Perdue, Moore finally face off in governor's race

RALEIGH — A debate hosted by a Raleigh television station Tuesday night gave voters a sharp side-by-side contrast of the two Democratic candidates for governor.

After weeks of wrangling over where they might meet and which stations might carry the broadcast, Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and Treasurer Richard Moore faced off at the studios of WRAL in Raleigh.

Rather than venting material from what has been a sometimes caustic campaign — with Perdue only recently pledging to go positive in her advertising and Moore making no such pledge — the two candidates were cordial, if emphatic, about their differences.

On a question regarding making college affordable, Moore said the state had raised tuition and fees too much at UNC system campuses.

"This is another place where Beverly and I have a real difference," Moore said. "Beverly, over the last 12 years, you voted for numerous tuition increases."

Perdue called Moore's attack "just one more example of the politics of yesteryear," saying that she had worked to make tuition assistance available.

She also pointed out that when Moore was a member of the legislature, he too voted for tuition increases.

"It is a real difference between being a freshman legislator and voting for a 3 percent cost of living tuition raise ... versus being the appropriations chair and leading the fight for a 24 percent increase in tuition," Moore said.

Perdue said that voters shouldn't focus on the past.

"People are just so tired of the cynicism and the distractions. I think we need to figure out how to move forward, how to have college affordable to all the kids in North Carolina now ... and focus on the future," Perdue said.

The two candidates found common ground on several issues, including immigration. Both said the federal government had failed to secure the borders and needed to do more to stem the tide of illegal immigrants while finding a new way to let new, legal residents into the country.

And they both agreed that the state should replace the elected superintendent of public instruction with an official appointed by the governor but said it was unlikely that the constitutional amendment needed to do that would pass.

The two differed over the office that Moore holds now: state treasurer. Right now, the treasurer is the sole person responsible for investing state employee retirement funds.

Perdue said the system should be changed so that a board oversees the funds.

"I don't believe any one person should have control over that," Perdue said.

Moore disagreed, saying that North Carolina's pension fund had performed well because one person was accountable for its performance.

"We've built a wonderful professional staff," he said. "I don't just sit in my office and throw darts at a board."

Money management was an issue visited several times by the candidates Tuesday night.

Perdue said she wanted to get a handle on state spending by instituting a process similar to the one Congress has to determine which military bases are closed. It uses a panel to select bases to close and then forces an all-or-nothing vote by Congress.

A similar system in the General Assembly would be useful, Perdue said.

Moore disagreed.

"I thought that's why we gave the governor the veto," he said. Rather than delegating the job to a committee, Moore said the governor should reject budget deals that are laden with too much spending.

The two candidates were asked their opinion of the death penalty, a subject that has been a source of conflict between the courts, executive branch and the legislature.

Because of that conflict, executions are effectively halted in North Carolina.

"I'm for the de facto moratorium that's in place right now. North Carolina has some real issues," Perdue said.

Although she believes in the death penalty, Perdue said some issues of fairness need to be cleared up.

Moore disagreed.

"You are either for the death penalty or you're against the death penalty. I am for the death penalty, and I want it to be implemented as fairly as possible," Moore said.

Each candidate got to touch on what they thought were signature proposals or accomplishments during the hour-long debate.

Moore said he was an early champion of the minimum wage and said he favored indexing the minimum wage to inflation, rather than requiring a vote of the legislature to move workers up.

North Carolina moved the minimum wage to $6.15 an hour during the 2005-06 legislative session.

Moore also pointed to his executive experience.

"I'm the only one running for governor that's run departments of state government," he said.

Perdue touted her personal background of getting a Ph.D. after being born into a family where neither parent finished high school. She also said she has been traveling the state listening to the concerns of voters and has seen the need to reinvent state government in response to the challenges of the day.

"I never thought I would go to High Point and hear people worried about the furniture market," she said.

"Our world has fundamentally changed."

Early voting is already under way. The state is due to choose primary winners on May 6.