I'm honored to run for this senate seat.  Throughout my life I have benefited from being born and reared in North Carolina, Montgomery and Randolph counties particularly.  My desire is to return to members of these communities some of the love, support and guidance I have received from them or their ancestors over the years.  My life has been guided by two principles.

Stewardship is God's commandment that connects us with our environment.

and

Hard work trumps brilliance.

Understanding the political philosophy of candidates is important.  During the times of ambiguity and confusion sometimes arising during legislative sessions, it is the "political philosophy" of legislators that provides the basis of their responses to ethical uncertainties.  

From the time of Plato, the state has been viewed as an institution that protects rights and preserves justice.  Contemporary state institutions strive to meet these ideals in two ways, (1) protection and (2) direct service delivery.  Protection is the most basic service and contains two aspects, regulation and coordination.  Regulation strives to ensure that individuals, businesses, and the more than 541 local governments deal with citizens fairly and impartially.  Direct services include funding for public safety institutions (such as police, fire, and judicial support), education, intrastate transportation and infrastructure construction.  Of these, public safety is most important.  As is evident in Iraq, all other benefits of good government suffer when citizens fear for their personal safety.  Therefore, supporting and coordinating police activities, providing institutions for dangerous and unmanageable people, and securing a responsible unbiased judiciary constitute the basic building blocks of  any civilized society.  Once states become secure, their prosperity is determined by the education of their citizens.  State governments  must coordinate and support public schools, community education programs and universities.  Otherwise, education would be limited to the wealthy, relegating the  ambitious and talented poor to criminal activities while depriving society of their talents.  Education must be coordinated so that students receive comparable instruction for the same certification of graduation. Without an educated society other sectors of government fail due to incompetence, corruption and graft.  Without an educated population economies falter.  State governments must also provide means for intrastate transportation in the form of highways and bridges.  Where possible government should also assist in developing inexpensive public transportation.  Communities thrive when citizens have easy access to employment.  Business organizations excel when they have open access to markets and workers. 

I could live almost anywhere in the world, but I live in North Carolina's 29th Senate District by choice.  I was born and reared here and cherish the support and opportunities provided me by these two counties.  I'm proud and honored to participate in a representative democracy.  We elect legislators to represent us, not to vote their personal convictions.  There is no guarantee that someone who shares my views today will share them tomorrow. 

Legislators should have term limits.  Lord Action wrote a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1877 stating "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Great men are almost always bad men."  The longer any person holds a position of power the more likely they are to "cut deals" or confuse personal interest with public good.  Unfortunately, the longer people remain in power the more astute they become in evading or avoiding responsibility for their actions.  Incumbents have tremendous advantages in the electoral process, advantages that accrue over time.  The best way to limit corruption in government is by limiting the terms of all government officials, but not necessarily limiting their service to government.

Election laws should be fair.  Our current election laws allow the rich and their families to donate unlimited amounts of money to their own campaigns.  Candidates without large personal fortunes can only receive $4,000 in personal donations from any one individual.  The amount of money in politics today is obscene and there should be campaign limits on all donors and all races.  Democracy should not be for sale to the highest bidder!

Our district needs economic development.  Areas develop economically because cheap labor and  skilled labor draw industry.  Sometimes natural resources draw prosperity as well.  North Carolina is transitioning from a low-wage to a skilled-wage state.  Our state provides incentives for high-tech industries such as computers and bio-technology who locate near universities and research facilities.  As a consequence of the shift in manufacturing, the 29^th district has lost, and continues loosing, thousands of jobs.  We need a state coordinated economic development program that builds on our centralized location to bring in industries and organizations that serve the high-tech firms that surround us.  Our geographic location is ideal for packaging, materials handling, scientific glass, electronic components, chemical companies and other suppliers for high-tech industries. 

Our district houses unique human diversity that is suitable for various types of tourism including cultural, natural, archaeological, biological, zoological and historical venues.  We also offer a variety of outdoor and human powered sports.

Ron, along with his sister Brenda, were reared in a close knit Candor family.  His parents, Carl and Cletus Lassiter Franklin, met when Cletus' cousin, Hugh Thornburg, brought home his college roommate from N.C. State for a week-end visit.  When Cletus met Carl Franklin she knew she had met the man of her dreams.  They soon married and shortly moved to Newport News Virginia where Carl worked in the engineering department of the ship yard.  After the birth of their first child, Brenda, and near the end of the Second World War, Carl and Cletus decided Candor would be a more appropriate environment in which to rear their family, that soon would include Ron.

Carl and Cletus Franklin worked in Candor during Ron's early childhood.  Cletus was a secretary at United Mills and Carl worked with his father-in-law, Rufus Lassiter, at Candor Funeral Home until his death in 1968.  Having hard working and dedicated parents, Brenda and Ron spent most of their after school time with their grandmother Nettie Luther Lassiter, who, like Ron's grandfather, Rufus, had close ties to Randolph County. 

Rufus and Nettie Lassiter had come to Candor in 1920, relocating from Lassiter's Mill in Randolph County to live near and work with Rufus' brother, Gentry.  Arriving with them was Nettie's youngest brother, Herman Luther who lived with them from the age of three until he moved to Newport News for defense work just before World War Two erupted.  Rufus and Gentry built and operated a furniture store and later a funeral home.  Also living nearby were other members of the Lassiter family. Jennie was Rufus' twin sister who served as postmistress in Candor for many years.  A second sister, Insa Thornburg, lived a few doors down the street.  Cletus, their second child, was born shortly after Rufus and Nettie arrived in Candor.  Their son Leon was several years older than Cletus and died unexpectedly at the age of twenty-one  from a brain tumor.  Nettie's large family remained in Randolph County and we visited frequently.  We enjoyed dining at Hopkins Barbeque most Saturdays where we visited with cousin Burl who owned the restaurant.  Jesse Luther, Nettie's brother, worked across the street at Belks and no trip to Asheboro was complete without visiting him, cousin Helen Woodley and cousin Mary York.  Ron enjoyed visiting Dwight Lassiter the most.  Dwight owned and operated an electronics store in Asheboro, where he sold and repaired televisions and radios.  Ron appreciated Dwight's help when he built radios from kits but enjoyed playing with his cousin Carolyn's electric train set even more.

Ron enjoyed living and growing up in Candor.  He actively participated in youth programs at both the Methodist and Presbyterian churches along with summer programs offered through the schools, 4-H, and Boy Scouting.  He was an avid Scout, earning the rank of Eagle with Bronze Palm after amassing more than thirty merit badges.  He held many offices in scouting including president of his local unit and district representative to the council.  Ron also played in the high school band and participated in many extracurricular activities such as photography, annual staff and the school newspaper staff.  He won the science fair at East Montgomery High School in his senior year for constructing an electronic seismograph that was capable of detecting subtle earth tremors.  The death of John Kennedy sparked an interest in politics, and he has participated in a number of political activities over the years, including lobbying congress as a representative of The American Psychological Association.

After high school Ron attended mortuary school and worked in the family funeral home for five years.  Ron found the counseling aspects of funeral services most interesting and returned to college to pursue a careen in psychology.  At East Carolina he was an honors student and began conducting graduate research his junior year.  The summer before graduation Ron participated in foreign study in Costa Rica where he authored a research report on the religious communities of that country.  The faculty invited his application to graduate school when he returned and awarded him the prestigious faculty scholarship.  Following completion of the master's degree, Ron accepted employment with the North Carolina Department of Correction where he worked at Central Prison's mental hospital and developed an interest in neuropsychology.  He later transferred to Polk Youth Center where he accepted an advancement opportunity.  Three years later he entered the doctoral program in school psychology at N.C. State University where he pioneered the use of computers for analysis of psychological data.  After graduation he returned to the Department of Correction, accepting the position of Mental Health Director for the Caledonia-Odom Complex in Halifax and Northampton Counties.  There he was instrumental in designing computer software for mental health and establishing a sex offender treatment program in Harnett County.  However, his deepest desire was to work with young children; so when he was offered a fellowship in pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine he eagerly accepted the opportunity for study in the country's highest ranked pediatric training program. From there he accepted a post as senior psychologist at South Florida State Hospital where he developed and managed therapy programs.  Again, missing hands-on work with children he eagerly accepted an appointment at St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach when they began developing psychosocial treatment programs for chronically ill children. There he also became involved in Children's Medical Services where he served the needs of children having chronic disease who lived between Jacksonville and Ft. Lauderdale.  During this appointment he wrote two graduate textbooks as he developed an internship training program in pediatric neuropsychology, founded the World Conference on Pediatric Neuropsychology, and co-founded The American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology.  But, Ron missed Montgomery and Randolph Counties, so in 2002 he accepted an appointment with Moore County Schools so that he and Stephanie could relocate to the family farm near Candor.  Ron now enjoys consulting and teaching psychology at Randolph Community College.   He has spent the past five years reacquainting himself with Randolph and Montgomery Counties in preparation for representing the communities he cherishes in state government.

Highlights

Facilitate economic development

• Industry will come here for one of three reasons, cheap labor, skilled labor or natural resources.  In the past industry came here seeking cheap labor and has moved away because labor is less expensive over seas.  Skilled labor industries will bring jobs that pay higher wages but need sites near research institutions and manor universities.  We need to make changes in our infrastructure and schools in order to develop service economies for high-tech industries.

• Development of a state-wide economic development program that provides tax incentives, economic partnerships and limited loan guarantees will stimulate the type of reorganization that is needed for our district.  There is a growing presence of high technology and bio-technology industry along the I-40 and I-85 corridors surrounding our district.  These industries require proximity to universities and research facilities and are unlikely to penetrate our district for some time.  Because we are centrally located, our district needs to focus on bring businesses and industries here that can service the needs of high tech industry.  Printing, materials management, packing, advertisement, financial services, distribution, graphic arts, packaging design, chemical refinement and warehousing represent a few such industries.  

• We must also develop tourism in our district.  Many of us revere our district's culture and natural resources.  If we properly cultivate our natural resources then within a few years we can replace the mountains and coast as the preferred week-end getaway for in-state tourism.

Re-focus education efforts from test-taking skills to life-performance skills

• In order for us to attract skill-based industry, we must provide first-rate education.  North Carolina should identify the best public school system in the country then float a state-wide bond for public schools that will allow us to top the nation's highest performing public schools.  Outstanding public schools will help us provide the skilled work force we need and entice executives to move their families here. 

• Reformulate school funding state-wide, providing a greater portion of funds to communities having limited property tax bases or other local funding constraints is essential.  Children who graduate from rural schools most often relocate to urban centers where they work as physicians, attorneys, medical technicians, accountants, teachers and in many other managerial and professional roles.  Urban students are more likely to leave the state for larger urban centers.  It is, therefore, in the interest of everyone that students in rural schools receive education that is comparable to the best urban schools.    We can not expect teachers who have never experienced a quality primary and secondary education to provide first-rate educational experiences.

• Reformulation of state salaries for teachers is imperative.  Rural schools must pay more than urban schools if we hope to attract and retain good teachers.  Community colleges offering university level transfer courses must provide comparable salaries for university level instructors. 

• Too many children enter school with no pre-academic readiness.  We should require criterion-referenced developmental placement for entry into the first grade.  Children who are unprepared should attend separate developmental readiness classes until they attain skills suitable to keep up with their peers.  If they are unable to catch up within two years they would enter the special education system.

• We need to emphasize critical thinking and problem solving skills rather than fact memorization and replace end-of-grade and other high stakes testing in elementary schools with random and unannounced evaluation of subject mastery using criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced measurement. 

• Redistribution of current education priorities will pay for these reforms.  Properly designed early developmental classrooms will reduce the need for more expensive special education programs thereby saving money long-term.  Random and unannounced evaluation of student progress using computer labs will save enough in test development and standardization to pay for the service and update information technology within the public schools.

Reduce the school drop out rate

• Institute readiness testing for first grade students as discussed above.

• Raise the drop out age and age of obtaining a driving license from 16 to 18.

• Require a high school diploma or equivalent as a prerequisite for a license to drive.

• Provide a broader range of education options to non college-bound students.

• Incorporate more work-study and after school programs for students from financially challenged homes.

Infrastructure development

• Repair our dangerous bridges.

• Construct state-of-the-art schools.

• Develop central water and waste disposal systems.

• Tens of thousands of vehicles pass through North Carolina annually without stopping.  I support the development of toll roads on highways used primarily by non-residents as a revenue stream suitable for rebuilding infrastructure. 

Election reform

• Replace unlimited caps on political donations candidates and their families make to themselves with the same limit every other donor must abide by.

• Establish reasonable term limits for house and the senate seats.

• Change the election cycle from two years to staggered four year terms in both the house and the senate so legislators will need less money and less time for campaigning and have more time for work.

Improve public safety

• We must find less expensive alternatives than prison for people with mental illness and substance use disorders.  Therapeutic group homes are much less expensive than prisons and just as effective in reducing crime.

• It is imperative that we refocus law enforcement from preparation for rare and unlikely events to preparation for likely events.  Reprioritization will both increase the effectiveness of law enforcement and reduce the public safety budget.

• Medical reform that diverts the walking well from expensive hospital emergency centers to urgent care facilities is essential as is reprioritization of our medical care system.

• Public servants are at unacceptable risk stress related disease.  We must  guarantee well- medical care to fire fighters, police and custody officers to improve their survivability and job performance.  Keeping our most important public servants well is much less expensive than paying for their disability and chronic medical care.

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(c) 2007 Ron Franklin for NC Senate.             Paid for by Ron Franklin for NC Senate

last updated 10/13/08