Moore Brings Campaign Here

One of the frontrunners for the Democratic nomination for governor was in Moore County Monday for a fundraiser.

State Treasurer Richard Moore said that if he were governor, he would continue efforts to market Moore County to the rest of the world as a tourist destination.

"Moore County has done a great job putting itself on the world map," Moore said.

Between Pinehurst and Southern Pines, the county has hosted six United States Golf Association (USGA) championships in the last 11 years, including the U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club this week.

"How we keep this momentum going is very important to North Carolina as a whole," Moore said. "I'll have specific plans to continue to market Moore County to the world."

Moore attended the fundraiser at the National Golf Club in Southern Pines Monday evening. During an interview at The Pilot, Moore talked about his history of serving the state, what he would like to see done to make the state stronger, and why he is running for governor.

One of Moore's likely opponents in a Democratic primary will be Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue. She has yet to announce she will be a candidate, but signs point to her entering the race. Moore said he expects Perdue will run.

"I've learned, you never make predictions in politics," he said.

However, Moore said he thinks he has a good chance to win the office, which Mike Easley will vacate when his second term expires in January 2009.

"I really like my chances, or I wouldn't be running," Moore said. "The reason I like my chances is that I think the voters and citizens are hungry for new ideas and innovative ways to make our money go further."

A former federal prosecutor, Moore served in the N.C. House of Representatives. Prior to becoming state treasurer, he served as the secretary of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

He said that running the two offices gave him a broad base of knowledge.

"The two have absolutely nothing to do with each other," he said.

Moore is in his second term as state treasurer, a position that puts him in charge of $80 billion in public funds. Moore touted his leadership that led to the credit rating agency Standard and Poor's calling North Carolina's public pension system the second-best in the country.

He also said he has saved the state $300 million in interest payments.

"By doing things differently," he said, "I put just under $5 billion in extra money on the table. I don't think anybody else running (for governor) can say that."

The biggest challenge facing the state is growth, Moore said. Experts believe North Carolina's population will grow by 4.3 million in the next 30 years.

He mentioned Atlanta as an example of a place that failed to control its growth and is now suffering because of that.

"We ain't seen nothing yet," he said.

Moore said that he is not sure that North Carolina has planned properly for the expected growth and what it will mean for the state's infrastructure, schools, public safety and environment. He pledged to offer substantive suggestions during the course of the campaign.

Another issue facing the state is developing a strategy to take advantage of the global economy, Moore said. North Carolina is attractive because it has relatively low taxes, an abundance of water in many places, sewer, cheap electricity and an "incredible amount of intellectual horsepower."

As governor, Moore said he would be concerned with bringing jobs to the state. He said he's not a big believer in offering incentives -- they are "patently unfair" to existing businesses -- but he thinks the state treats them the right way. In North Carolina, businesses do not receive incentives until they fulfill their promises to create jobs.

"You have to put a toe in the incentive water," Moore said, "but you should be focused on bringing down the tax burden on everyone. ... I would hate to see North Carolina expanding the limited incentives it now uses."

The largest social issue facing the state is the lack of health care, Moore said. About 1.4 million North Carolinians are without health care, he said, and the number is climbing.

"I believe every citizen should have access to high quality affordable health care," he said.

Another social issue facing the state is illegal immigration. Moore said that he had sympathy for those on both sides of the issue, but feels ultimately that the law must be followed. However, there should be a process for illegal aliens to gain citizenship.

"Any time you have a situation where the law is not being followed, it's a problem," he said. "At the end of the day, you've got to have some process or this is not going to continue to be the greatest country in the world."