NCCBI News
Utilities Begin 'Powerful Campaign'
for New Members
Volunteers
from Duke Power Co. and Progress Energy are off and running in a
contest to see who can bring the greatest charge to NCCBI’s annual
membership campaign. The campaign is under the leadership of Bill
Coley, group president of Duke Power who is second vice chair of NCCBI
this year.
Coley decided to launch the annual new member recruitment drive during
the late spring and summer. It usually occurs in the fall but often
conflicts with holiday events.
“I’m excited about the membership campaign,” Coley said,
“because I know that there is strength in numbers, and NCCBI needs
to grow in numbers to continue to exert its influence for us in
Raleigh and Washington.”
Coley knew he needed volunteers working in every part of the state,
not just in those areas served by Duke Power, so he sought the
assistance of Progress Energy CEO, Chairman and President Bill
Cavanaugh. To fill in the gaps of the state not served by either Duke
Power or Progress Energy, Coley obtained the support of Dominion North
Carolina, the utility serving Northeast North Carolina, and the N.C.
Association of Electric Cooperatives, some of whose members serve
Northwestern North Carolina, as well as counties across the state.
Tony Almeida, vice president of customer services, will lead the Duke
Power team. Duke volunteers serving with him are Winston Kelley, vice
president of business and communications; and district managers Sandy
Tallant, Dave Hart, Joanie Davis, Gary Laws, Bob Allen, Randy Britton,
Jim Kelley, Randy Welch, Scott Gardner, and Fred Alexander; and
customer service managers Chip Wood and Tim Proctor.
Members of the Progress Energy team will be announced soon and will be
listed here next month.
Membership campaign volunteers will be doing a lot of face-to-face
marketing of NCCBI to business people they know. Plus, the campaign
will stage several recruitment events around the state. Events already
on the calendar include a reception on Thursday, June 6, at Wilkes
Community College in Wilkesboro; a Tuesday, June 11, breakfast at
Cleveland Country Club in Shelby; a June 11 lunch at Gastonia Country
Club in Gastonia; a June 11 reception in Hendersonville, at the
country club; a Wednesday, June 12, reception at Lowes Motor Speedway
Club in Cabarrus County; and a Tuesday, June 18, reception in
Winston-Salem.
NCCBI Vice President of Development Rosemary Wyche said “the
enthusiasm of the volunteers working in this year’s campaign is
absolutely electrifying.” But
it will take that level of commitment to top last year’s campaign
led by Sue Cole of U.S. Trust Co., Wyche added. Cole, the
association’s current first vice chair, “did a tremendous job and
gave many hours of her time to the campaign and has set the bar high
for us to shoot at this year,” Wyche said. NCCBI President Phil Kirk
will speak at each event.
NCCBI Opposes Higher Taxes: With NCCBI coming out squarely
against higher taxes, leaders in the General Assembly now seem firmly
committed to cutting spending or taking other steps to balance next
year’s budget.
A tax increase wasn’t on the table when members of the General
Assembly’s six budget-writing subcommittees assembled in Raleigh to
eyeball spending for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Getting down
to business a month ahead of the start of the General Assembly’s
short session, the budget panels worked on spending-reduction targets
totaling more than a billion dollars.
A few days before the lawmakers came to Raleigh, NCCBI announced its
no-new-taxes position following a vote on the issue by the Executive
Committee. Following the vote, NCCBI issued a news release that said
the association believes the budget shortfall should be addressed by
reducing spending and that a tax increase would have an impact on a
recovering economy. See complete story below.
“Our belief is that the very best way to fix the budget shortfall is
to reduce spending,” NCCBI Chair Jim Hyler said in the news release.
Hyler added that increasing taxes would impede an economic recovery.
“There are signs that North Carolina is beginning to climb out of
the recession. Any tax increase now will make an economic recovery
harder to achieve,” he said.
Latest estimates are that, because of overly-optimistic revenue growth
estimates and rising Medicaid costs, the roughly $15 billion state
budget for the coming year — which was written last fall — is at
least $1.2 billion and possibly as much as $2 billion out of balance.
NCCBI is also calling for the General Assembly to give two blue ribbon
commissions time to do their work. The panels, appointed by Gov. Mike
Easley to address the state budget crisis, are the Commission to
Promote Government Efficiency and Savings on State Spending and the
Commission to Modernize State Finances. Several NCCBI members are
represented on both panels including Hyler, who chairs the efficiency
commission.
Both commissions will make reports to the governor prior to the short
session that starts May 28 and a final report by year-end.
New Board Member: McKay Belk of Charlotte, president of the
Merchandising and Marketing division of Belk Inc., has been appointed
to the NCCBI Board of Directors. He will complete the term of Hank
Miller of Wilmington, who resigned. Belk, a past chairman of the
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, holds undergraduate and graduate
degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill, and has spent his entire career in the
Belk family’s retailing business. He sits on the boards of Belk
Inc., Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, Charlotte-Douglas
International Airport and the National Retail Federation. He is on the
board of visitors at UNC-Charlotte and is a former member of the board
of visitors at UNC-Chapel Hill.
NCCBI Committee Update: In a flurry of activity in the run-up
to this year’s legislative session, several NCCBI policy committees
held meetings recently. Here’s a brief account of their actions:
Education Committee: Jeff Davies, vice president for finance in
the UNC System, told the committee that $3.1 billion university and
community college bond referendum has had a huge economic impact on
the state economy. In some areas, it is estimated that more than 2,000
jobs will be created from projects currently under contract. Other
speakers at the April 18 meeting were John Poteat, director of
research for the Public School Forum, who discussed the recent Leandro
decision and possible implications for the state; Mike Aheron with the
N.C. Department of Commerce, who reviewed recommendations from the
Workforce Development Summit held in February; Ann McArthur, teacher
advisor to Gov. Mike Easley, who discussed the governor’s education
initiatives; and Henry Helms with the N.C. Business Committee for
Education, who talked about professionals entering the teaching
profession through lateral entry.
Legal Issues and Workplace Policies: Attorney General Roy
Cooper asked for input from the committee regarding the development of
a model policy for addressing domestic violence in workplaces in North
Carolina. The policy would provide guidelines, not mandates, for
businesses in the state. At
its April 8 meeting, the committee also reviewed amicus briefs
recently filed on behalf of NCCBI and discussed session limits as
NCCBI’s number one legislative priority for the short session.
Economic Development Committee: Erik Stromberg, executive
director of the State Ports Authority, told the committee at its April
22 meeting that the harbor deepening project in Wilmington is
critical. Appropriations Committee decisions at the federal level will
be made soon. Full funding is necessary to ensure the 42-foot channel
reaches the port by 2003. The final contract bids have already been
received and work is scheduled to begin this summer. Adequate funding
is crucial to continue the contract and avoid jeopardizing the state
and federal funding that has been spent to date. Ted Abernathy,
executive vice president of the Research Triangle Regional
Partnership, discussed a recent study of the Research Triangle as a
“cluster of innovation.” Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain provided
an update on economic development initiatives taking place at the
state level.
Health Care Committee: Lanier Cansler, deputy secretary of the
N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, discussed the challenges
facing the state Medicaid program at the group’s April 25 meeting.
An increased number of eligible individuals, increased utilization of
services and the increased cost of services continue to drive Medicaid
budget growth. Because of the increased needs and the state’s
current budget crisis, there are three choices: The U.S. Congress
increases participation, the state General Assembly increases revenue
to cover rising Medicaid costs, or the General Assembly decides to
reduce or eliminate optional services. J.B. Kelly, general counsel
with the Attorney General’s office, provided an update on the Blue
Cross and Blue Shield Conversion.
Transportation Committee: Bob Morgan with the Charlotte Chamber
of Commerce and Smedes York, representing the Raleigh Chamber,
explained their regional approaches to transportation issues at the
committee’s April 29 meeting. The Charlotte Chamber has established
the Business Coalition for Regional Transportation Solutions and the
Raleigh Chamber has developed the Regional Transportation Alliance.
Charlotte and Raleigh are collaborating with surrounding communities
to study regional transportation solutions for roads, transit and land
use planning. Others speaking to the committee were N.C. Highway
Administrator Len Sanderson; Wayne Stallings, chief financial officer
with the N.C. Department of Transportation; and Ricky Ward, chair of
NCGo!
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