the one the captures what I think is the most important quality of our elected officials – DEVOTION! It is a reminder of what it takes to lead by example and a reminder of the sacrifices men, and women made throughout our district.

DEVOTION reflects on allegiance to our country, our state, and our NC-11th District. I’ve been devoted to my wife for 35 years. I have been devoted to my country during 37 years of military service. Moreover, I have been devoted to our NC-11th district for 56 years. I was born, raised, saved, and baptized in the waters of western North Carolina. This is my home. I am the WNC First candidate. I pledge to fight for every man, woman and child – including our precious unborn children, God’s gift.

Devoted to the Men and Women of NC-11th District

I’m devoted to the men and women of the 11th district. I want to see every man, woman, and child live their American dream. I want them to have the equal opportunity to strive to make our country a more perfect union. After 37 years of service to our nation; I returned to my home and found a leadership void. The void was an absence of leadership, knowledge, and experience at the federal representative level. That void created an absence of;

• Communication between federal and state elected officials.
• Diminishing constituent services.
• Infrastructure failures across the district.
• The loss of confidence in the constituents in our district’s leadership.

I Won’t Walk By Mistakes

Throughout my military career, I was not allowed to walk by mistakes. This means I could observe mistakes without taking action. Whether by omission or commission, mistakes cost soldiers their lives. For six months, I listened to leaders, brag, enable, and cheerlead about the void in leadership. Currently, the same leaders are using that void for self-promotion to seek the office of House of Representatives.

DEVOTION to NC-11th District is NOT walking by the mistakes without taking action and trying to correct the mistakes. Announcing candidacy to run for office after cheerleading during those mistakes is disingenuous, and highlights a lack of character and a lack of integrity. You either love our district every day or you're an opportunist seeking self-promotion.

Waking up in November, after the incumbent’s announcement of abandoning the district, and after enabling the mistakes, is a clear lack of backbone, courage, and leadership. Our incumbent can claim lack of maturity, and inexperience as an excuse for failure – adults in the room enabling failure – have no excuse. Admiring a problem impacting 800,000 WNC citizens for months on end should be automatic disqualification from serving as an elected official. NC-11 deserves better. I have led by example and I will lead the NC-11th District by taking action and filling that void that has been missing.