Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

Senator Martin Nesbitt, Majority Leader

Early Years:
Born in Asheville, Buncombe County, September 25, 1946 to Martin L. and Mary (Cordell) Nesbitt, Sr.

Family:
Married, Deane Sellers, September 28, 1979, Children: William Martin and Chad

Education:
Reynolds High School 1964, UNC Chapel Hill, 1970, B.A.
UNC Chapel Hill, School of Law, 1973, J.D.

Professional Background:
Attorney

State Senator Martin Nesbitt, a Democrat from Buncombe County, began his career in public service when he was appointed to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1979. He was chosen to fill the House seat previously occupied by his mother, Mary Cordell Nesbitt, after she passed away. In February 2004, after serving eleven terms in the House, Nesbitt was appointed to the Senate to fill the seat of Steve Metcalf. Senator Nesbitt represents District 49, which covers most of Asheville and Buncombe County. Nesbitt was elected Majority Leader in 2009 and looks forward to working hard to maintain the Democrat Majority in the NC Senate.

An attorney with a practice in Asheville, Senator Nesbitt has served as a leader in the Senate on many issues. He serves as co-chair of the Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health and has worked tirelessly to get the State's mental health system back on track. He also worked to establish and expand the CHIP program, which provides comprehensive health insurance for children of working families.

In addition, Nesbitt has helped North Carolina make great strides in improving the environment. In 2002 he pushed for the passage of the Clean Smokestacks Act, landmark legislation that has vastly reduced pollution and improved air quality in North Carolina. Nesbitt also worked to pass the NC Ridge Law, to protect the mountains of North Carolina.

It has been an honor to serve the people of North Carolina all of these years. We live in very difficult times due to the world's troubled economy, and we need to do everything possible to create jobs. Small businesses are our best job creators, and they need access to credit and loans so they can begin hiring again and putting our people back to work. Making sure small businesses can secure these loans has been my goal. I also have worked diligently to make sure that community colleges are funded so that workers can get the training they need to get jobs. These are the most important things we can do to get the economy moving again and protect our families.

As we work through these hard times, we also need to keep an eye on our core principles: educating our children, protecting our heritage and the environment, and ensuring that people have access to affordable health care. We are clawing our way out of the Great Recession, the worst economic downturn in our country since the Great Depression that began in 1929 and continued for more than a decade. Signs tell us that the worst is now over and the State is no longer hemorrhaging jobs. However, we certainly are not out of the woods yet, and we won't be until everyone who wants a job has one. I will continue working so that our future will be bright and we can get back to the North Carolina that we all want, know, and love.

Thanks,

Martin Nesbitt