To help inform voters in the November 5, 2024 election, this candidate questionnaire may be republished at no cost by local publications in North Carolina. Please consider subscribe to The Charlotte Observer to make this coverage possible.
Name: Nicole Sidman
Date of birth (month, day and year): 15/7/72
Campaign website or social media page: nicolefornc.com
Occupation: Director of Church Life, Temple Beth El
Education: University of Michigan (BA ’93, JD ’96)
Have you stood for election before? (Provide a list of previous positions sought or held)
No
Please share your highlights of community involvement
Director of Church Life, Temple Beth El
Volunteer Fundraiser, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Volunteer, Second Harvest Food Bank
PTA President and Pre-K Volunteer Teacher Assistant, PS 40
Volunteer, Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency
Campaign Manager Christy Clark for NC House
Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and most cities in the county have agreed to a bill seeking approval from the Legislature for a referendum on sales taxes to pay for mass transit and other transportation. If elected, would you support a bill that would allow the sales tax increase to appear on the ballot? Why or why not?
I support a referendum for a mobility tax. Drivers in the Charlotte area have some of the longest average commute distances in the country, and public transportation options are critical as we continue to grow. About 30% of Americans don’t or can’t drive a car, and we can’t leave out such a large part of our economy. But because one tax proposal would turn CATS into a regional authority, and the current proposal leaves out Matthews and the Silver Line, my vote would depend on the final bill.
In North Carolina, abortion is prohibited after twelve weeks. State politicians, including gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, have said they want to restrict abortion even further. Do you support the state’s current abortion restrictions, and what is your approach to the legislative issue related to reproductive health?
I am against the abortion ban. The US is facing a maternal health crisis, and data shows that maternal mortality and morbidity rates are higher in states with restrictions on abortion care. My approach to reproductive health is simple: a woman’s health care choices are private, and between her and her doctor. My opponent was the deciding vote to pass North Carolina’s abortion ban, and it was her betrayal of a decade of promises to women in North Carolina that led me to run for office.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing your constituents, and what would you do to address it if elected?
Recent legislation from the NCGA is hurting our public schools. Rep. Cotham’s private school voucher plan cuts $800 million from our state budget over the next decade and budgets more money for private schools than for teacher pay. Together with the NCGA’s elimination of the corporate tax, this voucher program is an unsustainable drain on both state and public school budgets. I would vote to repeal the program and instead send funding back to our public schools where it belongs.
While violent crime rates are declining nationally, they are growing in major North Carolina cities like Charlotte and Raleigh. How would you address the problem of rising violent crime rates and what do you see as the role of the legislature when it comes to public safety?
We need adequate resources to prosecute violent offenders. NCGA budgets consistently shortchange Charlotte’s criminal justice system, leaving the county to fill the gap by funding resources for the police department and the district attorney’s office. Furthermore, we cannot tackle crime without better laws, including background checks to prevent criminals, domestic abusers and sexual predators from obtaining deadly weapons, and safe storage laws to protect our children from guns falling into the wrong hands.
Although inflation has decreased, rising prices continue to worry North Carolinians. How will you ensure that your constituents can afford basic needs such as healthcare, food and housing?
The General Assembly can’t control inflation, but it can control the state minimum wage, which last rose more than 15 years ago. The average monthly rent in Charlotte is now over $2,000. This is impossible to pay for with a minimum wage, not to mention the costs of food, transportation, taxes and healthcare. North Carolinians can’t survive on $7.25. I would support raising the state minimum wage to a level that can afford the cost of living.
Are there any policies of your party that you disagree with?
I am my own person, so while I am a proud Democrat, I do not agree with all aspects of the Democratic Party platform. For example, while I believe in treatment programs for those suffering from addiction, diversion programs, and a compassionate approach to first-time offenders, I do not support or endorse legalizing hard drugs or prostitution, or decriminalizing drug trafficking or sex trafficking.
