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Scott is a lifelong Wake County resident who believes in the great people here. He has the experience, education and the dedication to collaboratively work to solve problems and protect our growing county. He firmly believes that our community's best days are ahead.
As a proven fighter, Scott believes that government's role is to serve the people, not the other way around. Unfortunately, he has seen too many of today's leaders become beholden to a few powerful individuals and ignoring the needs of their constituents. He won't stand for that. Scott knows that the legislature needs cleaning up and he's laser focused on amplifying the voice of ordinary hardworking people in the North Carolina Senate.
Scott believes that transparency from all elected and appointed government officials is crucial and serves as the cornerstone of democratic governance. The work of legislators should be done in the open similar to other government bodies. Communications between constituents, lobbyists, and legislators should be subject to public and press inspection. Scott knows that transparency by elected officials serves to increase their accountability, improve the public's trust in their government and can prevent corruption. He looks forward to working with an informed electorate that is participatory and promises a responsive and professional culture for all from his office regardless of ideological differences.
Scott believes in servant leadership. Professionally, as a public school administrator, he walks shoulder to shoulder with his students, parents and staff to ensure common goals are accomplished. Personally, he’s committed to his family, faith and community.
As a former elected Town Councilman for Apex and now Wake County Soil and Water Supervisor, Scott knows what it takes to foster partnerships that create positive results.
Scott is a public servant and understands that holding office is hard work and that the stakes are high for his community. With Wake County urbanizing at a rapid rate Scott will support policy, programming and resource allocations that ensures the opportunity for success is within reach for everyone.
Scott has worked to support the family farmer, increase efforts in agricultural, technical, and environmental education, and clean up illegal dumping while he's been Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor. He also believes that the government can't solve every problem alone. He knows our community's strength is everyone's responsibility and will seek to partner with business leaders, universities, schools and municipalities in supporting policies that are best for District 13.
Scott believes North Carolina's schools should be the pride of the nation. He knows firsthand that in order to make that happen the state has to do more to fund the recruitment and retention of the best talent to serve our students. Those professionals have to be equipped with excellent curriculum resources, fairly compensated, and given the respect they deserve whether they be a bus driver, a teacher, a nurse, a custodian, or the principal.
Dr. Lassiter believes there are "3 C's" that can drive the important work of improving our education system. They are compensation, content, and collaboration. Compensation: Pay educators and support staff a wage at least commensurate with their private sector counterparts so we can attract and retain quality professionals to interact with our next generation of leaders. Content: Ensure that each course and classroom has research-based, unbiased, and appropriate curriculum and materials to give hard-working teachers a guide to ensure mastery of the subject is met. Collaboration: Partner with families, non-traditional schools, community partners, businesses, universities, and trade-schools to ensure that the unique needs of all students are met and that they graduate with the necessary skills and foundational knowledge to be successful in higher education, service, or career.
Schools have to be a safe place for students to learn and for staff to work. Scott knows counselors, social workers, administrators and school resource officers have their place but he won't shy away from the real problem for some of our students- a lack of parental involvement and support. Traditional public schools hold a special place in Scott's heart. He knows the vast majority of school children in North Carolina will attend public schools and their success directly contributes to the success of our state. He also understands that every child is unique and parents, not politicians, should have the ultimate say in a child's education. That's why Scott wants to empower traditional public schools with charter school-like flexibility and give parents options to best serve their student. Scott knows that educators must be compensated at a level that attracts the best and brightest and that keeps them in the field if they are effective. Teachers need to be able to teach and students need to be able to learn. Scott believes discipline is required for that to happen.
Scott has a problem with students who aren't passing basic competency standards being routinely promoted to the next grade level only to fall further behind. He believes students should be taught the truth about America- that it is not without flaws but remains the best hope for freedom, democracy, and opportunity in the world. As a former American History teacher he's done just that and empowered students to make their world a better place. He sees students being labeled and given excuses to fail that are outside of their control instead of being challenged to reach their full potential. He's particularly concerned about the over-identification of minority students as special education eligible. Scott knows that each child, regardless of color, creed, national origin, socio-economic status, or any other categorization, is uniquely capable in the right environment. He's committed to funding schools in such a way that NC lives up to its constitutional mandate to provide a free and appropriate education for all children. Understanding that North Carolina and Wake County continue to attract high paying careers, Scott wants to ensure that our students graduate with the skills necessary to access them.
The government has some basic functions. However, Scott has seen some policymakers spend so much time attempting to solve every societal issue that they forget their primary responsibilities. Infrastructure is chief among them. Transportation systems like roads, highways, ports, rail-lines , and airports are hugely important to our state and community.
North Carolina was once known as "The Good Roads State." Today, that almost sounds like a joke when you see the traffic and congestion in our district. Roads and other infrastructure must be improved before they become clogged from new development, not years later. Scott is ready to get back to basics to ensure that we have excellent transportation systems, access to safe and affordable utilities, and properly maintained public property.
Scott believes that infrastructure isn't limited to physical resources. He understands that human resources have to be supported too. Public safety professionals like firefighters, EMTs, and police are deserving of our support and appreciation. Our community wouldn't function without roads, sewers, power, or bridges and it certainly wouldn't function without public safety professionals there to answer our calls. Investing in our public servants compensation package, training and equipment won't just be a talking point for Scott, it will be a priority.
The economic issues facing Wake County are different from those facing other parts of the state. We have job openings but we have to make sure they are attainable for those already living here. Our young people need opportunities waiting for them when they graduate. Schools, community colleges, and our universities must partner with employers to ensure that students have the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow.
Scott is concerned that as our property values rise so do our property taxes. He wants to ensure that municipal and county taxing authorities are truthful with their citizens. When property values are reassessed and increased that increases a homeowner's tax bill. This "sleight of hand trick" goes on far too often and allows elected officials to raise your taxes with limited accountability.
Scott fully believes that it's not the government's place to create jobs or choose winners and losers in business. Instead, he wants the government to foster an environment where innovation is rewarded and success is accessible to all.
You may have received some mailers or seen some video ads from a dark money group and/or Scott's opponent that contain false claims about his stance on reproductive rights. Any claim that Scott would ban all abortions in North Carolina is completely false. Instead, Scott supports North Carolina's laws allowing first-trimester abortions and later ones with medical approval in exceptional cases. He also believes these sensitive discussions belong between women and their doctors, not the government.
Scott is also deeply concerned that his opponent told the News and Observer that she wants "no restrictions on abortion," including unnecessary late-term and partial-birth abortions. Watch Scott address this issue head-on in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYoxhFoYacc