HUFFINGTON
10.07.12
NC POLICY WATCH / RICKY LEUNG
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When LaRoque won his seat in
the General Assembly in 2002,
representing North Carolina’s
10th District, a local reporter with
the Morning Star of Wilmington,
N.C. accompanied him on a drive
to see some of the homes that had
gone up thanks to ECDC loans to
a local developer. Hurricanes had
recently caused flooding in the
area, and 13 displaced families
had taken up residence inside the
brick-and-vinyl homes.
“A flooded-out family moved
into that one,” LaRoque said,
slowly driving by the buildings,
“and a group of about six older
people on Social Security who
were flooded by [Hurricane] Floyd
live in that one.”
LaRoque told the reporter that
he planned not only to bring fiscal
discipline to the statehouse, but
also to make sure the state actively promoted economic development in his district, which had
lost six percent of its residents
during the 1990s due to flooding
and a lack of jobs — even as the
state saw 21 percent population
growth during that period.
LaRoque’s relative open-mindedness had even earned him the
support of some local Democrats.
“Let me put it this way: This
LaRoque’s
attorney
Joe Chesire
speaks to
reporters.