Spruce Pine's mayor running for N.C. Senate

By: From Staff Reports | McDowell News
Published: November 12, 2009

Spruce Pine's mayor wants to become the next state senator for the 47th District.
Ralph E. Hise Jr., the mayor of Spruce Pine and a Republican, has announced he will seek the 47th N.C. Senate seat representing Avery, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell and Yancey counties. Sen. Joe Sam Queen of Haywood now holds the seat.
Hise, 33, is now employed by Mayland Community College as the institutional assessment and planning officer. A native of Mitchell County, he earned his bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University and his master's degree from N.C. State University.
"Senator Queen has actively worked for many years against the interests of our region by opposing our efforts in economic development through higher taxes and government regulation," said Hise. "He has attempted to divide our judicial district, place additional burdens on our local county and municipal governments by shifting costs away from the state, and refuses to champion the strongly held social and moral values of our region. The counties of the 47th District are hurting with current unemployment rates as high as 14.1 percent. We need to increase jobs and opportunities by lowering the tax rate, not through the 1 billion dollars in additional taxes Senator Queen supported this year. The backbone of our economy is small business, and we must create an atmosphere for them to develop and thrive rather than be taxed to death. We must look to reduce government."
At 33, Hise would be the youngest member of the N.C. Senate, if elected. He worked for the N.C. Victory Campaign under the N.C. Republican Party in the 2004 and 2006 election. He has served as the chairman and vice chairman of the Mitchell County Republican Party and on Nov. 3, he was re-elected to his second term as mayor of Spruce Pine.
"I will be a strong supporter of our public schools and community colleges," he said. "I understand that long term economic development is not possible without their ability to grow, improve and provide greater opportunities for education. The needs and values of western North Carolina are often ignored in Raleigh in favor of growing our metropolitan areas and promoting the self-serving interests of the districts of Democrat leadership. It is time for a new voice in Raleigh. I am a strong conservative and I pledge that bringing jobs and economic opportunities to western North Carolina will be my greatest priority as your representative in the N.C. Senate."

Spruce Pine's mayor running for N.C. Senate

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