NC Treasurer
(Democratic Ballot Only)
NOTE: You may vote for one. Candidates are presented below in the order they appear on your ballot.
Reason for my Endorsement: Esparza rocks it when talking about his early days bio, but I confess to getting cold feet on the whole Credit Card Executive thing. But I’m really turned off by his attacks on Harris for not debating him (which I come to find out is untrue) and for spending money on his campaign poorly and not raising enough of it (which I also find out is not true): “If my opponent can’t manage a $300,000 campaign budget, how is he going to manage billions of dollars in state pension funds? His donors can’t trust him with their money, you shouldn’t trust him with yours, either.”
I looked at the two last campaign reports only to find that Esparza’s attack is basically nothing more than misleading political spin, and that Harris has more money to boot. Take a look for yourself: Here’s Esparza’s campaign finance report, and here’s Harris’ campaign finance report. You might also notice that Esparza appears to be loaning himself money, while Harris is not. But mostly there’s this: Esparza is basically funded by out-of state big donors, (hello, California!) while Harris’s donors are from North Carolina. And while we the little people (known on campaign reports as “aggregated” donors because we each donated less than $50 to the candidate) have given Harris $12,651.16 total, we the little people have given Esparza only $911.50.
Power to Harris and to the aggregated of us too.
Gabe Esparza
https://www.facebook.com/gabefornc
Esparza moved to North Carolina with his wife and two children four years ago. He has a compelling life story. His family came principally from Mexico in the early 20th Century, fleeing the violence of the Mexican Civil War, taking work as field hands in California. But the upward trajectory of the family soon pronounced itself in Esparza’s father, who not only got an education but earned a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
Esparza worked his way through school, with the help of scholarships and loans, ultimately achieving a Harvard Business School business degree. He then started making his mark in the corporate world, working in customer service at the Walt Disney Company and later became a credit card executive at American Express, with a focus on small business financing.
From there Esparza provided initial seed money for startup businesses and later helped finance and lead a startup technology company called RapidSOS that radically transformed 911 emergency systems. Esparza subsequently accepted a role as a senior official at the U.S. Small Business Administration leading the Office of International Trade.
Esparza has served on multiple boards including as a Trustee at Central Piedmont Community College, and as a public official on the Board of Civil Service Commissioners in Los Angeles.
I can’t really find a clear outline of Esparza’s specific platform goals, mostly just comments like this one: “With a focus on fiscal responsibility, transparency, and integrity, Esparza is committed to managing the state’s finances effectively for the benefit of all North Carolinians.”
Esparza has been endorsed by the NC AFL-CIO and the NC Sierra Club (dual endorsement for this race).
Wesley Harris
https://www.facebook.com/WesleyHarrisNC
Harris grew up in Taylorsville. His mother was a public school teacher and his father was a local banker. He got his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at UNC and then his PhD in Economics from Clemson University.
After teaching and economic consulting for a few years, Wesley became frustrated after the North Carolina legislature passed House Bill 2 and decided to run for the NC House of Representatives (covering the Ballantyne and Pineville areas of Mecklenburg County). He was elected that year, and has been re-elected twice since. Harris has become recognized as a policy expert for economic and financial issues in the General Assembly.
Wesley is also a member of the Charlotte Economics Club, the Mecklenburg County Young Democrats, the Arts and Science Council Young Donors Society, and serves as an adjunct professor of economics at UNC Charlotte. Wesley and his twin sister, Meredith, also started a non-profit focused on helping small businesses and nonprofits raise capital.
Overall, Wesley asserts he will advocate for long-term financial planning, work to protect our state bond ratings, increase our capacity for investment in infrastructure, and ensure a secure retirement for state employees.Specifically he states his plaform is to:
— Protect state bond ratings and expand investment capacity;
— Provide reliable benefits to state employees that will help recruit world-class employees to schools and government jobs;
— Engage in long-term thinking to achieve financial solvency;
— “Cut out the culture war nonsense”
Harris’ Facebook page shows a candidate making strong rounds across the state to meet with voters. He also has endorsements from Communication Workers of America Union, People’s Alliance PAC, Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, North Carolina Association of Educators, SEANC Employees PAC, the Sierra Club (dual endorsement for this race), Simkins PAC, and the Young Democrats of North Carolina and 78 current & past elected leaders representing 23 of North Carolina’s counties and every region of the state.