Hampton Dellinger's blog

As part of a recent press release detailing my Education Plan, I discussed the difference between my record and Walter Dalton’s on education funding. Today, Mr. Dalton told the Raleigh News & Observer that my discussion of his education funding record was “untrue”. To the contrary, my discussion of Mr. Dalton’s record was fair and accurate, as the News & Observer article I relied on makes clear.

Frontpaged by Anglico. Hampton Dellinger's name has been thrown around a lot here in the context of WCSR and Blackwater. This post clears that issue up. Thanks for writing this, Hamp.

I've enjoyed and learned much from reading BlueNC discussions, both of my race and of the leading political and policy issues of the day. And I’ve really appreciated the kind words about my campaign.

I am releasing a public letter (below) to state Senator Walter Dalton. Mr. Dalton is the only Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor who has refused to agree to six debates beginning with a Saturday, January 19th debate in Asheville.

I’m running for Lt. Governor because I believe the officeholder can be a powerful agent of progressive change in North Carolina. While this is a race about the future, so many issues that matter have been shaped by our past. I have a new video and statement posted that discuss one of the most shameful episodes in our state’s history, and what I think we need to do to start making it right.

-edited links. RP

Readers may well be temporarily tired of the Lt Governor’s race, and I long ago grew tired of talking about myself. But based on a comment or two, I do want to make a point about my experience, and my years of work for progressive causes and candidates.

As I said in my statewide letter, “Major Differences on Major Issues” (available at www.HD08.com/differences), I have great personal respect for all of my opponents in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor, despite our differences on policy matters. But I believe that voters need to know where the candidates stand on those issues, which is why I explained some of the major differences between me and an opponent on such fundamental matters as abortion rights, death penalty reform, affirmative action, and environmental protection.

My hope was that Mr. Dalton would respond by explaining and defending the merits of his positions on those key issues.

Frontpaged by A, with an open invitation to Mr. Dalton to join the discussion.

Voters deserve to know where candidates stand on major issues. Starting today, and in a fair and factual way, I am detailing some of the major differences between me and Walter Dalton, one of my opponents in the race to be the Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor. You can see it all at www.HD08.com/differences.

Frontpaged by A.

The Joy of Learning and of Thanksgiving

In the spirit of the holiday, let me give thanks to lcloud for sharing a link (http://www.hd08.com/kids) to the children's story I wrote about Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys it and, more importantly, I hope it will help draw attention to the need to redouble our efforts to improve literacy in North Carolina.

There is another story just out that I hope will be widely read as well: the Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability’s draft report criticizing the state’s testing regime.

For the sixth time in seven years, North Carolina has been named the "Top Business Climate" in the country by Site Selection magazine. North Carolinians should be proud of this achievement, but we should not be satisfied until our success as a business climate is matched in other areas.

Thanks for the welcomes and comments. I'm a big believer in the idea that the best decisions -- whether it is how to campaign, how to govern, how a NGO can tackle a vexing societal problem, or how to run a business -- are arrived at publicly and with wide input. I've got a day job that keeps me busy (and a number of campaign commitments) but I will try to check in and respond, and look forward to a future live blogging session.

Thanks again for the submissions and here are some initial thoughts:

* lcloud is so right about how critical high-quality care and learning environments are for young children. All of the studies on pre-kindergarten programs I’ve seen agree that quality programs are cost-effective, especially when you take into account middle- and long-term savings. And I don't mean just in terms of effectiveness in improving educational outcomes. In cold, hard dollar terms, the benefits outweigh the costs. One study of the Abecedarian Program in North Carolina found a return of between $2 and $3.66 dollars for every public dollar spent. Other studies have found returns of $10 or more per dollar spent, but even the most conservative estimates suggest a 2-to-1 payoff.

In response to Anglico’s 12/06/06 post (“Early birds”) and by way of introduction, my name is Hampton Dellinger. Just after the 2006 polls closed, I posted ads announcing my run for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor because for all the progress North Carolina has made over the past forty years – my lifetime – there is more, much more, we need to do.

Anglico thinks getting started early is generally a good idea. I hope so. In 2005 and 2006, I traveled the state supporting Democrats -- such as Anthony Foxx (Charlotte City Council), Lorrin Freeman (Wake Clerk of Court), Ty Harrell (State House) and Patricia Timmons-Goodson (Supreme Court) -- and discussing my interest in seeking an open statewide office in 2008. As it became clear which Democratic incumbents would seek re-election, I received tremendous encouragement for a particular post: Lieutenant Governor.