Come meet NC Senate candidate Julie Mayfield
Discuss issues that matter to you, and let us know how you can help make this campaign a success.
If you can't attend, please donate online now to bring Julie's vision, values and know-how to Raleigh to help make a better Buncombe for all. Every contribution – no matter the size – matters. This campaign is powered by people like you.
A GREEN NEW DEAL FOR NORTH CAROLINA
I will take on climate change and restore protections for air and water to keep our communities healthy and safe. By adopting a North Carolina-specific “Green New Deal”, we will make our region more resilient to the effects of a changing climate, invest in better transportation options, and create more renewable energy and green jobs that will make our region prosperous.
A New PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH AND EQUITY
In addition to fighting big Pharma and expanding Medicaid, I will fight for a holistic approach to health and equity—two issues that are tightly linked. Access to quality housing, sufficient food, reliable transportation, safe places to live and play, educational opportunities, healthcare, economic stability—all of these are necessary for a healthy and equitable community.
A GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT HELPS OR GETS OUT OF THE WAY
Raleigh holds us hostage when it comes to enacting Local Living Wage laws, generating other revenues, releasing body cam video, enacting green building standards, and implementing a plastic bag ban. As your legislator, I will fight to unchain Asheville and Buncombe County from these restraints. The General Assembly has been an obstacle to local progress for far too long.
Our Videos
Julie and her supporters discuss Julie's experience, ideas for making a better Buncombe for all, and the policies that she will advocate for as our next State Senator.
A HOTEL TAX THAT PAYS FOR OUR COMMUNITY’S NEEDS
Buncombe County’s Occupancy Tax legislation must be amended so that more of the revenue comes to the City of Asheville and Buncombe County rather than being spent on marketing. I support a 50-50 split in the Occupancy Tax, greater community representation on the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) board, and changes that would let the City and County use those revenues for things that our residents need - like transit, affordable housing, and other public services.
Currently, 75% of the approximately $25 million raised annually through taxes on hotel rooms is spent on tourism ads and marketing campaigns. The remaining 25% goes toward community grants that pay for local government and nonprofit projects, current legislation dictates that even those must be oriented toward serving or attracting more tourists, or in hotel industry lingo “putting more heads in beds.”
As your next state senator, I will fight to redistribute hotel taxes so that more of those funds can go toward meeting the needs or City and County residents.
MORE TAX AUTONOMY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Asheville — and other cities — should be free to deploy other sources of revenue to meet their residents’ needs, such as a sales tax to support municipal transit systems and food-and-beverage tax. In Asheville, these two taxes combined would bring in close to $20 million annually. These taxes would allow us to better leverage tourism spending to meet residents’ needs.
Currently, the legislature must approve any food and beverage tax (and they haven’t done so in over 20 years), and the legislature has given only counties the authority for the transit sales tax.
As your next state senator, I will fight for changes so that all local governments will have the ability to employ these revenue streams without having to seek permission from the legislature.
INVESTING IN YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH BETTER EDUCATION
We should increase teacher pay so reflect their value to our children and communities. We should increase per pupil spending, and we should expand funding for more nurses, social workers, and counselors in schools to provide children a better chance of being and staying healthy.
Currently, North Carolina ranks 37th in average teacher pay (more than $9,600 behind the national average) and 39th in per-pupil funding (more than $2,300 per student behind the national average). I support the legislative agenda of the North Carolina Association of Educators, and I will fight to make sure our young people graduate ready for college and ready to compete with students from around the country.