Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

I represent North Carolina Senate District 38 which includes a portion of Mecklenburg County. I am currently the Deputy President Pro Tempore of the Senate and have held this position since January 2003. Prior to becoming a legislator, I was a Charlotte City Council member for 12 years.

I attended Howard University before serving in the Korean War, after which I graduated from Johnson C. Smith University. I received my Masters Degree in Education and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

I serve on a number of Boards and Commissions in the greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg region.  I am Co-Chairman of the Appropriations and Base Budget Committee.

I am married to Rose Dannelly, and we have one son together.  We are members of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte.

I am committed to serving my constituents and the citizens of North Carolina. My main goal since becoming an elected official has been to be a voice for those whose voice is sometime overlooked or not heard. 

Our state has been a leader in education across the country.  I am proud to have been a part of the great strides we have made in our education system from our pre-K programs all the way to our strong university system.  Our children are our future and in order for us to keep North Carolina moving forward we must continue to protect and invest in their education and training so they will be able to compete in this global economy. 

Whether it is gas prices or the cost of food, our families are struggling to make ends meet. As your State Senator, I have focused on ensuring that North Carolina's economy remains strong and our citizens have access to quality jobs as well as job training programs through our community college system. And during these hard economic times it is important that we are able to provide a trained workforce to the industries we recruit to our state. 

In the most recent Senate session, I voted for a tax cut on over 275,000 small businesses statewide.  Additionally, I voted to ensure enrollment in our community colleges and our dropout prevention programs were both fully funded. 

In the past two years, I voted to cut over $3 billion from the state budget.  If citizens across North Carolina have to tighten their belts in this recession, so should the state - and it has. I will continue standing up for working families, fighting for our future and ensuring our tax dollars are used wisely.