Meet the candidates: N.C. House District 20

In a race for the N.C. House of Representatives District 20 seat, Democratic candidate Amy Block DeLoach is challenging Republican incumbent Ted Davis Jr.

Voters in the district will select one of the two candidates for a two-year term ending in December 2024. The district includes much of eastern New Hanover County.

There will be three way for voters to cast their ballots: absentee by mail, one-stop early voting, and in-person on Election Day.

Ted Davis Jr.

• Age: 72

• Address: 7111 East Creeks Edge Drive, Wilmington

• Occupation: Retired attorney

• Family: Wife, Jane; son; daughter, two grandsons, and two granddaughters

• Education: Graduated from New Hanover High School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in political science, and Wake Forest University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree.

• Political affiliation: Republican

Amy Block DeLoach

• Age: 59

• Address: 2513 Royal Palm Lane, Wilmington

• Occupation: Real Estate Manager

• Family: Husband Mark, and three children, Kate and husband Steffen, Charles and fiancée Caroline, and William

• Education: bachelor's in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Political affiliation: Democrat

1. What are some of the challenges facing New Hanover County?

Davis: Protecting our quality of life by successfully managing our resources. To reduce our traffic congestion, we need to focus on new road construction, roads and bridges that are functional in the event of major flooding, and an additional bridge across the Cape Fear River. The City and the County have been working on a number of projects in collaboration with the NC Housing Finance Agency to address the need for affordable workforce housing. We need to work together with the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority to ensure that we have safe drinking water and our sewer needs are properly addressed.

DeLoach: We need clean water, adequate transportation, and affordable housing. The way I see it, every home in New Hanover County should have a reverse osmosis filter installed at the expense of the companies responsible for polluting our water. We have too many cars on the roads which can be eased with investments in trains and buses, and we can apply for federal grants to fix the bridge into town. Finally, the cost of housing is getting so high, that our teachers and firefighters can no longer afford to live here. We need to incentivize smart, affordable development to bring prices down.

2. If elected, what will be your top three priorities?

DeLoach: Holding corporate polluters accountable, protecting women's healthcare autonomy and expanding Medicaid.

Davis: A polluter, such as Chemours, should have to pay the costs incurred by Cape Fear Public Utility Authority to address the damage that they have done to our drinking water, protecting CFPUA’s rate payers from having to pay such expenses. Cancer is the leading cause of on-duty deaths for firefighters; PFAS contamination is strongly linked to cancer; and the discharge of PFAS firefighting foam needs to be prohibited for training, practice, or testing purposes. Wilmington’s pilot project to address the needs of opiate and heroin overdose victims has been very successful and needs to become a permanently funded program.

3. What local issues do you plan to advocate for at the state level?

Davis: I previously worked with our local EUE Screen Gems studio to get the annual recurring appropriation for the Film Grant to be $31 million dollars. I will work on getting that amount increased to allow for more productions. I have voted for every teacher pay raise since being elected to the House; voted for increased funding to address school safety issues, such as hiring additional school resource officers, so that parents know that their child is safe and cared for while at school; and I will remain focused on continuing the investments that we have made in public education.

DeLoach: One large issue is public transportation. Traffic has gotten out of control in Wilmington. We need an adequately funded, robust public transportation system so people can get to work without adding more time sitting at the intersection of College and Oleander.

4. With talks of a recession, what are some of the steps legislators should take to prepare for it?

DeLoach: We can suspend the gas tax to give people and businesses a break at the pump until prices come back down. We should also raise the minimum wage because, these days, no one can afford to live on $7.25 an hour. Lastly, we should provide free breakfasts and lunches in public schools to help reduce grocery costs for families.

Davis: A balanced budget that prevents excessive spending. Regulation of the gas tax so the cost of fuel will not increase each time that the price of oil goes up. Capping the sales tax at 7% to keep the cost to consumers down. Recruiting new businesses and encouraging the expansion of existing businesses that provide good paying jobs. Consider eliminating the 2% food tax on groceries to help with the cost of food. Working with the Federal government in reducing the historic rise in the national inflation rate. Supporting the $1 billion “State Inflationary Reserve” in anticipation of a recession.

5. Why are you the best candidate?

Davis: Experience, leadership, and a proven record of being able to get things done. I know how local and State politics work, having been chairman of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and chairman of 14 different committees in the State House. I have an excellent working relationship with the county, city and beach towns. I have gotten numerous bills that I have sponsored passed into law in Raleigh, as well as obtaining millions of dollars in appropriations for our area. I don’t just talk the talk, but have truly walked the walk, and I will continue to do so.

DeLoach: I am a new voice in politics and I’m not beholden to anyone. I want what the majority of southeastern North Carolinians want. I want to protect women's healthcare rights, give our citizens clean water to drink, and expand Medicaid to protect the most vulnerable in our community. I want to use common sense solutions to get things done and help the people of NC.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Meet the candidates: N.C. House District 20