Rob Yates, Libertarian candidate for NC House District 99, answers our questions
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NC House District 99
Incumbent Nasif Majeed faces a challenge from Libertarian candidate Rob Yates in northeast Mecklenburg’s N.C. House District 99. Yates hasn’t yet responded to our questionnaire.
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To help inform voters in the Nov. 5, 2024, election, this candidate questionnaire is available to be republished by local publications in North Carolina without any cost. Please consider subscribing to The Charlotte Observer to help make this coverage possible.
Name: Rob Yates
Age: 44
Campaign website or social media page: @ProsperCLT2023 on X
Occupation: Writer
Education: MBA
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought or held):
Yes - Mayor of Charlotte in 2023
Please list your highlights of civic involvement:
I have worked for several non-profits, from coaching youth soccer and wrestling to working to promote civil discourse and reduce polarization with the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, to raising money annually to help fund suicide prevention research and resources, to working to help get stray and abandoned dogs adopted. I have also worked as an activist in local and state government.
Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and most of the county’s towns are on board with draft legislation to get permission from the legislature for a sales tax referendum to pay for public transit and other transportation. If elected, would you support a bill that allows the sales tax increase to appear on the ballot? Why or why not?
I am opposed to any and all tax increases.
In North Carolina, abortion is banned after 12 weeks. State politicians, including gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, have said they want to restrict abortion even further. Do you support the state’s current abortion restrictions, and what is your approach to legislating issues related to reproductive health?
I think that we should be working to eliminate the root causes of abortion by encouraging preventative education, not stigmatizing single mothers and unwanted pregnancies, building economic prosperity, and providing resources for women in challenging pregnancies. I do not believe prohibition actually prevents things.
What would you say is the biggest issue facing your constituents, and what would you do to address it if elected?
Economic hardship, to a large degree driven by expensive housing. Since I can’t fix inflation, which is the primary factor in our flimsy economy, I would introduce legislation on day one that would reduce occupational licensing requirements by about 90% and open up the market to significant new development.
While violent crime rates are decreasing nationwide they are growing in large North Carolina cities like Charlotte and Raleigh. How would you tackle the issue of rising violent crime rates and what do you believe is the legislature’s role when it comes to public safety?
I would advocate for better funding for police, but I would push for it to go in their pockets, in the form of bigger salaries and four weeks starting paid vacation. I would work to implement true community policing strategies, make body camera footage automatically publicly available, eliminate qualified immunity, and implement civilian review boards. These actions would give us a more motivated police force while rebuilding trust between the police and the community.
While inflation has slowed, rising prices continue to concern North Carolina residents. How will you ensure your constituents are able to afford basic necessities like health care, food and housing?
Addressing the huge burden of wildly overambitious occupational licensing restrictions in North Carolina would create financial opportunity for people to pursue jobs and start businesses, many of whom are hurting from our weak economy and recessionary environment. Inflation has slowed, meaning goods are still way more expensive than they were, they are just getting worse more slowly. More productivity combats inflation, and more competition drives down prices.
Is there any policy by your party that you disagree with?
I am highly sympathetic to anyone who wants to come to the United States for the opportunity available here. I am not for completely open borders, as I believe we should screen who comes in and keep out the criminals, but I am otherwise pro-immigration.
This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Rob Yates, Libertarian candidate for NC House District 99, answers our questions."
