North Carolina People; Sen. Phil Berger, NC Senate Pro Temp Elect

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. On the twenty sixth North Carolina general assembly goes back to work. It's going to be a different session this time. But the people voted in the last election. The new leadership will be there. And this evening on North Carolina people I'm so pleased that I can introduce you to Philip Berger who is going to be the new president pro tem of the North Carolina Senate. He's a product of the Wake Forest Law School than a Clark and a North Carolina court of appeals structure and he's a practicing attorney. Which gives him a wealth of experience taking on the very responsible job and he will soon take over. We'll talk with him in just a few sec sponsored in part by one Kovio a Wells Fargo Company helping North Carolina people realize their financial goals since 879 and

through the financial contributions of viewers like you who invite you to join them in supporting you in CTV. Bill before we get into the politics of all this no one a Jew from up in Aden one of the happy experiences of my time when I was in the university was with that chain kapan that wonderful place that Jeff and Betsy pan built right outside you say them and say almost. It's quite a quite an interesting collection of world artifacts pagoda from Japan. But you know one of the things that great couple did was build a foreach camp out there and that wonderful extension station. Most people don't know about but they were great assets aren't they. They are and they're important to Rockingham County and to the state of North Carolina and NC State still uses the formulary for experimental crops. It's a very

nice place to visit as well. I met mess Betsy and as we say I guess in this world she was truly a character is a woman and did what she plays and did it well. You couldn't put together what she did with that house without being something of a character. Well everybody ought to go visit it at least once because it is an experience. Well you're going to take over the number one job in the Senate now knowing you. I know you've been at work thinking about organization structure and all this. How far ahead are you. We're actually in fairly decent shape. I think we're on target for what we wanted which is to have our people the members of the Senate in their offices on the opening of sessions and to have committees set and ready to get a go forward which is something unusual. I've been in the Senate for 10 years now and I've never seen that

up to this point and it was one of the things that we wanted to make sure that that we did. We're going to start to work on the twenty sixth of January. We need to be ready to start to work on that day and we should be. Do you anticipate fewer committee structures like you Speaker elect A-listers to have in this the other day that he's changing it quite a bit. What's your view. Well in the house they had more committees then than we do in the Senate. I think you're going to see a committee structure that's very similar on the Senate side to what we've seen before we're going to add to committees. Well actually we're going to have three this year's redistricting year so we're going to have to have a redistricting committee. We're also going to will have a separate insurance committee and we're going to try something new with a program evaluation committees other than that the committee structure should look pretty much the way it has over the past 10 years or so. I heard that was he the Governor Perdue or someone in the structure say that the revenue so far

has been pretty steady and a slight increase is that the word you get the numbers that I've seen for the projections for the current fiscal year they are they're running on on target a little bit ahead. Our bigger problem is the fact that the amount of money that is appropriated for this year the amount of money that's available for this year is at least three billion almost four billion dollars more than the amount of money that's going to be available next year so while things are looking good from from an immediate budget standpoint we've we've got a huge problem that's staring us right in the face. Now as you look at that problem I'm sure the viewers listening to you feel weird. Outline what guiding principles are going you're going to follow in dealing with this problem of this anticipated deficit. What comes first. Well the first thing that we've got to do is is match up our spending to the revenue just like at home just like in you know in

a business what we've got to do is is understand clearly how much money is going to be generated under the existing tax structure and then then we look at what are our priorities. Education's a priority we need to do everything that we can to to fund education at appropriate levels transportations a priority we need to make sure that we fund transportation our public safety and our court systems their priorities. We need to fund them so what we're looking at is first know how much money is available and then make the spending fit that that availability. How do you see the question of all those involved much in the health mental health public health most costly thing you deal with in a way. It's very costly. The bigger problem that we've had in in those fields over the past several years is just the growth in cost that that has come

about. And that's something that that will continue to be a challenge force one of the good things that we're hearing in the current fiscal year is that with reference to Medicaid it appears that the Medicaid spending is a little below what the projected levels war but that's clearly a challenge. We also have over the past eight or nine years had a terrible problem with our mental health system. It appears that we are finally seeming to get a handle on all that and hopefully will be able to to move in a more positive direction long term on that as well. By that that's that's good news. Just talking with the people in the president's Office of the University of the day and up to now that the appropriations cuts in excess of our 600 million dollars and for the whole system that's that's getting pretty close to margins. It's a tough problem

you've got. You've got to balance a need for caring for sick people you have to worry about it and but the future out there judging by what the impact of the research triangle is it is not going to be based on manufacturing it's on a new category of talent. Well we're we're an information technology consumer based economy at the present time. For years North Carolina and we still have a lot of manufacturing but the manufacturing is as a percentage of total economic activity not what it was at one time. So those changes are are certainly in many respects positive changes for North Carolina. But they do present new challenges for us challenges to our education system the challenges in connection with with our taxing system challenges in connection with. You know the people that are here in North Carolina so they're there is we are not wanting for the issues that

that will need to be dealt with but first and foremost we've got to deal with the the budgetary issues and do everything that we can to try to make North Carolina as competitive as possible in connection with other states. You know we're going to global competition everybody says that but we're also in a competition within the United States with Georgia and South Carolina and Alabama and other states in terms of the businesses that so often find it practical for them to move from from one location to another and take their jobs with them. And they're very aggressive about it too. There's no question and that's that's something that you know over the past 15 or 20 years it's got to be more of the case. So when when you've got one state that has a taxing structure that looks more attractive to the owners of those businesses or to the shareholders of those businesses then we we end up having to to deal with those challenges.

So also one of the reasons and I know in your past you've been a strong supporter but the anchor here is going to be the community college structure in a way that could do so much to train these people. Mark more elevated professional level our ability to attract and keep those those companies those jobs in North Carolina is very closely tied to the educational abilities or the educational standards that we have and the ability that we have to to move people from from one type of job to another through training in our community colleges just perform an invaluable last service to them and their way to systems linked up with each other to me has been one of the pre-party moves in recent months. Imagine a committee on redistricting take set the politics aside a minute what as a lawyer what judicial requirements does a state have to meet.

And looking at redistricting what's out there is a mandate well and the requirements are are several there are some state level requirements that plot to legislative redistricting. There are also some federal requirements that apply to the legislative redistricting and there are some federal requirements that apply to the congressional redistricting. Ultimately redistricting comes about is as you well know on on a 10 year cycle based on a constitutional mandate a federal constitutional mandate that requires the districts to be redrawn based on population and so when the census numbers come out in an effort to meet the one person one vote requirement of the Constitution have to. Reset the district lines to match up because you know over the course of 10 years people move in the state people move out of the state people move around within the state. And we've had substantial move. We've been one of the the faster growers

in the nation. And so that's that's one requirement is to to redraw the lines to match up the population there all the requirements that are out there on the federal level. You have the Voting Rights Act that places certain restrictions and mandates on the state in terms of drawing districts at state level. We've in the last round of redistricting that brought forward some Supreme Court decisions that are generically referred to as the Stevenson cases that requires certain things to be done to respect county law and to do other things and in terms of drawing legislative districts so it's a it's a fairly complicated process. It is one that every 10 years results in in legal challenges. We were we are aware that that that's a possibility this time. Well more likely a likelihood this time. And we want to draw the maps want to make sure that we comply with the

law. And another goal that we have is we'd like to have all of that done so that we do not end up with a delay in the election cycle in 2012. Read a report recently about how North Carolina really has changed has become an urban state. But that doesn't mean that you all the great agricultural area can be set aside some way. Does this concern you outside of the ditch in question and that is that its population movement and what's happening to eastern North Carolina so to speak and Western. Some part we've got to we've got to worry about this little bit Amway. Well you know North Carolina is a very diverse state. You know one of the things that that has happened over the years is more people are moving either into the urban areas or into the areas that surround our urban centers. But that doesn't mean that we we don't still have. Huge agricultural industry agriculture is is one of

the larger industries that we've got. Doesn't mean that the folks that live in those more rural areas aren't also North Carolinians just like anybody else. You know I represent a district that is it is almost a microcosm of what we see across the state. My district includes Rockingham County which has a good bit of farming also has some manufacturing but also Guilford County with the suburbs and a little bit of the city of Greensboro. So you know that's that's something that does present more of those challenges that we've talked about. Certainly it's changed and as I understand it based on the policeman Arry census numbers that we're seeing this will be the first time in drawing legislative maps that more of the legislature will be representing urban and suburban areas than than rural areas. I've seen net change in my lifetime. It's it it's a fascinating

study to watch. I want to get out of talk and legislation and politics where you talk about something you and I both are witnessing right now. And that's his tragedy in Arizona a country split over all of this and a lot of tension about it. But Bill what's happened to political rhetoric. Radio talk shows nowadays. Would I have got to Osaka harness ourselves a bit here now. I think it's important for people who are in the public sphere to make sure of it that the rhetoric that goes along with being an advocate for a particular position doesn't get out of hand but. But I also think that we need to be cognizant of the fact that there are some people out there that they don't need someone to say something outrageous in order to do something outrageous.

There are some people that that come unhinged for any number of reasons and I don't I don't think it's quite fair to blame the actions of somebody who is acting in a criminal manner may have some mental problems on the level of rhetoric that that may be occurring in the political sphere. I think that's in some respects fairly dangerous path for us to start going down because at what point do we do we say you can or cannot say a particular thing in it what point do we decide who the arbiters of what's correct. Who they are. I'm as concerned about that as anything. Both of us are lawyers you remember. Holmes is great at painting it. You can't yell fire in a crowded theater and that's not free speech you know way but

you put your finger right on it. It's something we've all got to worry about because the consequences of it is if we can't get a lot of good people like yourself to go into politics then there is certainly a perception out there that the folks are reluctant to put themselves into the public light because of all of the level of rhetoric. The the the the contests that are there but you know you I know you're a student of history as as a mob and if you go back and look at some of the rhetoric that was was employed you know in past presidential campaigns in the early days of our republic you see some things that would be considered beyond the pale even in today's standards. Well I guess my concerns primarily and I saw this poll the queue so that 20 percent of the American people have a respect for Congress now that

you know that's a dangerous thing when people don't trust the legislative process at that level. And we are in trouble and a lot of ways. What got you into public life I managed to get in. WHAT WHERE WHERE dollars come from. You know that that question's been asked of me a number of times particularly over the last couple of months and I probably need to come up with a better answer. But it's just something that that I've been interested in the political process. As I said I'm interested in history. I think that that individuals have have an obligation to do something to help if they if they have the ability and I've found myself in a position where I could you could try to help and offered myself for public office. The people are in now the twenty sixth district originally the 12th Senate district saw fit to send me to the

Senate. And I just try to do the best I can. Did you enjoy the experience of cracking in the court of appeal. I did a lot of the things that I think back off from from that experience you know stay with me today. Judge Jean Phillips who I clerked for is just a marvelous person and and I learned a great deal from him. What about our judicial system from that experience or is it still too overloaded. Do you do you worry about who you stand of the docket. I don't think so. I think there are some concerns about maybe some aspects of our trial calendars but you know the court system is a safety valve. Yeah and it is our way of making sure that disputes get resolved. And it's one of the things that is a primary obligation of our government. So if we've got a lot of cases in our court system then in some respects

that means that there are a lot of issues out there that individual citizens and interests in our society have to have resolved. You touched down this a little bit ago and this is something that I know you as a thoughtful person you are concerned about as I'm I just look at the future a little bit here. Now we have the 10th largest state transportation you mentioned we've got serious problems here. We've got problems with water this distribution and main and gathered together sufficient water land use. Wholly apart from the current crises which have to dominate but thinking ahead that we've got to do a better job here now sort of getting ourselves together the planning process. I've been watching other states and they are really working at this and we had our progress board and we've had our guys but we've seen some reason they just have never called on

it has the time come fail when we've really got to sit down and take a hard look at this. You know North Carolina for four years was recognized as a leader particularly in the southeast in a number of areas in our education university system and in our transportation system. And I would agree I think we've fallen and fallen behind. We slacked up a little bit and I'm confident however that the people of North Carolina are still basically the same and the people of North Carolina. I think when presented with a challenge we'll certainly see it through and I have a. Have a great deal of confidence and I'm optimistic about our future. I think the fact that we continue to have people coming into North Carolina despite all of these problems is an indication that that folks or in some respects voting with their feet that they see North Carolina as a better place than than other places but that doesn't mean that it's perfect it never has been and never

will be. And it's it's up to us in the time that they were given the responsibility and the opportunity to do to do something to try to do what we can to you know make things better than than things were when we found them. And certainly that's one of the things that I'm trying to do. I know from talking with you in the past to the need here is the mechanism some something we don't have now that we've got to invent are developed in some way. When President both came forward with his North Carolina tomorrow plan and his term was cut short and we couldn't implement beyond that point but there's a framework that's already there. Have a lot of fun in legislation. I've told people that serving in the legislature is something that I have enjoyed more than anything else I've done in my professional life.

And now that's fun of a different sort than than what you're thinking about the wrong word have many eyes or do you really get to stand. I do because I enjoy meeting people. I enjoy looking at problems trying to find solutions. I I think I have in some respects and after tude for cutting through things and trying to get to the nub of the problem. I'm very fortunate. There's been a lot of people have been very good to me over the years and those people are folks that I feel like I can continue to call on if I need advice or need is need some assistance. If that's funny I'm having. You have a good relationship with Governor Perdue working with her in your capacities. If we do I we've met on several occasions since the election. Of course she presided over the Senate for eight years before she was elected governor. We we at this point I think share a concern and and actually

share in opinion as to you know what needs to be done in a big picture sense to deal with the budget. I am hopeful that the fact that we've known each other for a number of years and we have that personal report will help us deal with some issues when and when you know the heat gets turned on and things get a little more difficult. Well in talking with him before Christmas I got the distinct impression that he's looking forward to working with you particularly and Speaker Pelosi and the leadership because once you get there politics sort of moves over here you have to be concerned about the state itself and the future of the people and that that's a heavy burden that sheds a little different light on fines. And we're aware of that. We were fortunate that we have a lot of talented people in the Senate in the general assembly to hand in the in the executive branch and confident that we'll be able to work to deal with

whatever comes up. But I certainly am confident that you will do that. You get get good exercise and all that I'm afraid to Nach it out and give you health that's the most important thing you can do. You know one of the things that I've done when I first was first elected to the to the General Assembly I put on a good deal of white and over the past two or three years of tried to be conscious of that and and some health issues it's been a pleasure to talk with you and ladies and gentlemen and I know you've enjoyed this chance to listen to what will be the next president pro tem of the North Carolina State Senate a man who's given a considerable portion of his life and distinguished public service and will continue to do so for the next week then good night. Sponsored in part by white Kovio a Wells Fargo Company helping North Carolina people realize their financial goals. Since 1879

and through the financial contributions of viewers like you who invite you to join them in supporting you in CTV.