Candidate Name: Richard Button
District: NC House District 44
Opponent: Representative Rick Glazier
What endorsements have you received for your current candidacy?
Bob Allen of Fay Block & Concrete Service, Inc.
Dr. Robert & Barbara Appel
Eric Nobles of Nobles Financial Planning
If offered, would you accept contribution from our political action committee, RPAC?
YES
If elected, what are you going to do for homeowners/property owners in Cumberland County?
Continue the efforts by the General Assembly to reduce taxes, both individual & corporate. I will retain the mortgage interest deduction for income tax returns. Continue the efforts to reduce burdensome regulations. Keep NC on the path to becoming the number one state for business. When businesses are healthy the economy grow, cities grow and property values increase.
How would you propose to reduce or balance the state budget next year?
1. I promise to hold the budget to increases only in proportion to state population growth and economic growth.
2. I promise to balance the budget relative to reasonable revenue projections.
3. I will work to maintain and grow the “rainy day fund.”
4. I would consider working toward a “Fair-Tax” policy
Do you see fracking as a positive or negative for the real estate industry?
I support natural gas reclamation (hydraulic fracturing) as a positive venture for NC. The potential is greater than just the extraction of the raw product. There are many everyday products that originate with natural gas (and crude oil). Recently a Canadian company with a methanol plant in Chile, SA, moved the plant (not rebuilt, but moved) to Louisiana so that it was closer to the source of the raw product; natural gas. If North Carolina’s production of natural gas is successful, we stand to gain from expansion by companies that will desire to be near a low cost source of raw material.
If elected, what are your priorities for the long session next year?
Additional measures to reduce taxes and regulations in order to encourage new businesses and help existing businesses to grow.
What new ideas/concepts can you bring to the office you are seeking?
With a 42 year mechanical engineering background in a manufacturing environment, I will bring a logical, work-a-day approach to legislative process. Of those years in engineering, 22 years involved teaching/training and consulting in the USA and in foreign countries. I believe this has equipped me with skills to work effectively with a variety of people and personalities.
