Candidate for NC Lieutenant Governor, Ben Clark addressed Rowan County Democrats at their November Breakfast. Linda Voelker summarizes.
“What you see is what you get” are words used by Ben Clark as he spoke to the November Democratic Breakfast in Salisbury. Running for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 2024, Clark retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a twenty-year stint in the U S Air Force and then served as an NC state Senator for 10 years. His chief focus was getting Medicaid expansion each year, and finally it happened because of a bonus for administering it from the Biden Administration.
Clark explained the role of the Lieutenant Governor in three areas. First, as Acting Governor, the Lieutenant Governor must be ready to succeed the Governor, if needed during the Governor’s absence due to illness or death or being out of state. Clark held leadership positions in the Air Force as a unit commander in Germany.
Second, the Lieutenant Governor presides in the Senate, a position which Clark has observed in his ten years as Senator. Last, he sits on various boards and commissions. As a former high school teacher in information technology, Clark has valuable experience to contribute to the State Board of Education and to the State Board of Community Colleges as a community college instructor. With his military leadership experience Clark would be a valuable member of the NC Commission of Military Affairs as well as the NC Energy Policy Council.
If elected, Clark promised to use his platform for the good of all people in NC. In the past under Democratic leadership, North Carolina has leaned forward in many areas. However, since 2010, the state has been going backwards as the party in power has cut funding to public schools to supply money to private schools. Clark would work to “de-Magatize” our state. Democrats must vote in large numbers to elect candidates working to return North Carolina to “excellence in education, … to promote justice and equity, … and to expand access to healthcare.” We must “fight for our Constitutional rights (and) our human rights!”
He stressed that elections matter at all levels. Presently North Carolina is at an inflection point. Now is the time to elect leaders to change policies, to keep our democracy strong, and to move our state forward. As a servant leader, Clark will be a passionate fighter for democratic values to bring our state forward and “not one step back!”
Join the Rowan Democratic Party’s monthly breakfasts on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 10:00 am.
Linda Voelker