GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Pay a Visit
Bob Orr Stands for Reform

August 23, 2007

Emily Weaver

Each candidate stands on his or her own platform in the 2008 race for the governor’s seat. Republican candidate Bob Orr stands for reform.

He recently v i s i t e d C l e v e l a n d County, touring the Neisler family’s Dicey Fabrics plant in Shelby. During his visit, he met with The Herald to talk about his plans.

Education, employment, governmental leadership, and business affairs are listed in his ideas of reform. He said that what sets him apart from the pack is the fact that he is the only one running statewide on the Republican ticket that has run and won a state election, four to be exact. But also it is his experience in the judiciary sector, where he has dealt with numerous controversial issues and had to balance being a fair and impartial judge with being a candidate running for re-election. It is from his past experiences that he draws his strength and insight for a new tomorrow.

Orr said that one of the biggest challenges he sees for North Carolina’s future is the state’s exploding growth. “It’s projected that we will have 4 million more people in the next 20 years,” he added. Along with that exploding growth comes issues in transportation, taxes and many others that will need to be faced to address the challenges.

 “You can’t just go to band-aide approaches when you’re planning for the state’s future,” he said. “Being a governor requires strong leadership and the ability to tackle tough issues.”

 In one of Orr’s most spirited dissents as a justice on the NC Supreme Court, in the case of Maready v. the City of Winston-Salem, he argued that the incentive package in question of promoting the expansion of a private business went against the “public purpose.” He figuratively scowls at the idea of internet tycoon Google strong-arming its way into the lucrative resources of North Carolina’s small town of Lenoir. Orr was recently quoted in Business Week speaking out against the incentive deal. The $212 million package gives the company 100 percent off of local property and 80 percent off of real estate taxes over the next 30 years, a tax rebate of $5.87 million out of $6 million, including other incentives, all for the hopes of Google creating name recognition and 210 jobs for the town, which may or may not be filled by locals, according to Business Week.

 Orr said his blood boils over the unjust spending sprees and good ol’ boy politics that have put taxpayers in the slumps. But it may have been that same good ol’ boy politics that got him appointed to his first two seats on the NC Court of Appeals. After working on the campaign to get Gov. James Martin into office, Martin appointed him to fill a vacant seat on the court. Two months later, Orr lost the election for his new seat and was later reappointed by Martin to another vacancy on the court. Among the current leadership’s faults, he said that the state has “raided the highway trust fund, the tobacco trust fund, retirement” and others to balance the budget. With the high dropout rate, the youth of the state’s education is in peril. Drawing from his experience with a case termed “Leandro”, he said, “There is a constitutional right for our students to have a sound basic education,” in disregards to their race or income level.

 Orr grew up in Hendersonville. He now lives in Raleigh with his wife, Louise, and their 15-year-old daughter Louise. He also has three grown children: Kelly Hollis, Robert Orr and Alex Orr.