WS Chronicle

Quality healthcare and education needed

To The Editor:

As a mother and a healthcare provider, access to quality education and affordable healthcare are two of the most pressing issues I see. These needs have never been greater and that is why we need Terri LeGrand representing District 31 in Raleigh.

Eight years ago, I first met Terri while serving together on the PTSA board at Paisley IB Magnet School. It was through that work that I saw first-hand her commitment to our public schools and dedication to ensuring students and teachers have access to the resources they desperately need. By electing Terri to the N.C. State Senate, she will continue to advocate for such resources and ensuring that our teachers are paid fairly for the incredible work they do. 

Terri is also committed to improving access to quality, affordable healthcare for all. According to the N.C. Institute of Medicine, 15.6% of adults age 18-64 living in Forsyth County are uninsured and 17.5% of Forsyth County residents live in poverty. Both numbers are higher than the state average and both are rising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, where many have lost their jobs and subsequent insurance coverage. Terri will work for our citizens to help close the coverage gap by expanding affordable health care options, including Medicaid, and access to vital physical and mental health services.  

Now more than ever we need a leader like Terri LeGrand advocating for us and our community. Won’t you join me in supporting her with your vote this November?

Heather Mackey

Kernersville

Support for Joyce Krawiec

To The Editor:

I’ve seen some lazy representatives/senators working in the legislature, and I’ve seen some hard-working representatives/senators. The hardest working representative or senator I have ever seen is Senator Joyce Krawiec. The compassion and energy that Senator Joyce Krawiec has for her job are extraordinary. She motivates other members and me to work our best. Everyone that has ever had to deal with Joyce knows how hard she works and cares for her constituents. Having shared a district with Senator Krawiec, we work together on the same constituent problems. The amount of time she puts into making sure that her constituent issues are met is stunning. I also have the honor of being great friends with Joyce. Joyce also works with me to create legislation for Forsyth County brought to our attention by municipalities. I can’t wait to continue our work together in this upcoming session. Joyce has also been a great friend of mine long before she was appointed to the House. Joyce Krawiec has always been a champion in our community, trying to make it a better place and looking out for all North Carolinians. I am proud to endorse Joyce Krawiec in her bid for re-election, and I am also honored to be a great friend of Joyce.

Donny Lambeth

N.C. House of Representatives

Raleigh

Trust the Science. Vote Republican, especially for Krawiec

To The Editor:

Joyce Krawiec is a conservative Republican representing District 31 in the State Senate. What does her typical supporter look like? 

I am a millennial who moved to North Carolina from California four years ago to study at Wake Forest University. I love science so much that I earned a master’s degree in it. Many people assume that I am a hardcore Democrat based on my background. Yet I strongly support Joyce and other Republicans because I have seen the other side’s policies in action. 

My home state has double-digit unemployment, sky-high housing costs, and exorbitant taxes that are causing over half a million people to flee every year. Democratic politicians have gone so crazy that they are even attempting to remove anti-discrimination language from the state Constitution. 

Thanks to excellent leadership from state leaders like Joyce Krawiec, North Carolina is an oasis in comparison. Our unemployment rate is nowhere near the double-digit rates in California. The State’s conservative leadership also had the foresight to create a Rainy-Day Fund that will allow it to recover from COVID-19 much faster than elsewhere. 

They say people need to “trust the science.” This California scientist has looked at the data, and the truth is clear. We must re-elect Joyce Krawiec and other Republicans this November.

Eric Henderson

Belews Creek

Vote for Mike Silver

To The Editor:

My name is Derek Gray and I am a criminal defense attorney based here in Winston-Salem. I want to tell you why I believe Mike Silver is the candidate you should vote for to elect as our next district court judge. 

I first met Mike in 2004 when we were students at NCCU Law School. We quickly became friends and would often study together. We engaged in numerous legal discussions and debates. I observed firsthand the development of Mike’s legal mind and the moral compass that guides it.

While we were in law school, Mike started the “Black male study group.”  The sole purpose of this group was to ensure that Black male law students remained academically eligible to continue their legal studies and eventually graduated. As a result of this initiative, Mike was awarded the Mentor of the Year award created by the same law students that he sought out to help. I would often criticize Mike for spreading himself too thin, but I’ve come to realize that this is more a testament to his extreme work ethic on issues he’s passionate about.  

After law school, I was still trying to determine my legal career path. It was at Mike’s suggestion and support that I applied for and was hired to be an assistant district attorney here in Forsyth County. Mike and I were the only two African American men that worked as prosecutors during this period. I again witnessed Mike take on numerous responsibilities both in the court system and in the community. I knew Mike to be integrally involved in Teen Court, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and he would even arrive early to the courthouse to dismiss traffic tickets for Forsyth County citizens waiting in an extremely long courtroom 1B line.  

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to observe Mike grow in his legal career. He is a damn good attorney.  However, what I’ve been most impressed by is his growth as a father. Any of Mike’s friends that observe his social media timeline can attest to the love and support he shows his two children, Bear and MiMi. It is this quality that I think qualifies him most for a seat on the bench. A district court judge must be well versed in the law but understanding that everyone that comes before him is someone’s son or daughter, is the requisite balance that makes for fair and just rulings.  

This election is the most polarized political environment I’ve seen in my lifetime. In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as partisan politics. This is not an endorsement of any particular political party.  This is an endorsement of a friend I’ve known for more than 15 years. Someone I know to care about this community and the people in it, not because it’s politically convenient, but because that’s who he is at his core. I ask that you join me in voting for Mike Silver for district court judge.

Derek Gray

Winston-Salem

Dirty tricks in N.C. Senate District 31 race

To The Editor:

If you’ve received mailers saying Terri LeGrand wants to do everything from defund the police to eliminate milk consumption, please check who sent you those lies: Citizens for a Better NC Senate. For months, this dark money, dirty tricks group has been sending out mailers designed to look like they are from Terri LeGrand’s campaign and telling more and more outrageous lies about what Terri LeGrand stands for. My mailbox has been full of them. When confronted about the fake mailers in The Chronicle LIVE online forum, Terri LeGrand’s opponent Joyce Krawiec said they weren’t from her campaign. Now though, Krawiec has doubled down on the same lies – and worse – in her TV ads. I wonder why they all think lying about Terri LeGrand is a better campaign strategy than telling the truth about Krawiec. 

I am voting for Terri LeGrand for N.C. Senate District 31 because she’s going to work to expand affordable healthcare access, fight for our public schools and for job training, make sure police officers have the support they need, and continue her years of advocating for clean air and water. Plus she will immediately work to see that North Carolina finally gets non-partisan redistricting, so that our representatives actually represent the will of the people. 

Please don’t be fooled by dirty tricks and lies. Please go to terrilegrand.org to learn about all the good ways Terri LeGrand will work for you and for everyone in our community.

Catherine Korzen

Kernersville