Wilmington Ports Authority officials are working to boost storage capacity for niche products such as local produce, pork and wood pellets. Yesterday, Governor McCrory toured the port and announced he’ll work to make it competitive with neighboring port cities Savannah, Charleston and Norfolk. McCrory also announced plans to improve education.
McCrory says he’s focusing his attention entirely on the economy, government efficiency, and education. The governor says his goals include a new wood pellet facility at Wilmington’s port, improvements to surrounding rail infrastructure, and a five-year strategy to lure the best teachers from Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
"I’m gonna be the first governor in five years, hopefully, to have competitive salaries for our teachers, especially base pay. And it hasn’t been done for five or six years, and this governor’s gonna make it happen, along with a cooperative legislature."
McCrory points to December’s unemployment rate—which dropped by half a percentage point to a five-year low of 6.9%—as evidence of early economic recovery.