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In her first public appearance as governor-elect, Bev Perdue on Thursday pledged to invest in Charlotte's roads, turn around the state's economy and bridge gaps between cities and political persuasions.
“The future we have is not about Democrats, it's not about Republicans,” she told the crowd at the Charlotte Chamber's annual meeting at the Time Warner Cable Arena. “We are all North Carolinians, and we're all in this thing … together.”
It's a tough road ahead statewide, where the unemployment rate, 7 percent in September, is higher than the 6.1 percent national average.
Perdue has hurdles in Charlotte, too, where she defeated a hometown mayor, Republican Pat McCrory and, in campaign advertisements, appeared to play Charlotte against the rest of the state, accusing McCrory of wanting to take money from rural road projects and of condescending to rural voters.
But Thursday, Perdue promised to work for and with the city, mining local talent and pushing for a strong Wells Fargo presence, she said. The San Francisco-based bank is buying Wachovia.
Of McCrory, who wasn't in attendance, she said he “ran a fabulous race. He made me work real hard.”
After the meeting, Perdue told a group of reporters she'd work to overcome the perceived absence of state leaders from the city.
When asked about plans to open a Charlotte office, Perdue said she wouldn't take any formal steps until she's sworn in – but that she hopes to have an office here by late January or February and plans to work from Charlotte three or four days a month.
Perdue also plans to work with Charlotte on its transportation needs, especially because the city, a driving economic force for the state, has stepped up to help other parts of North Carolina in the past, she said.
“I'm ready to give you the tools you need and then work in partnership with you,” Perdue said.
But that's not a promise, she said. While infrastructure and public schools are priorities, the economy is her top concern, she said.
Perdue has already talked to Erskine Bowles, president of the University of North Carolina system, about how to turn things around and plans to compile a 10-step plan with specific goals for the state.
She said she will work with private groups and the business community and ask the federal government for help rebuilding North Carolina.
“We need to work together on a rebuilding plan, and it has to include all of us,” Perdue said. “It has to be about prosperity in all 100 counties. There are no sections that are unique to this recession – I think we're in a deep recession, and I think sooner or later, this federal government's going to admit that we're in a recession – so I'm looking for the best minds in the state to put together an economic recovery package.
Kirsten Valle: 704-358-5248
