Jeffery Simon is a bit of an anomaly in this political season: A 36-year-old father of two daughters, unemployed freelance technical writer and suburban homeowner, he’s not angry and holds no particular beef against incumbents or the leadership of the other party. He doesn’t profess to know much about the legislative track record or policy positions of John Blust, his opponent in the NC House District 62 race, but merely observes from a personal standpoint that since he moved here four years ago, little seems to have changed in the district.
He switched party registration from Democrat to Libertarian two years ago not so much for ideological reasons as for the fact that a third party gave him more of a sense of freedom.
He moved into a subdivision that was long an island of annexation. As the city of Greensboro brought in his neighbors through involuntary annexation in 2008, he observed their anger. Annexation has its pros and cons, he says, but pushed to take a position, he ends up siding with those who believe citizens deserve the right to vote by referendum on whether they want to be absorbed into a municipality.
“I was disappointed that no one ran against Blust in 2008,” Simon says. “I don’t think this is a position anyone should get by default. I was joking with my friends that maybe I’ll have to run against him. When it came time to file, I did it.”
The libertarian principles that Simon embraces are “get rid of big government” and devolve control to the local level. On the great practical question of government — balancing spending and revenues to provide essential services — he claims no special insight.
“Raising taxes is the last thing I would want to do,” he says. “I’ve got a family. The last thing I want to do is pony up more money.”
He says his best judgment on job creation is that the way to do it is by granting tax breaks to small businesses.
In that sense, Simon’s economic prescriptions share a lot in common with the centrist Democrats that have held power in Raleigh since the 1990s when Jim Hunt served as governor.
“If you spend a little bit to better the area, that will bring in more revenue,” he says. “If you give tax breaks to small businesses, that allows them to become a bigger company. If you invest some money in transportation, that helps trucking companies to increase the flow of goods.”
From his experience as a citizen, he puts his finger on a couple of funding needs.
The candidate says it’s important to preserve music and arts programming in public schools, along with physical education — classes that “allow kids to have a release and allow them to have a mental break.”
He suggests that to pay for arts and physical education, salaries could be reduced for superintendents and school board members.
The city of Greensboro shoulders the cost of transportation within its corporate limits, but a trip through the residential areas of northwest Guilford County means crossing a patchwork of unincorporated areas, where road maintenance is funded by the state.
“I’d like to see roads [made] a little better,” Simon says. “There are intersections that could use stop lights. I’d like to find a way for more bike paths and bike lanes. The speed limit on Pleasant Ridge Road is 55 mph. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to slow down to a crawl. I might see the cyclist, but I worry that the person behind me won’t realize that I’ve had to slow down. That might add six feet to the road, and I know that’s a cost.”
On a number of issues, Simon’s positions track somewhat conservatively, but with various centrist and libertarian inflections. In other words, it’s tough to find an ideological brand to fit the candidate.
He favors lifting the cap on charter schools. If public schools are worried about losing teachers to charter schools, they should pay them better, he argues.
On immigration, he agrees with the recent legislation passed in Arizona that gives local law enforcement the authority to stop people suspected of being illegal immigrants. A certain amount of racial profiling is inevitable, he says, adding that illegal immigrants should be sent back home, whether they come from Mexico or western Europe. He holds some sympathy for teenagers and young adults who have lived here most of their lives, but are considered illegal because their parents overstayed a visa. Still, he thinks it’s their responsibility to take care of getting their documentation in order before a crisis with immigration enforcement arises.
He favors regulating and taxing internet sweepstakes games rather than making them illegal.
A moderate political spirit, Simon says an elected official should communicate regularly with constituents through the news media and e-mail newsletters. If elected to represent District 62, the candidate says he would often defer to the wishes of constituents instead of pursuing his own agenda.
“Being there to give people who don’t have an opportunity to go to Raleigh, giving them a voice — that’s your job,” he says.
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