From Staff Reports

The first black North Carolina lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, lobbied for bipartisanship and election integrity during his luncheon address to the Asheville-based  Council of Independent Business Owners and guests on Sept. 29 at Hilltop Event Center in East Asheville.

More than 100 people attended, including a number of candidates seeking office in the midterm election on Nov. 8. Robinson spoke for just 15 minutes, noting that he wanted to leave plenty of time for those eager to ask him questions. He fielded nonstop questions from the audience for 25 minutes — and the Q&A session only was ended because of the meeting’s time constraints.

Introducing Robinson was CIBO President Buzzy Cannady, serving as the forum’s moderator, who noted that the Greensboro native “was the ninth of 10 children,” that he “grew up extremely poor” and that “he was raised by his mother, who he credits” for grounding him and his siblings in Christian values.

Robinson opened his address by noting with a smile — and prompting some laughter from the crowd — that he “grew up in a little four-room house, with four people... and about 100 mice!” 

He added, “As a family, we never talked about politics. My mother never talked about the presidents, other than my Mom said one time that she thought (former president) Jimmy Carter was a nice man.

“That’s just how we were raised. We weren’t raised to see someone as a Republican or a Democrat.”

Further, Robinson said, “That’s translated over into my professional life and into my political life.

“A lot of people see me as a guy who only cares about his side of the aisle and only people who care about the same things he does.

“Being ‘a mature human being’ means you’re able to talk to people — and that is my political philosophy. It’s my job as a servant of the people of North Carolina. It’s my job to speak with all people of sound and rational mind, then you’re welcome to the table.

“We get the job by setting aside the differences we have for 15 minutes. I’m not here just to serve Republicans. I’m here to serve those who disagree with me. This partisan divide we have in our country right now —  we need to work on eliminating it.

“You know I told a group back here… Once upon a time I saw 350 people walk out of a plant crying, because they lost their jobs to some company in Mexico.

“Bad policy stops at the kitchen table,” where, he said, one’s livehood could be threatened. 

Robinson added, “We’re all in this room today because we want to make things better.

“We need to stop looking at each other as Republicans and Democrats... We can’t have a government run by a single political entity that blocks out all other voices.

“I worked at (the) Steelcase (manufacturing plant) in High Point. When I was working smarter, not harder (there), I found myself buying into that system that I once called ‘ridiculous.’ When you’re trying to solve a problem, never discount the ideas of others.

“Some of the most pressing issues we had in that place — we tried solution after solution and none would work. Don’t discount people’s voices — and listen. Listen to what other people have to contribute….”

What’s more, Robinson said, “There are gems across the spectrum. And that’s the type of leadership I’d love to see in this state.

“So that’s a little bit about my political philosophy.”

Changing subjects, the lieutenant governor said, “My business philosophy is we need to continue to do everything we can to make sure economic success keeps going in this state.

“We need to be slow, deliberate, take our time… in legislation.

“On the other side of government — the DMV, DOT, DEQ ... They need to run as efficiently as Amazon. com. We need to make a commitment in this state that government employees don’t get ‘a pass.’ In fact, as a government employee, you have a higher commitment than an Amazon employee.”

At the end of his address, Robinson thanked CIBO for the opportunity to speak — and received applause from the crowd.