Candidate for NC secretary of state, Republican Jesse Thomas, answers our questions
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Name: Jesse Thomas
Political party: Republican
Age as of March 5, 2024: 72
Campaign website: https://www.jessethomasnc.com
Current occupation: Retired CEO, Healthy Blue (Health Plan) at Blue Cross Blue Shield NC
Professional experience: Recently retired CEO, Healthy Blue Health Plan, at Blue Cross Blue Shield NC. I was the lead executive of a strong RFP (Request For Proposal) response that resulted in a statewide contract award achieving over 500,000 members across all 100 counties in North Carolina and resulting in over $2 billion in annual revenue. And I was the day-to-day P&L leader executive liaison to the state. Also, I have over 30 years of executive leadership experience in business and public service from all around the country.
Education: BA; Graduate Studies in Psych; Economics, Management and Accounting
What offices have you run for or held before? Have you had any other notable government or civic involvement? I ran for the U.S. Congress in 2000. And I served as the Chief Administrator of the Office of Healthcare Purchasing, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Also, I recently completed four years of service on the the UNC Pembroke Board of Trustees, the NC American Indian Health Board and the NC Child Board of Directors, respectively.
What do you think is the biggest issue in North Carolina that you would be able to shape if elected?
We don’t have a zero percent state income tax yet, nor term limits for the secretary of state. I will be a full-throated champion for our citizens to the General Assembly to achieve both by 2028.
What do you think is or is not working well under the current office holder? If not, how would you change it?
Website overwhelming and not user-friendly. I would: 1) Implement a business one-stop system beginning with business registrations, including trademarks, then integrating notary, then UCC, etc. 2) Streamline the website. This will become easier once business one-stop is in place. 3) Add a “chat bot” to the website. Some of the other state websites have them already. 4) And focus the state department on becoming the Chief Economy and Business Office of North Carolina instead of just the Chief Notary Office.
What should be done to address staff vacancies in your agency and in state government as a whole?
Reorganize staff and functions to streamline activities to eliminate redundancy and waste within the agency and throughout state government. Also, implement incentive- and bonus-based compensation arrangements to achieve optimized staff performance and cost efficiencies. Also, modernize and automate as many non-touch constituent services as soon as possible.
Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?
The passage of Senate Bill 749 / SL 2023-139 places the State Board of Elections within the agency. However, “the management functions of the state board of elections shall not be performed under the direction and supervision of the secretary of state.” This is a mixed message and missed opportunity. Over 90% of the states have the Secretary of State function as the Chief Election Officer. I believe North Carolina should do the same.
How will you incentivize businesses to come to or stay in North Carolina?
By championing tax reduction policies to stimulate and turbocharge the economy; tax relief urgently for all citizens to achieve zero percent state income tax by 2028; and, immediately for senior citizens, teachers and active duty military. Equally urgent is a fight for a reduction in red tape and overburdensome regulations through more “Sandbox” initiatives for major segments of our economy including for example, agriculture, insurance and education, like we’ve already done for banking services.
