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This week's special guest is Chris Smith who is running for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B. Chris has a diverse background and strong ideas to help our communities thrive and grow. We hope you learn as much as we did. These are the topics we discussed in detail:  - What are the responsibilities/duties of the Board of Commissioners with regard to their districts/counties? - Is this position a 2yr or 4yr term? - How does your background/education prepare you for this type of role? - Is their a specific issue you plan to address immediately, should you win in November? - Do you have any colleagues or relationships with other political leaders that can help you achieve your goals as Commissioner in Forsyth County? - What do you hope to accomplish during your term as Commissioner? Helpful Links: Campaign Website FaceBook Instagram Twitter

This week's special guest is the Democratic Candidate for the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Jen Mangrum. She spent fourteen years teaching elementary in Onslow and Guilford Counties, then continued on to receive her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from UNC-Greensboro. In 2004, Jen started the Elementary Education program at NC State University. Jen is now a professor at UNCG, preparing future teachers in the School of Education. We hope this conversation gives you new insight to her campaign and what she stands for. We certainly learned a great deal in a short period of time. Topics: - Tell us about your current role and how that prepares you for Superintendent of Public Instruction, as well as the primary responsibilities of the position. - Public school funding in NC has been an issue for many years. What part would you play in working on the budget and how do you foresee education changing in NC as the budget changes? - Teachers are underpaid. How do you propose a fix to this ongoing problem? Do you think if teachers were paid more, education would improve? - Technology related to Covid. What can be improved? What is the long term plan for getting back into the schools? Helpful Links: Campaign Website Instagram Facebook Twitter

This week's special guest is Ronnie Chatterji who is running for NC Treasurer. Ronnie has a great deal of experience in economics and has a plan in place to shape our economy to positively affect social change in North Carolina. We spoke with Ronnie via Zoom about many topics: - Tell us about your road to running for the most important job that no one knows about  - Explain the importance of the State Treasurer position - Areas that need improvement - Plan for investing the state budget - Obstacles that would potentially hinder expanding Medicaid/Medicare #TheNerdWeNeed Helpful Links: Campaign Website  FaceBook Twitter Instagram

This week's special guest is NC Court of Appeals Judge Chris Brook. Judge Brook is on the ballot for NC Court of Appeals Seat 13. This is a re-election campaign for him. We spoke with Judge Brook via Zoom about many topics:  - Current role and why you want to remain on the Court of Appeals - Explain the role of a Judge on the Court of Appeals - How did you progress from attorney to Legal Director for the ACLU into the current seat you have now? - Being appointed by the Governor - How important is diversity on the bench? - The BLM Movement - Ethical dilemma(s) you may have faced Helpful Links: Campaign Website Twitter  FaceBook

This week's special guest is the current State Auditor for North Carolina, Ms. Beth Wood. With 3 successful terms under her belt she is incredibly qualified for the Auditor position and has a proven track record. We hope this conversation gives you new insight to her campaign and what she stands for. We certainly learned a great deal in a short period of time. Topics:  - What is required of the state auditor? - Examples of projects completed and how that affects North Carolinians.  Helpful Links: Campaign Website 

This week's special guest is the Republican Candidate for the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mrs. Catherine Truitt. She has worked in many aspects of public education over the years ranging from K-12 to being appointed by Governor McCrory to serve as his Senior Advisor on Education to the University level with WGU NC (Western Governors University North Carolina). Catherine's focus is on ensuring that all NC students have the opportunity to receive a quality education and that students graduate high school and college with the skills they need to succeed in today's world. We hope this conversation gives you new insight to her campaign and what she stands for. We certainly learned a great deal in a short period of time.  Topics: - Tell us about your current role and how that prepares you for Superintendent of Public Instruction, as well as the primary responsibilities of the position. - Public school funding in NC has been an issue for many years. What part would you play in working on the budget and how do you foresee education changing in NC as the budget changes? - Teachers are underpaid. How do you propose a fix to this ongoing problem? Do you think if teachers were paid more, education would improve? - Technology related to Covid. What can be improved? What is the long term plan for getting back into the schools? Helpful Links: Campaign Website Instagram Facebook WGU (Western Governors University)

For more information on Mike you can visit his campaign website HERE.   Mike Silver Instagram   Mike Silver FaceBook  If there are topics you would like to be covered in a future episode, email us at [email protected] You can also follow us on Instagram @voteonpurpose and Twitter @vote_org  Our website is updated daily as more local candidates respond to our questions. 

This week's special guest is a community leader and campus minister at RUF, Mr. Jonah Hooper. Jonah took some time to speak about the mixture of church and state and how our political views are formed based partially on our religious beliefs.  Topics:  - Can you explain your role at RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) and how it ties in Winston Salem?  - How important do you think religion and morality play in choosing a political leader or does it play a role at all? Is it essential?  - Do you believe we have strayed away from that focus? - Do you teach or believe there should be a mix of church and state? Or, separation of the two? - Does the absence of those priorities revolt in poor leadership or a less than desirable leader? - Should we even look to political leaders, entertainers, famous people as a barometer for our attention and direction? - How much work/activism should we do/participate in before we leave it up to God to bring us out of our status of being considered less than or respected? Helpful Links: Follow Jonah on Instagram  RUF Ministry at WSSU

This week's special guest is an activist here in Winston Salem and surrounding areas, as well as the Founder of HopeDealers Outreach; Mr. Frankie Gist. Frankie has been an integral part of the Black Lives Matter movement since the alarming death of George Floyd in late May. Frankie helped organize multiple days of peaceful protests as Winston Salem became the only major city in North Carolina to protest without violence. We spoke with Frankie about how we can create positive change, things we can do to help our troubled youth, and more. We hope his words motivate you to step out of your comfort zone to do more. (This episode was recorded in advance and is not live) Tell us about yourself, your organization and why you are interested in local politics.  What laws/policies do you want to see changed/improved locally? Phone call from Tracie Floyd discussing the recent death of a young man, how do we start to create change locally. Frankie reminds us that "an idle mind is the devil's workshop." "Action is permanent," as a statement to encourage progress and change. While explaining how everyday decisions can affect your entire life, "don't let your experience become a detour death." Discussion about gangs, violence and discipline. We asked listeners live on FaceBook to comment or call us with their thoughts/ideas about disciplining our children going through these scenarios. Challenge to community to step up and be a part of this change.  Explain once more how your life matters and how HopeDealers can bring change.  Helpful Links: Follow Frankie on Instagram Follow HopeDealers Outreach on Instagram

This week's special guest is Superior Court Judge Lora Cubbage. Judge Cubbage is on the ballot for NC Court of Appeals Seat 05. She is a proud Aggie Alum, mother, wife, and esteemed judge. We hope this information and interview give you new insight to her campaign and what she stands for. How does your background as Superior Court Judge parlay into Court of Appeals Judge? How do the roles differ?  Explanation of how cases make it to Appellate Court vs. Superior Court  As a Black woman, how do you succeed and excel in a white male dominated system?  When you are on the bench and you have a defendant that has extreme anxiety or doesn't understand what is going on, do you try to educate?  Any ethical dilemma that you've faced in the courtroom, how did you overcome that?   How do you feel about the growing caseload of juveniles that come into the court system who then eventually turn into adults that are in the court system, the prison pipeline? When you go to the next level, what is your vision for the future for yourself and for the judicial system?  Helpful Links: Campaign Website Instagram