President Don called the meeting to order at 12:38. Don
Carmichael introduced nineteen guests and visiting Rotarians. Richard Rankin
provided us with the Health and Happiness report. President Don led us in the Pledge of
Allegiance followed by Carroll Thomas with a song. The invocation was offered by Bobby
Chesney.
Marilynn
Bowler and Mary-Stuart Brooks discussed our involvement in the Sugar Creek
Learning Center. Marilynn is asking for volunteers to collect school supplies such as
notebooks, pens and paper in exchange for tickets to the next Hornets game. Mary-Stuart is
asking for volunteers to staff registration on Monday, January 22, at the center and to
get involved teaching there one on one.
Jim Adams' project with Crisis
Assistance Ministries is going well. We have already delivered over three vanloads of
clothing to their project.
Seated
at the head table were William Rikard, Luther Moore, Bob Culbertson, Hope Lanier
and Tony Zeiss who introduced our speaker, Jim Black, Speaker of the North
Carolina House.
Tony
described his friend Jim as an excellent golfer and a lifelong resident of east
Mecklenburg. Mr. Black started in politics in 1981 representing District 36.
"When
I had the privilege of speaking to this group a year ago, I couldn't help but brag a
little," Jim began. "I talked about how the 1999 General Assembly had passed a
budget on time for the first time in twenty years, how we'd taken another step in raising
teacher pay to the national average, and how we had expanded Smart Start. I also told you
that we'd found a way to reimburse intangibles taxpayers that did not protest. Perhaps
most important, we did all of that without raising taxes.
"I'm
happy to report that we did much of the same last year. We passed the final phase of Gov.
Jim Hunt's four-year plan to raise teacher pay to the national average, expanded Smart
Start, passed a budget on time and adjourned in a timely manner. On top of that, we
approved a $3.1 billion bond referendum for higher education that the voters
overwhelmingly endorsed in November.
"To
preview the upcoming session, I can start by saying that the 2001 session will be historic
in a lot of ways. There will be a new governor, Mike Easley. We will be drawing new
congressional and legislative districts across North Carolina, which only happens every
ten years. And it will be the first 'long' budget-writing session of the 21st century. So
I guess you could call it a 'once-in-a-new-millennium' session.
"The
new governor and his administration may be the biggest adjustment for everybody in state
government. Jim Hunt was governor the last 8 years, and 16 of the last 24 years. Easily
more than half of the 120 members of the N.C. House have never served under a governor
other than Jim Hunt. I've served seven terms in the House.
"While
a new governor will be a big adjustment, the issues will not be all that much different
next year. Education will remain at the top of our agenda, as it should. I have always
believed that education is the key that can unlock our state's vast potential. Our people
cannot take advantage of North Carolina's booming economy if they do not have the
education and training that business and industry demands. We cannot reduce crime rates if
we do not educate our young people and give them the means to lead productive lives.
"We
are improving public schools in North Carolina. Those who follow education across the
country tell me that we are one of the leaders in the nation. When states start talking
about accountability and making schools safer and other issues, they look to us as a model
of how to do it the right way.
'We
cannot turn our back on teacher pay, either. Members of the General Assembly worked hard
to stay the course on Gov. Jim Hunt's four-year plan to raise teacher pay|to the national
average. Naysayers said we couldn't do it, but we did.
"Now
the task is to move our teachers beyond the national average. Average isn't good enough
when it conies to teacher pay and other measures. We need to be better than average.
"The
difficulty in raising teacher pay and addressing dozens of their needs is that there is no
money. We're facing a shortfall of more than $300 million in the current state budget, in
large part because of slower-than-expected tax collection and higher-than-expected
spending for Medicaid and other programs.
"That's
the current budget, but the revenue picture does not get any brighter for the next few
years. There simply isn't any money for any major new or expanded programs.
"We
cannot do that any more without raising taxes, and I don't hear any great cry for that,
except from local governments. They want us to give them the authority to raise the
sales tax — essentially a state tax — and let them keep the revenue. Some of
them want the authority to impose fees and taxes on development, and to impose taxes on
prepared food, and to raise money in dozens of ways.
"I
resisted those calls during my first term as Speaker. I did not think we should be raising
sales taxes so soon after we'd approved a billion-dollar tax cut. I decided that a better
course of action would be to step back and take a comprehensive look at our state and
local tax structure to make sure that it remained fair and equitable.
"The
group doing that, which includes our own Parks Helms, will be making a report to
the General Assembly soon, and I am not going to take a stand on any kind of tax increases
or tax cuts until I hear what the commission has to say.
"Aside
from general taxes, there will be a call to raise the gasoline tax and fees related to
building and maintaining our transportation system. There is no doubt that we need to
spend more maintaining our roads and highways.
"Because
there isn't much money, and because Mike Easley is pushing for adoption of a state
lottery, some believe that 2001 might be the year that the General Assembly finally
approves a lottery referendum bill.
"On
the local front I'm assuming that City Council will send us a proposal to build a new
arena. I've said all along that I want to help keep the Hornets in Charlotte, and we
should use our best creative thinking to make that happen.
"I
am excited about the upcoming session. Those who know me know that there's nothing I like
more than a challenge, and there's no doubt that the issues staring us in the face this
year will present quite a challenge.
"This
is a wonderful opportunity to work in a bipartisan manner, as is being discussed in
Washington. With the Democratic and Republican numbers as close as they are we must learn
to live together and share power. That's what I've tried to do over the past two years,
and that's what I pledge to continue over the next two years."
At the
end of the presentation, Mr. Black was asked his position on a state lottery. He
said he was personally not in favor of such a program, but would let the will of the
people decide this issue.
When
asked about the need for additional funding for the criminal justice system, he agreed
that the current budget was insufficient.
* * * |
New Member
LOU
M. SOLOMON
2000
Training
Maverick Marketing
210 S. Caswell Studio B (28204)
704-374-0423
FAX 704-374-0443
e-mail: SoloMav@aol.com
Lou Solomon is an Air
Force "brat" and grew up in England, Washington, D.C., and Florida. She attended
Florida State University and the University of Mississippi, and holds a BA in Journalism
and Communications. Her career includes fifteen years in the radio industry, beginning
with the position of PR director for WSM Radio 650, home of the Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to Charlotte in 1986 to become Marketing Director of
WSOC-FM103.
In 1994, Lou began her
own agency, Maverick Marketing. The list of clients she has represented through Maverick
include Charlotte Copy Data, WSOC-FM103, STAR 104.7, WWMG 96.1, BIockbuster Pavilion,
the Charlotte Checkers, the 600 Festival Association, WFAE-90.7FM, City Chevrolet, and
more.
Today Lou is a
communications trainer and has coached an array of executives, including those
representing NASCAR, Audio Video Systems, and Dana Rader Golf School. As lead faculty for
Ty Boyd Enterprises, she often works with Fortune 500 companies on team building and
presentation skills. She is also forming a new company in partnership with Gen X expert
Cam Marston, which will offer communication training to technology professionals.
Lou's community
involvement includes membership in Leadership Charlotte, the Great Aunt Stella Center, and
the 600 Festival Association.
Lou and her husband,
William "Sandy" Solomon, live in Dilworth with their two Schnauzers. Sandy is a
regional vice president for AXA Financial Advisors, overseeing a team of twelve financial
planners.
Welcome to Charlotte
Rotary, Lou.
* * * |
