Ted Alexander: N.C. Senate candidate speaks to Grace Ridge residents

Jan. 30--Former Morganton resident Ted Alexander spoke to about 35 people in the Community Room of Grace Ridge Retirement Community in Morganton on Tuesday.

Alexander, much like his primary colleagues, brings a conservative vision to the race, one that rejects the Affordable Care Act, the "War on Poverty" and what Alexander calls "overspending" by the federal government.

Alexander is a pro-life conservative who said that the country needs to reduce onerous regulations and encourage entrepreneurship.

Alexander graduated from Cornell University with a master's degree. His first job out of school was with the New York State Senate where he traveled all across the state. Later, Alexander became the first Main Street director in Bedford , Va., for two and a half years, and spent seven years with the Shelby Main Street program. He then took a job with state of Virginia's Main Street Program. Another two and a half years went by and Alexander went back to his old job in Shelby.

"So, I got my old job back, bought our old house back and moved back to Shelby. So, I served another six or seven years as Main Street director. But then, I began to realize ... God had something else in my life. He wanted me to do something else," Alexander said. "I needed to run for mayor. And so I did. And nobody thought I had a chance. There were two other people who were running, both of them very well thought of in the community. One was a councilwoman, another who was a man very well thought of in the community who had been chamber president."

Alexander would be elected mayor, and during his two terms, he said he focused on job creation, economic development, neighborhood revitalization, strategic planning, efficient government, city appearance and crime prevention.

"I did what I went to do," he said. "I addressed each of these issues. When I first started, Shelby was believed to be about the second- or third-highest crime rate in the state for a city its size," he said. "When I left, we had worked with neighborhood organizations, citizens (and) civic groups, churches, any range of folks, anybody and everybody I could work with. The police were phenomenal. We worked with them to reduce the crime. And by the time we left, it was the lowest it had been since the Reagan years."

Three of his proudest achievements as mayor of Shelby, which he was quick to share praise with other city entities, was the Earle Scruggs Center, the Don Gibson Theatre and the home of the American Legion World Series.

"And this, is I think, tremendous for Shelby," he said.

Alexander said he will bring that same can-do activism to the Senate.

In addition, Alexander said he is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, as well as a balanced budget and a line item veto when it comes to spending.

Before Alexander can face Hagan, he will need to defeat six other candidates in the May 6 Republican primary. Probably the biggest hurdle will be Thom Tillis, the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Other challengers include Edward Kryn, a former physician, the Rev. Mark Harris, a Baptist minister, radio host Bill Flynn, gynecologist and Tea Party activist Greg Brannon, and Heather Grant, a nurse practitioner.

After meeting with supporters about a year ago, Alexander decided to run for the Senate.

"I love North Carolina. I love America. I really felt like I couldn't just stand idly by and watch as our county began to take a direction that I don't think most of us want to go," he said. "I think things such as the Obamacare are really going to hurt our country. We're seeing more and more people who have lost their health insurance than didn't have it to begin with. I believe our overspending is astronomical. How in the world can our country continue on that track?"

More regulations from the federal government are being sent to the states, which in turn send them to cities and counties, Alexander said.

"And who ends up paying for them -- we all do," he said.

Alexander said he views public service as "servant leadership ... as servant of the public."

One term should be enough, Alexander said, unless he needs another six-year term to finish his work.

Alexander, who was called "the People's Mayor" in Shelby, then took questions from the audience.

Questions ranged from name recognition to Alexander's stance on medicinal marijuana, an issue he is not in favor of.

"I think that if you hear the various drug enforcement folks, and the doctors that I hear and so forth, they only see that that's going to lead to major problems," he said. "I really think it's not the thing that we want to do. I wouldn't support it. I think it's the wrong message that we would send to our children."

Alexander struggles with name recognition, especially in the eastern part of the state, but said he has made a number of contacts there and is working hard to bridge the gap, which he admitted "was a struggle. We have to go everywhere we can."

Alexander said he has worked "alongside the private sector" as the director of the Main Street Program and worked closely with businesses all over the state.

"As a local government, we're often told we have to run it like a business and we did try to do that in Shelby as well," he said.

Alexander said he lives the farthest west of any candidate.

One female questioner asked Alexander about women's issues and how he might deal with them.

"Supposedly that we are at war with women," he responded. "I think that women's issues are the issues of everybody. The economy, jobs -- those are issues that affect everybody, not just women. So ... I think that we need to treat everybody equally and I don't really see it as a major issue."

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