By JOHN NORTH

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North Carolina Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, told a pro-business group in Asheville on Aug. 10 that his GOP opponent’s consumption tax plan, if imposed, could prove disastrous to the state’s small businesses.

“My opponent (Pat McCrory) spoke here a few weeks ago about his tax plan ... He would impose a consumption tax — those are the kinds of things that will kill small businesses ....

“I believe in tax reform, but I believe in evolution, not revolution ... We need to streamline our sales tax ... We will help the small businesses of North Carolina,” adding that they are the backbone of the state’s economy.

Dalton also charged that McCrory, while serving as Charlotte’s mayor, voted against a pay raise for emergency personnel while taking a pay raise for himself. He also said Charlotte’s taxes, crime and unemployment rose during nine out of 10 years of his mayoralty.

He addressed the Council of Independent Business Owners during a luncheon meeting at Magnolia’s Raw Bar & Grille downtown.

Dalton was introduced by David Gannt, chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and a fellow Democrat.

“I’m particularly impressed with his efforts on behalf of education,” Gantt said, especially touting his successful push for the Early College High School Initiative. To that end, Gantt noted that The New York Times has cited it as “a model for the nation.”

What’s more, Gantt said, “The first thing that’s critical to do is to end the stalemate in Raleigh ... We need someone who knows how to compromise.’ He said Dalton fills that bill.

Gantt said Dalton also should be supported because it has been 48 years since Western North Carolina has had a governor from the area — since Dan K. Moore of Jackson County.

“We’ve got a man here who’s from our area. He grew up in Rutherford County ... He knows our values.”

As Dalton appeared, about 30 of the roughly 90 people at the meeting stood up to cheer him. The applause from the remainder of the audience was more subdued.

“We are happy to be back home in Western North Carolina,” Dalton said. “We appreciate the majesty of these mountains.” He noted that his wife Lucille is a graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, while he is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, where he earned both a bachelor’s in business administration and a law degree.

Through his upbringing and early career, building a law practice, Dalton said he learned “teamwork and cooperation.”

After serving six terms in the state Senate, he  noted with pride that he ran as an underdog for lieutenant governor in 2008 — and won.

During his time in government, Dalton said he consistently has voted for WNC issues. For instance, he said he voted for biotech development. As a result, Dalton said the state ranks third in the nation in biotech.

He said his efforts have been “transformational” for UNC Asheville, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Western Carolina University and ASU.

“I’m noted most about that Innovative Education Act ... You enter in ninth grade and emerge with a degree” five years later ... I won an award for that.” Eventually, “we began to align the Early Colleges with the job needs ... Now we have an agri-science partnership with N.C. State.”

As for the state’s economy, Dalton said, “It’s been a tough, tough, tough time. When I was sworn in, it (North Carolina) was between a rock and a hard place ... We went from losing 5,000 manufacturing jobs per year to 25,000 manufacturing jobs for three straight years ... It knocked us to our knees.”

“I’d seen Rutherford go to 17 percent unemployment ... It’s not a pretty sight ... I saw small business holding it (the local economy) up. I saw small businesses struggling to get funds, maxing out their credit cards ... I helped set up a small-business lending fund.”

During his years as lieutenant governor, Dalton said “I’ve worked to make North Carolina a good place to run a business ... Forbes (magazine) seems to think so. So do others,” who offer comparative state rankings.

As for improvements that he would like to make in state government, Dalton said, “We need to make our tax code fair” and “we need to have a one-stop shop — where small business can go” for service. “We (the state) need to be user-friendly” to small businesses.

Moreover, he asserted, “We need to be innovative in education — and that’s what Early College is all about ....

“We have the best public university system in the nation, offering opportunity for qualified students ... Today, North Carolina has the largest community college system in the United States” — trailing only California and Texas.

“That’s something we can be proud of,” Dalton said. “I think it’s very important that we keep those institutions strong ... We need to keep a strong university system and a strong community college system — and that’s what creates jobs ....

“We have peer pressure from China and others, with which we have to compete ... We have to create jobs for the future ... It means retraining workers.”

“The eighth-hottest (business) spot in the world is Raleigh-to-Atlanta,” along the I-85 corridor, Dalton said, citing some experts’ ratings. “If you’ve heard Chancellor (John) Bardo talk about the I-26 rib” through Asheville and Hendersonville — and its potential as an offshoot of the hub — then the area’s economic potential is obvious. (Bardo recently retired as chancellor of WCU.)

As governor, “my goal is to increase the discretionary income for all North Carolinians,” Dalton said.

“The devil is always in the details. My opponent is very short on the details. My opponent said I’m out there for an increase in sales taxes ... I favor a more balanced approach.

“I’m running for governor to build us up — and not to tear you down.”

He quoted the late American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes as saying, “Most of us die with the music still within us.” 

Instead of realizing Holmes’ observation, Dalton said, “I want every resident in North Carolina to have the opportunity to reach that potential” to achieve self-actualization.

“North Carolina is at a crossroads,” he asserted. “We can either move forward or backward. I want to move North Carolina forward.”