OPINION
The Chronicle i
Ernest H. Pitt
Publisher Emeritus
1974-2015
617 N. Liberty Street
336-722-8624 I 41 \
www.wschronicle.com
unuy
Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Donna Rogers Managing Editor
WaLI D. Pitt Digital Manager
J
Our Mission
. ;* ? " /
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth
to power, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
Ken Spaulding
is prepared
to be governor
North Carolinians are voting for governor this
year, and they have a choice in the Democratic pri
mary. Attorney General Roy Cooper is considered
the front-runner, and he has raised a great deal of
money. The other Democrat running is Ken
Spaulding of Durham. This is the man The
Chronicle endorses for governor in the Democratic
primary.
Spaulding, an African-American, has experience
as a legislator, so he knows how to deal with issues
of concern to the people directly.
Candidate Spaulding
In 1978, Spaulding was elected to the North
Carolina House of Representatives, where he
served until 1984. While there, he introduced and
helped secure passage of the state's first Rape
Victim Assistance Program. He also pushed for lit
eracy achievement for adults throughout North
Carolina, introduced and helped pass legislation
that allowed public housing residents the opportuni
ty to serve and vote on local Housing Authority
Boards.
He also has served on the North Carolina Board
of Transportation.
Spaulding has been a practicing attorney since
1970.
During Spaulding's private sector career, he
helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars of eco
nomic investment and development into North
Carolina along with thousands of jobs for the peo
ple of this state.
He is a graduate of Howard University in
Washington, D.C. He received his Juris Doctor
from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill in 1970. -
Spaulding says he is prepared to tackle the tough
issues the state faces, such as education. He sup
ports increased pay for teachers as part of a way to
rebuild our education system.
Spaulding also would work for stable social and
business climates to create "a vibrant and active
business community," because, he says, they go
hand in hand.
The Durham lawyer has the public and private
sector experience tp lead North Carolina in theVight
direction. Right now, the state is moving backward
as voting rights are being taken away and assistance
to help tne state's most vulnerable is, too.
Cooper has been part of the backward move
ment by failing to push for justice in cases invol ving
the deaths of black men, such as Jonathan Ferrell of
Charlotte, and the lives of black men who have not
been given the consideration of innocence, such as
Kalvin Michael Smith. If he ooerates on that level,
what would he do as governor?
4. f
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Support John
Larson
for South Ward
of City Council
To The Editor:
When my wife, Anne, and I
decided to downsize and move to a
dwelling and community well suited
for retirees, a townhouse one block
from Old Salem won hands down.
We have always considered Old
Salem a Winston-Salem treasure,
and we learned that one of the per
sons deserving much credit for this
treasure is John Larson, vice presi
dent for restoration of Old Salem
Museums and Gardens.
We are so pleased that John is a
candidate for the City Council, rep
resenting the South Ward. He will
now be able to employ his vision,
expertise, and creative energy that
served him so well at Old Salem in
service of the citizens of the South
Ward. John is a 40-year resident of
the ward and has pride in and high
aspirations for his community.
One of his incomparable qualifi
cations for the City Council is a
working knowledge of the functions,
policies, and procedures of city gov
ernment that was honed in his career
as a key figure in the development
of Old Salem. John will be an asset
to the Council on day one, and his
learning curve will be minimal.
4. John's contributions to the com
munity have extended beyond his
professional responsibilities. His
involvement in citywide ventures
include the board of Creative
Corridors, member of Southeast
/Gateway Planning team, past chair
of Historic Properties Commission,
and past board member of Keep
Winston-Salem Beautiful.
A vote for John Larson will be a
vote for a proven leader who will
serve our community with distinc
tion.
Charles Francis Wilson
Winston-Salem
Let's check
our candidates
on education
To the Editor:
As the American people are
digesting the results of the 2016
New Hampshire primary, and the
news media are acting like the con
test for president is over, a reminder
of how democracy in America
works in is order.
Over 150 years ago, de
Tocqueville called the four-year
cycle of presidential elections a
"revolution ... irt the name of the
law," writing:.
"Long before the appointed day
arrives, the election becomes the
greatest, and one might say the only,
affair occupying men's minds ... As
the election draws near, intrigues
grow more active and agitation is
more lively and widespread. The cit
izens divide up into several cXmps
... The whole nation gets into a
feverish state ..."
Wait, you mean that this isn't the
first year people wanted to send a
message? The reality is that - thank
fully, for the cause of education -
the New Hampshire primary is just
the beginning. Democracy matters,
and for the media and the pundits to
begin to declare winners and losers
long before November is an assault
on what we stand for: knowledge
and the cause of opportunity for all
Americans.
Those of us engaged in educa
tion know that knowledge matters.
In the spirit of knowledge (as well
as improving the institutions that
help many arrive at such knowledge,
namely schools), here are a few
American government basics for the
voters (and a candidate or two?) of
what this democracy in America that
de Tocqueville reported is all about:
1. Many people feel disenfran
chised, lacking basic education,
work, housing and support. "If ever
freedom is lost in America," de
Tocqueville cautioned, "that will be
^ue tP
CAMPAIGN majori
ty driv
I ' minori
ties to
desper
ation ..." But our common sense, he
predicted, would most often prevail.
2. Despite widespread frustration
with the status quo, and a very con
flicted populous that changes their
opinions day to day, New
Hampshire is a state, not a nation.
The great democratic contest for the
next president goes on for another
nine months. (Sorry candidates - it's
not over!)
3. Presidents do not abolish
agencies. Congress makes laws,
presidents execute. Even abolishing
agencies - say the Department of
Education - does nothing to the pro
grams that exist within them. You
want to change education? You
change state laws. Presidents can
lead, recommend and cajole, not end
state or federal efforts. Even a unit
ed Congress has difficulty doing
4. Saying education should be
about local control ignores the fact
that the only people who have the
control are school boards and teach
ers' unions. Assigning children
based on zip codes bestows no
power on those who need it the most
- parents. This has been the case
since 1965, unless states have
pushed those institutions to reform
or adopt various charter schodl or
choice programs.
As we move toward the next
round of contests, let's check our
candidates every step of the way on
what matters most to making educa
tion - and by extension our nation
? great. Rather than responding to
aspirational talk, for starters, We
should be asking:
?What is education and why
does it matter?
?Precisely what do you know
about how the government functions
I
in and around education, and what
would you do to make it work for
the people?
?What have you done to create
more educational equality, as well as
quality options, for kids? What
would you do?
?For the guardians of education
reform, there has never been a more
important moment in history. Let's
be educated about the stakes, and
educate our neighbors and our fel
low citizens to distinguish between
the reality and the rhetoric.
Jeanne Allen
Founder and President Emeritus
The Center for Education
Reform
Washington, D.C
Move forward
to nominate
Scalia successor
To The Editor:
[G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)
released the following statement in
response to Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell]
Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McDonnell s
statement.]
is reinforc
ing the
Republican
political
agenda to
disrupt gov
ernmental
functions
when the
circum
stances do
not line up
with their
philosophy.
It is impera
??? uvc uiai wc
BuBtrfltid have nine
members of
the United States Supreme Court
deciding constitutional issues that
are important to the American peo
ple. It is absurd to suggest that
President Obama should be denied
the opportunity to nominate a quali
fied jurist to replace Justice Scalia
on the Supreme Court. The
American people should clearly
understand that Senate Republicans
have a political agenda to pack the
Court with conservative justices
who would reverse years of progres
sive jurisprudence.
The Congressional Black Caucus
urges President Obama to expedi
tiously nominate a replacement for
Justice Scalia who has the scholar
ship, values and temperament to sit
on the highest court of our country
and decide cases based on estab
lished law rather than a political
agenda. We will vigorously confront
Senate Republicans at every turn
should they dismiss President
Obama's nomination."
j G. K. Buttetfield, Chairman
Congressional Black Caucus
Washington, D.C.
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