Candidate Response: William Richardson (Billy) INCUMBENT
N.C. House District 44
Fayetteville Regional Association of REALTORS®, Inc.
Serving REALTORS® in Fayetteville & surrounding areas
General Assembly Questionnaire – Page 2
Responses on this page will be published on the FRAR Government Affairs Page for review by our members and the public
- Why do you wish to serve or continue to serve in the NC General Assembly?
I have been blessed to have been raised, live and work in Cumberland County, where I also raised my children. I entered the draft just after the Vietnam War ended, and did not have the chance to serve. My parents taught me that I had a duty to serve my community and country.
I have also been blessed to be trained as an attorney and taught by great teachers such as Betty Herring, Dorothy Gilmore, and mentored by Judge Herring, Lester Carter, and Don McCoy, to name a few; the art of consensus building and what can be accomplished if we all worked together. I need to use these skills.
- What are the top three challenges facing North Carolina and how do you propose to address them through your office?
- Public Education – the solution is to enact comprehensive legislation which attracts, creates, maintains, and reenergizes our career teachers. To have the best schools we need to train the best teachers; mentor them, pay them professional wages, and watch for burn-out. We need to begin treating education like the distinguished career that it is, instead of a job that can be sacrificed.
- Jobs creation – Along with creating a sustainable career track in education, we need to refocus our efforts on developing our green jobs. North Carolina has slipped from its 4th place 0status of sustainable solar and industry employment, and continues to fall. Making sure that there are sufficient incentives for these industries to stay need to be a top priority. We also need to arm our Governor and communities with adequate and competitive economic incentive packages to level the playing field with South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
- Water Conservation – water, its use and sustainability effects all aspects of our lives, from our property values, to issues with resounding global impact. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and future generations, to conserve the second most precious resource we have.
- There is a statewide issue with unmaintained roads in neighborhoods recently referred to as “orphaned roads.” A bill was introduced in the General Assembly this year but did not move forward. What are your thoughts for solving this problem?
Unpaved roads cannot support business or industry, and adds additional stress on city service vehicles. It just makes good sense to pave these roads. I believe we need to enact a city/county/state supported and backed bond and infrastructure package matching a city’s commitment to improve its infrastructure. Our infrastructure is crumbling around us, and we will never have cheaper money.
- What NEW ideas or incentives can you suggest to attract business into the region?
I am a proud supporter of the Campbell Residency Program, which will bring over 300 high paying, skilled jobs to the region. Also, many of these highly trained professionals will stay post residency – studies show that over 50% settle within 50 miles of their residency. Further action that we can take is making North Carolina the higher education capitol of the world – the acceleration of our education services can be tapped into as a research and development feed, as well as one for human resources.
- Do you support a further extension of a tax on services in North Carolina? Why or why not?
No, I do not – it unfairly burdens middle income taxpayers and slows growth. The exception is taxing alcohol, smoking, gambling, and other vices.
