October 6th, 5:30pm
Pope “Mac” McCorkle has worked as a policy and research consultant to political candidates, state governments, and various organizations for the past decade. He is now the Principal of McCorkle Policy Consulting in Durham, North Carolina. In his prior capacity as a lawyer with the Raleigh firm founded by former U.S. Senator Terry Sanford, McCorkle served as outside counsel to the North Carolina Association of Educators and also specialized in election law and other administrative legal matters. In 1992 McCorkle joined the Raleigh law firm of Everett, Gaskins, Hancock & Stevens. There he served as a legal and legislative counsel to the Low-Wealth Schools Consortium and continued his litigation and administrative law practice. As a campaign issues consultant, McCorkle most recently worked with the 2000 U.S. Senate campaign of Mel Carnahan, as well as the campaigns of North Carolina Governor Mike Easley and Missouri Governor Bob Holden. In 2002, McCorkle’s clients included the campaigns of Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. In 2004, McCorkle worked on the North Carolina campaigns of Governor Mike Easley, Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue, and Congressman David Price.
Due to the nature and volatility of the campaign process, events may be added or eliminated based on the scheduling requirements of interested candidates. Although all of the major campaigns in this year’s election have been contacted, we encourage citizens to contact candidates directly to encourage participation in Town Hall Grill’s Village Voice.
About Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue Bev Perdue is one of the most active and accomplished Lieutenant Governors in North Carolina history. Throughout Perdue’s tenure as an elected official she has demonstrated tremendous leadership and fiscal responsibility in writing state budgets, managing state government and being a tireless advocate for quality jobs, public schools, and health care.
Prior to her election as Lt. Governor, Perdue served in the North Carolina House of Representatives for two terms and the North Carolina Senate for five terms. During Perdue’s last six years in the Senate, she served as one of the state’s chief budget writers—the first woman to hold this position. Under her leadership, the General Assembly made teacher pay a priority along with Governor Hunt’s Excellent Schools Act and Smart Start. As a key leader in the fight for clean water and clean air, Bev Perdue was the primary sponsor of legislation creating the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Throughout her tenure in office, Lt. Governor Perdue has supported investments to the thriving biotechnology sector in North Carolina—now the #3 ranked biotech state in America with 48,000 jobs.
Governor Mike Easley selected Lt. Governor Perdue to lead the state’s efforts during the Defense Department’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, successfully protecting North Carolina’s $18 billion economy and the third largest military presence in America. Lt. Governor Perdue brought together the North Carolina base communities and the business community and was relentless in demonstrating that North Carolina is the most-military friendly state in America. North Carolina was the nation’s biggest winner in protecting and growing missions and jobs during BRAC 2005.
Lt. Governor Bev Perdue has also led North Carolina’s fight for a quality public education for every child in North Carolina. A former public school teacher, she knows first-hand that the most important job in the world is teaching our kids. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she sponsored the largest consecutive teacher pay increases moving North Carolina from 43rd to 21st in national average salary rankings. Lt. Governor Perdue believes North Carolina must have the best educated workforce in America and is leading the way by transforming North Carolina classrooms into 21st century learning centers with increased technology capability and North Carolina’s statewide online school initiative.
As Chair of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission, Lt. Governor Perdue joined with Governor Easley to successfully create Senior Care, the state’s prescription drug benefit initiative for low-income seniors unable to afford costly medications. The North Carolina AARP called the program the best in the country. Under Perdue’s leadership, this commission is also targeting teen tobacco and making all 115 school systems 100% tobacco free. Her passion for disease prevention has spurred changes in the workplace and schools about the importance of fitness and wellness.
Lt. Governor Perdue’s record reflects the fact that she is a strong champion for North Carolina’s working families. As part of her Working Families Agenda, she helped lead the fight for an increase in the state’s minimum wage last year and the establishment of a state earned income tax credit. Additionally, she worked with health advocates to expand the number of children that are eligible for health insurance.
Lt. Governor Perdue is a former public school teacher and a former director of geriatrics at Craven County Medical Center. Bev Perdue was first elected North Carolina’s Lt. Governor in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004.
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