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Dr. Phillip Stover, Democratic candidate for NC House District 7, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m. Stover is running against Republican candidate Matthew Winslow for the seat that represents Franklin and southern Nash counties.

A Louisburg resident for 38 years, Stover currently serves patients as a family physician, with a specialty in opioid addiction management and chronic pain.

According to his website, Stover is a husband, father and active member of the Louisburg United Methodist Church. He is also a veteran who served six years as a medic in the Army Reserve and currently serves as a captain in the Civil Air Patrol.

Professional experiences/recognitions include:

• Franklin County Volunteers in Medicine, a free clinic active in Franklin County from 2004 to 2018
• Franklin County Partners in Health, a low-cost charitable clinic open since the closing of the free clinic
• Current practice – Louisburg Family Practice and Pain Management
• Hospice Medical Director – 1992 to 2015
• Senior Aviation Medical Examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Acting Medical Director, NC Division of Prisons
• Medical Director, Franklin County Volunteers in Medicine and Warren County Free Clinic
• Member of the Franklin County Committee of 100
• Co-author of the Franklin County Strategic Plan
• Vice-Chair of the Franklin County Airport Advisory Committee
• Mission pilot in the Civil Air Patrol
• Named to the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels – the highest title of honor granted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Below is a portion of Stover’s responses to questions asked during the Town Talk interview:

What issues are you pushing? What is your platform?

“The number one issue is affordable healthcare, starting with Medicaid expansion in NC, but it doesn’t stop there. Medicaid expansion will help greatly, but it won’t solve all of our issues with affordable healthcare. We need to work on reducing out-of-pocket expenses and making sure people not covered by Medicaid are able to afford adequate healthcare.

Number two is the support of our public schools. For the past ten years, our public schools have basically been ignored by the Republican legislature. They have cut funding and allowed teachers’ salaries to drop to one of the lowest in the nation. Governor Hunt worked for many years to get teacher pay up to the national average; we need to get it back there. We need to fully fund our schools – particularly rural schools – as has been ordered in the Leandro case, which the state has never fully implemented.

Third, we need to work on rural economic development. Infrastructure in rural counties like Franklin and Nash is not what it should be. We desperately need access to broadband throughout our counties, which has been very much highlighted by the COVID epidemic.

Lastly is the issue of racial inequality. We have, for far too long in this country, suppressed our minorities, particularly our African-American brethren. We need to take steps to correct the wrongs of the last 400 years and to see that black Americans have the same opportunities as everyone else.”

With continued growth in rural counties such as Franklin and complaints of congested roads, how will you be able to assist, as a House representative, with this issue?

“That’s a real problem. We addressed this back in the 1990s when I chaired the Strategic Planning Committee. One of our recommendations was to basically urbanize, which would have the County direct its growth to the urban areas: Youngsville, Bunn, Louisburg and Franklinton. That was ignored, and what we have allowed is people like my opponent to put in subdivisions anywhere they want.

In the southern end of the county, you go down any road and you see one subdivision after another, and we just don’t have the road structure to support that. It’s going to be very hard to correct that problem because we’ve let it go too far. The County Commission needs to change the way we allow growth in this [Franklin] county.”

In concluding his interview with WIZS, Stover said, “This is an absolutely critical election. In my opinion, this is the most important election since 1860 when President Lincoln was elected. I think we are in a crossroads almost as bad. If we don’t elect politicians who are willing to work to bring this country back to accept everyone and see the value in all people, not just those that look like themselves, then I fear for this country. I have faith the majority of Americans want that, and what I’m asking you to do is go out and vote.”

For more information on Stover, including his 10-point plan on ways to reduce healthcare costs and improve healthcare quality, visit his website at www.electphilstover.com or Facebook page at Phil Stover for NC House 7.

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

(This is not a paid political advertisement. Political candidates are offered equal air time/coverage on WIZS.)