A vague response

Gov. Pat McCrory’s Feb. 3 letter “North Carolina’s economy is Priority One” regarding his views on education policy reflects poorly on his administration’s approach to leading North Carolina in the coming years. Since McCrory’s comments on the role of higher education on a national radio show, the public debate has been filled with some voices critiquing his view, some supporting it and some seeking the middle ground.

The governor’s letter presumably was meant to clarify his view of education. It didn’t. Indeed, it fully failed to address any of the meaningful conversation that his comments spawned.

The office of governor in our democracy plays a number of important roles, chief among them perhaps to lead the public in an honest, spirited and substantive debate about issues that are critical to the state’s future. McCrory’s letter suggests that his approach will be to put forward vague statements that do nothing to engage critics or supporters in meaningful conversation. These challenging times require much more leadership.

Mark Nance

Raleigh