Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

Debra and her family have lived in the Garner area for 25 years. She and her husband own a small Paint Contracting Company, where Debra did the payroll and bookkeeping for twenty years. Debra holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of North Carolina. She has had various work experiences in the public, nonprofit and private sectors over the course of her long career, in addition to their business.

Community Service has always been a part of her life. A few of the ways in which she has served are: PTA, Garner Educational Foundation, Elder at 1st Presbyterian Church of Garner, National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth, Democratic Party, Democratic Women, Garner Chamber of Commerce Education Committee and the Greater Garner Advocates. She also was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Interagency Coordinating Council for Homeless Programs & the Interagency Coordinating Council for Prevention/ Early Intervention Programs.

I will fight for a North Carolina that can, and does - educate our children to compete in the world, establish an economy that encourages innovation and support small business, while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

Economy
North Carolina needs to establish firm, proven policies that will allow us to balance our critical needs with our limited resources. Small businesses - like the one my husband & I own - are the true backbone of our economy. In these frightening economic times we must strive to help small businesses weather this economic storm and begin to grow.

Jobs
Families are suffering due to lost jobs. Currently there are few options for replacing that lost income. We need public-private partnerships which foster small business stability and growth in order to get our citizens back to work.

Education
Our children must be educated to compete in the world. We must transform our schools to correspond with the extraordinary changes which have occurred in the workplace with the explosion of technology. Our schools must teach our children how to do more than just take a test - we must teach them how to analyze and apply what they learn in order to be the innovators and leaders of tomorrow.

The challenge before us is to accomplish all of this with limited fiscal resources. To do this, we need NEW representation that thinks less of partisan politics, and more about our future.