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Sherwood: Lack of Integrity in Politics Harming Faith in Government

Continuing with his release of position papers on the need to restore real North Carolina values to the North Carolina General Assembly, Art Sherwood, the Democratic candidate for N.C. Senate District 45, today issued a video and paper titled, “Real North Carolina Values: Integrity.” The first installment on North Carolina values focused on civility.

Sherwood said, “Only 19 percent of Americans trust government, according to the Pew Research Center. Why is that? North Carolina’s own Billy Graham has some insight that might help. He said, ‘When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.’”

art-sherwood-primarySherwood continued, “Billy Graham is right. What we have lost is character – specifically, the character trait of integrity. He was also right in saying, ‘The world is watching how we walk and how we talk. We must have the highest standards of morality, ethics and integrity if we are to continue to have influence.’”

Sherwood offered, “I have made no secret of the fact that a primary motivation for me to seek office is to address the damage caused by the misappropriation of Christian beliefs by conservatives for political gain. That is not to say I am opposed to Christianity; indeed as I’ve written here and here, I am a professing Christian. While I have no desire to impose by beliefs on others through the political process, I am also compelled to do my best to live by my faith in the public square in a manner that reflects favorably upon my faith – to the betterment of my neighbors. Clearly, too many elected officials have not.”

He explained, “That is why government is no longer trusted and why the intermingling of the church with government has compromised it to the point that it has lost its prophetic voice, and hence has become irrelevant to young people. I am compelled to do what I can to reverse these trends, and so it is a major reason I seek election to the North Carolina General Assembly. I will do my best to serve with integrity. I will cooperate with others. I will be honest with them. There will be no back-room deals. I will always keep my ears tuned to my constituents. And, I will do my best to prove to my colleagues that my word is my bond. If I can do that, I am confident of success, because proven, consistent personal integrity leads to cooperation, as it is the foundation of trust.”

Senate District 45 includes five counties – Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell and Watauga. Sherwood is a resident of Caldwell County. Early voting is underway and runs through Nov. 5. Election Day is Nov. 8.

*Release from Sherwood’s campaign