NC SPIN episode #1123 Air Date 05/22/2020

Topics:
Phase Two
DOT in crisis
The legislature is back
Tell Us Something We Don’t Know

Panelists:
Becki Gray, VP, John Locke Foundation
Chris Fitzsimon, Director States Newsroom
Rob Schofield, NC Policy Watch
John Hood, Syndicated columnist and author
Tom Campbell, Moderator

This week Tom Campbell talks about what it will take to help NC and other states recover as we begin to re-start the economy.

Question to Chris and John – Donald Trump carried North Carolina by 3 percentage points in 2016 but pollsters say a hotly contested Senate race, coupled with a popular Democratic governor and Joe Biden’s popularity makes North Carolina what one pundit called a “tease ” for Democrats to put lots of money and energy into our state. How’s the race shaping up 6 months out?

Question to Howard Lee and Donna Martinez – The state of Callifornia just conducted an election for a Congressional seat and mailed out ballots to all the voters in the district. Many are saying our state needs to prepare for a large mail-in ballot surge but our Board of Elections says we aren’t prepared for it. Should the legislature provide funding for more absentee ballot voting?

NC SPIN episode #1122 Air Date 05/15/2020

Topics:
How well is the opening going?
Schools to reopen August 17th
DOT cash problems
Tell Us Something We Don’t Know

Panelists:
John Hood, syndicated columnist and author
Howard Lee, former State Senator
Chris Fitzsimon, Director States Newsroom
Donna Martinez, WPTF Radio and John Locke Foundation
Tom Campbell, Moderator

This week Tom Campbell discusses how partisan politics have returned to the once bipartisan cooperation in North Carolina to deal with the Coronavirus crisis.

Question to John Hood and Chris Fitzsimon – The UNC Board of Governors announced that they are going forward to name a new President of the System and that they will be conducting interviews for the job. Is right now the best time to be hiring a new president? Would they be better asking President Roper to continue until the pandemic improves and things settle down a bit? What’s your take on this move?

Question to Peg O’Connell and Leo Daughtry – A Democratic back group is suing the state to loosen rules for absentee mail-in ballots, saying that the continued likelihood of COVID-19 will cause a lot of voters to want to vote by mail. They want to have two witness signatures and a prepaid return mail envelope with every ballot. The legislature has so far refused to pass legislation with these stipulations. What do you think of this lawsuit and what are its chances of winning?

NC SPIN episode #1121 Air Date 05/08/2020

Topics:
Easing restrictions
Legislature approves COVID-19 funding
DOT cash problems
Tell Us Something We Don’t Know

Panelists:
Peg O’Connell, Communications consulant/political analyst
John Hood, Syndicated columnist and author
And by Skype we have
Leo Daughtry, Former State Senator, BOG member
Chris Fitzsimon, Director, State’s newsroom

This week Tom Campbell discusses a writer that he reads and how sentiments in NC are changing due to Covid-19.