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Friday, September 26, 2008 10:38 AM Tolson says state will face deficit in '09 By Matt Shaw | Times Staff Writer North Carolina's legislators are already seeing declining state revenues and could be dealing with a deficit next summer, N.C. Rep. Joe Tolson said Thursday night in Wilson. The state needs to start trimming expenses now to avoid having to make bigger slices later, he said. "We are facing a deficit next year. So we need to cut back on spending now so that we have some money to carry us over." Tolson, a Pinetops Democrat, spoke to about 30 friends and supporters at the fund-raiser, held off N.C. 58 in Wilson. The economic slump has hit sales tax collections and other revenues, Tolson said, but not as bad as in some other states. "North Carolina is in better shape than many other states," he said. "Our employment numbers are down some, but we're not losing jobs as badly as others." Tolson also told the crowd that he enjoys working with Wilson County's legislators, N.C. Sen. A.B. Swindell and N.C. Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield. As a team, they were able to pass an economic stimulus package in 2007 to allow Bridgestone Firestone to expand its Wilson plant, he said. "If they would have left this area, we would have heard a great sucking sound," Tolson said. "They are not only a major employer, they are a great corporate citizen." Tolson told the crowd he sees a great future for the state in biotech fields. The state's biotech center, one of a handful in the United States promises to create new uses for N.C. agriculture. The state is also making progress in bringing technology to students, he said. By next June, every school will have access to high-speed Internet services, which will give students in rural areas the same access to resources or online courses as those in more urban areas, he said. Wilson County Commissioner Grady "Bucky" Robbins was one of the hosts for the evening. He said he finds it easy to support Tolson. "Joe's been a good leader and an easy person to work with," Robbins said. "We're blessed in Wilson County with having all our legislators been very active and working on our behalf. As a county commissioner, that's what I like to see." Henry Mercer, a member of the Wilson County Board of Education, said he has been impressed with Tolson's commitment to the Black Creek Family Enrichment Center. "He has been a great supporter all the way," Mercer said. "He's really in touch with what's going on in the different parts of his district. You can't ask for more than that." Tolson faces Republican Garland Shepheard of Tarboro this fall in the N.C. House's 23rd District, which includes about half of Wilson County, mostly outside the city of Wilson. The district also includes parts of Edgecombe County. The remaining parts of Wilson and Edgecombe counties are in the 24th District, represented by Farmer-Butterfield, of Wilson. Neither she nor Swindell, of Nashville, has a Republican opponent this fall. mshaw@wilsontimes.com | 265-7878 |
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