Oct 13 2008
Boseman vs Lee in NC Senate District 9
In North Carolina’s Ninth Senate District, incumbent Democrat Julia Boseman is running for her third term and facing Republican attorney Michael Lee. Boseman got herself embroiled in a bit of a scandal earlier this year when it got reported that she owed several thousand dollars in back taxes on a home she owed. Furthermore, issues came out about her past drug use and she was confronted by an angry group of voters demanding that she “pay for taxes, not for pot.” I have to admit. That would be a tough decision for me too…….
The question is will the negative attention she received earlier this year hurt her reelection chances next month? It’s hard to say. The seat she represents used to be held by former Republican Senator Patrick Ballantine who gave it up to make what turned out to be an unsuccessful run for governor in 2004. Attorney Woody White was appointed to replace Ballantine for the remainder of his term and Boseman defeated White in the 2004 general election. So, this is more of a swing seat than your typical gerrymander. The Republicans do have a better than normal chance winning this seat than in many others. However, due to the recent turmoil in the financial markets, 2008 is starting to look like it may be another 2006 so that may be exactly what Boseman needs to save her skin.
Regarding her voting record, Boseman was the sponsor of Senate Bill 17, an act to ammend the pretrial release requirements for sex offenders. It basically amounted to a virtual restraining order against anyone accused of a sexual crime against a child. She also sponsored Senate Bill 30 which provided additional protections to domestic violence victims.
On the wasteful end of things she wrote Senate Bill 1103 requesting $16.3 million of taxpayer dollars be given to three aquariums to create oyster hatcheries. She voted to extend the vehicle registration fee increase until June of next year. She also voted in favor of the bloated $21.3 billion budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year which incorporated over $1 billion in earmark and pork barrel spending. In the 2007-08 session Boseman has racked up $62,613,658 in earmark requests altogether.
Michael Lee has a fairly detailed description of his Senate agenda should be get elected. He wants to change the way road and highway infrastructure is prioritized and notes that while much attention has been given to Raleigh’s highway and Charlotte’s lite rail system, the Wilmington area is being ignored. He wants North Carolina to recognize the death of a fetus in the event of an attack on the mother as murder. Lee is a strong advocate of solving the problem of illegal immigration in North Carolina and and putting an end to the taxpayer subsidizing of state benefits for illegals.
Lee appeared on Carolina Talk earlier this year and you can watch the interview below:
