The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • A6

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FREE Meal Seminar RSVP to 704-879-1984 Facing Knee Replacement? KNEE PAIN! RALEIGH Democratic Party candi- dates have a sizable fund- raising advantage in sever- al Council of State races, including the campaign for governor. Campaign finance re- ports are being re- leased this week for the first half of 2019, offering a glimpse of how the races are going as well as which candidates in contested primaries could be frontrunners. In the race for governor, incumbent Gov. Roy Cooper raised $4.8 million in the six-month period, with a total of $5.6 million in his account as of June 30. Republican Lt.

Gov. Dan Forest, who plans to formally launch his gu- bernatorial campaign in August, posted $1.33 mil- lion raised and $1.01 mil- lion cash on hand. A second Republican candidate, state Rep. Hol- ly Grange, announced she would run for governor after the six-month period ended. The Democratic Gover- nors Association highlight- ed the numbers in a news release, calling numbers and noting that total exceeds his numbers from the same period in the 2016 campaign cycle.

The Council of State is made up of the 10 exec- utive positions that are elected statewide: gover- nor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, attorney gener- al, superintendent of pub- lic instruction, secretary of state, auditor, and com- missioners of labor, agri- culture and insurance. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR The crowded primaries for lieutenant governor feature a wide range of fundraising success. Bill Toole, an environmental lawyer who served on City Council and previously chaired the Gaston County Democrat- ic Party, is leading the Democratic field with $308,331 raised so far, although $100,000 of that total is a loan from the candidate himself. campaign said in a news release that he distinguished himself by proposing detailed policy positions on issues ranging from cannabis to the envi- Sen. Terry Van Duyn, D-Buncombe, is a close second in fundraising with $244,481 raised so far in 2019 which would put her in the lead if you fac- tor out self-fund- ing.

Her campaign press release says that her num- bers make her clear Rep. Chaz Beasley, D-Mecklenburg, was third with $105,923, (including a $32,000 loan from himself), and Rep. Yvonne Holley, D-Wake, was fourth with $38,360. Reports were not yet avail- able for Allen Thomas, a Hoke County commission- er. On the Republican side, former state Rep.

Scott Stone, R-Mecklenburg, raised $129,613, including $50,000 he lent his cam- paign. New Bern busi- nessman Buddy Bengel raised $94,246. Former U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers raised $63,181, while former Mount Airy Mayor Deborah Cochran trailed with $2,075.

Greg Geb- hardt, a former aide to state Rep. David Lewis, and Greensboro gun rights activist Mark Robinson entered the race after the finance reporting period ended. STATE TREASURER In the race for state treasurer, incumbent Re- publican Dale Folwell raised substantially less than the two Democrats seeking to unseat him. Folwell raised $6,835 (but had $32,913 on hand at the end of the reporting period), while Duke Uni- versity business professor Aaron Chatterji raised $355,244 (including a $150,000 loan from himself), and Matthew Leatherman, a former policy director for former treasurer Janet Cowell, raised $48,133. INSURANCE COMMISSIONER Insurance Commission- er Mike Causey, a Repub- lican, raised $11,560, while his predecessor Democrat Wayne Good- win now serving as chairman of the N.C.

Democratic Party raised $35,628 in the first half of 2019 and has $233,249 in his campaign bank ac- count. Goodwin told the NC Insider on Monday that considering run- ning in 2020 for his old job. on encourage- ment from family, close friends, and longtime supporters, I am exploring a run for a third term in he said. will not make a final decision until ATTORNEY GENERAL In the attorney race, incumbent Democrat Josh Stein raised a total of $1.48 million, with $2.57 million cash on hand well ahead of the $229,077 posted by only announced Republican challenger so far, Forsyth County Dis- trict Attorney Jim SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION In a crowded Democrat- ic primary for superin- tendent of public instruc- tion, UNC-Greensboro professor Jen Mangrum (a former Senate challenger for Senate leader Phil Berger) has a fundraising lead with $48,401. Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board member James Barrett raised $18,477, Wake County school board member Keith Sut- ton raised $15,097, and Amy Jablonski raised $1,577.

None raised as much as Republican Mark Johnson, who took in $113,130 and ended the first half of 2019 with $222,550 in his account. LABOR COMMISSIONER Incumbent Republican Cherie Berry, whose face became recognizable to everyone who rode an elevator and saw her pho- to in it, is not running for reelection. Wake County Commis- sioners Chair Jessica Holmes, a Democrat, announced her first statewide campaign in February, The News Observer previously re- ported. This is her first run for statewide office, and the second Wake County elected official to run for statewide office in 2020, after Sutton for superin- tendent. Republican opponent is state Rep.

Josh Dobson, who an- nounced his campaign after Berry said this spring she run. Dobson started his campaign with $78,000 and has raised $16,600 from individual donors and $19,400 from political committees. Holmes started off with about $57,000 and her fundraising has surpassed so far. Holmes has received $64,454 in donations from individu- als and $3,121 from politi- cal committees. Cooper and Democrats are out-raising GOP opponents BY COLIN CAMPBELL AND DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN Roy Cooper Two years after Char- lotte-Mecklenburg Schools began searching for a chief human resources officer, the district has identified a person for the role.

Christine Pejot, who was most recently the human resources director in Pasco County Schools in Land Lakes, will take over running the HR depart- ment at CMS pending board approval. She would replace Gerri Parker, who came to CMS on loan from Bank of America as interim director. The top HR job has been open since 2017, when superintendent Clayton Wilcox reassigned Avery Mitchell, a former CMS teacher and princi- pal. The job remained open for seven months before Wilcox replaced an in-house interim director with Parker, whose salary was paid by Bank of America during her time in the role. The chief human re- sources officer is tasked with overseeing the dis- more than 19,000 employees and recruiting hundreds of teachers each year.

Pejot spent six years directing the human re- sources office for Pasco County Schools. Before that, she worked as an attorney in Florida. CMS names new chief human resources officer BY ANNIE MA The N.C. State Highway Patrol trooper injured in Charlotte last week is paralyzed from the neck down, patrol commander Glenn McNeill Jr. announced on Facebook.

Trooper Christopher Wooten was hurt while riding his motorcycle on duty the morning of July 22, Charlotte-Mecklen- burg police said. He was chasing a car through the intersection of Tuckasee- gee Road and Queen City Drive when another car hit him, police said. The driver involved in the crash cooperated with police, and the driver of the car he was chasing Dontay Kilgo, 36 was arrested Wednesday. Kilgo has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforce- ment officer, felony flee to elude and reckless driving, among other offenses. Highway Patrol troopers used handcuffs to arrest Kilgo, McNeill wrote in a Facebook post Thursday.

Wooten, a 14-year vet- eran of the Highway Pa- trol, has had several med- ical procedures in the days since the crash, McNeill wrote in a Facebook post Friday. Doctors operated on his spine and deter- mined that he has a com- plete spinal cord injury at the top of the spine, McNeill wrote. In the weeks to come, Wooten will begin rehab and get ready to go home to his wife and two daugh- ters, McNeill wrote. A fundraiser for the family is available through the N.C. State Employees Credit Union, McNeill wrote.

Anyone can visit an NCSECU branch and donate to the Christopher and Sharon Wooten Spe- cial Account, according to McNeill. N.C. patrol trooper injured during chase is paralyzed BY JANE WESTER.