Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

Cathy Wright was born in Passaic, NJ and was raised in Massachusetts and Connecticut. She graduated from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY with a BS in Nursing. She is married to John D. Wright, Jr., MD, a native of Marietta, GA, and a pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of North Carolina. They have resided in Chatham County for nearly eight years.

Before leaving the workforce to raise a family, Cathy taught nursing at Georgia Baptist School of Nursing in Atlanta, GA. When her children were older she became the Executive Director of professional medical societies in Massachusetts and in Virginia, handling association and finance management; membership development; community relations; meeting planning; strategic planning; and, public relations and advocacy.

While living in Richmond, VA she also was an independent contract lobbyist coordinating legislative advocacy for her clients, American Cancer Society, Virginia Athletic Trainers Association, Virginia Society of Ophthalmology, Virginia Association of School Nurses, and the Virginia Quality Healthcare Network. Upon moving to North Carolina, she worked with the North Carolina Medical Society assisting with and managing projects related to access to health care; quality and patient safety; and political and legislative advocacy.

Her two children are grown. Karen W. Mackall is married to John L. Mackall and resides in Arlington, VA with their two young children, ages two and four. Cathy's son, Major David R. Wright, an F-22 fighter pilot in the United States Air Force and stationed at Elmendorf AFB, is Chief of the 3rd Wing Weapons and Tactics.

Cathy is a Eucharistic Minister at her church and is a pastoral care visitor at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. She enjoys golf, cooking and tries to be faithful about working out in the gym.

My name is Cathy Wright and I am the Republican candidate for the NC House of Representatives, District 54. I believe the citizens of our district need strong leadership on the issues that are creating a deep and growing uncertainty in all of our daily lives, and for which advocacy that challenges the status quo is imperative.

As our nation, our state, and our local communities face the paralyzing consequences of a compromised economy, my platform is a commitment to more jobs, fewer taxes and less state spending. My position on these issues is in sharp contrast to my opponent's, which has proven to be a record of irresponsible spending and taxation that is sacrificing our future, the future of our children, and the future of generations to come.

What lead us down this road? At the hands of our state legislators we are suffering from a legacy of "spend now, tax later", an unhealthy dependency on one-time revenues to fund recurring spending, and short sided, short-term solutions for long-term problems.

In fact, recent history shows that during the middle of a recession and one of the largest budget deficits in our state history, liberal leaders introduced $1.1 billion in new taxes and fees in a misguided attempt to balance the 2009-2010 Budget. When the task of balancing the budget called for cuts in state spending, our legislators instead chose to raise taxes, neglecting to recognize that spending and taxation are really two sides of the same coin - the taxpayer's coin.

Rather than living with the past, I believe it is now time to turn the page by making a stern commitment to a different ideology - make private sector jobs a priority, prioritize state spending and eliminate waste, and reduce the tax burden on our families and businesses.