Democratic incumbent Gov. Mike Easley and Republican challenger Patrick Ballantine debated educational issues Monday morning at the SAS Institute campus in Cary, clashing on a number of topics.
CARY, N.C. — Democratic incumbent Gov. Mike Easley and Republican challenger Patrick Ballantine debated educational issues Monday morning at the SAS Institute campus in Cary. Although the candidates disagreed on a number of topics, they were quick to agree that the subject of this first debate was, in Ballantine’s words, “the most important issue.”
Despite the event’s success, for several weeks it appeared as if the debates might not occur. Only a few weeks prior to the event, Ballantine withdrew, explaining in a public statement that he feared Easley would reject plans for a second debate on broader topics. Bitter arguing between both political camps ensued. Finally, with the help of nonpartisan mediators, Ballantine and Easley agreed on two debates; the second will take place Oct. 15.
Ballantine and Easley share common backgrounds. Each North Carolina native received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and continued on to obtain law degrees upon graduation. From the moment that moderator John Dornan yielded the floor to the politicians, however, their responses did not reflect this similarity.
“We need to be first in education,” said Ballantine, a member of the North Carolina Senate since 1994, in his opening remarks. “Unfortunately, we are not having the leadership in the governor’s office” that would allow for this achievement. “I stand with teachers, parents and children,” he continued. “And my opponent stands with the bureaucracy.”
In response, Easley, a former district attorney and state attorney general, cited progress with education throughout his first term, despite the harsh effects of recent economic difficulties. “Education and economic development have never before been so inextricably entwined,” he said.
“If Patrick Ballantine is a champion of education, then Saddam Hussein is a champion of civil rights,” Easley added at the conclusion of his opening statement, receiving mild laughter from the crowd.
Throughout much of the debate, the two candidates chose often not to discuss policy, focusing instead on the interpretation of North Carolina’s current educational progress. When Ballantine insisted that the state was still below the national average by most testing standards, Easley shot back, “You’re not even close. I don’t know where you get your numbers.” The argument became a battle over testing results, and each candidate accused his opponent of failing to see the actual state of education.
The rising dropout rate in North Carolina’s high schools also proved to be a strong topic of discussion. To solve the problem, Easley proposed increasing incentives for high school students, such as allowing them to stay an extra year in order to obtain an associate’s degree.
Ballantine trashed this idea, saying, “We don’t need [Kindergarten] through 13—we don’t need another grade. His graduation rates are atrocious, and we’re going to improve that in a Ballantine administration.”
Ballantine often put Easley on the defensive, questioning his use of education funds. “We spend over $100 million a year on upper-end administrators at the local level. We have to take money from the education bureaucracy and put it in the classroom,” he said.
In defense, Easley claimed that during his term, many such administrators were removed, and now it would be difficult to take any more funds from these positions.
When asked how each candidate plans to finance the many new educational programs he supports, Easley insisted that creating a lottery in which the proceeds go to education is the key for success. He argued that surrounding states had already taken advantage of this idea and that North Carolina dollars were being wasted to support other states’ economies.
Once again, Ballantine contradicted his opponent’s proposal. “He says we need an education lottery? We need an education governor,” he said, going on to insist that careful budgeting of money is more important than creating new sources of revenue. “We can do better, and we did” in the past, he added.
Spokespeople for both parties claimed their candidate as the winner. “I think clearly we were once again impressed with the governor’s performance, and thought that he won the debate hands down,” said Schorr Johnson, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Democratic Party.
Bob Rosser, campaign director for Ballantine, echoed similar sentiments. “We thought he definitely won the debate and showed that he was a strong leader” on the issues discussed, Rosser said.
The Oct. 4 debate was made possible through the sponsorship of the Education: Everybody’s Business Coalition, Time Warner Cable, the SAS Institute and the North Carolina Cable Telecommunications Association.
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