Retired Air Force officer hopes to challenge Meadows for U.S. House seat

Press release from Woodsmall’s campaign:

BREVARD, N.C.:  — Citing a need for honest representation and reasonable solutions in Washington, Steve Woodsmall has officially filed with the FEC and the NC State Board of Elections as a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 11th District of North Carolina.

Dr. Steve Woodsmall, who served in the U.S. Air Force, retiring at the rank of Major, is seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 11th District in a bid to unseat the incumbent, Rep. Mark Meadows, who was first elected to the House in 2012.

“I’m running for the people of the 11th District because I learned early in my service to the country, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem,” Woodsmall said. “I want to be part of the solution.  That is my promise to the people of the 11th and that is my pledge:  Reasonable solutions for reasonable people! The people of the 11th District are good people who care for one another and want someone who represents them. Their representative should be one who listens to them and legislates for their interests.”

Because of his focus on his constituents, Woodsmall advocates getting big money out of politics. “Representatives are there for their constituents, not the multi-millionaire/billionaire donors and corporations that strive to control our economy and our political system,” he said. “I will focus every day on doing the right thing, not the political thing. Again, I believe in the reasonable and progressive solutions, not conservative or liberal solutions.”

The reasonable solutions Woodsmall favors include:

• insuring quality health care as a fundamental right for everyone;
• guaranteeing health and human services for veterans;
• improving public education funding and teacher pay;
• ensuring legal protections for individuals brought into the country as children;
• investing in clean energy and green technologies;
• protecting North Carolina’s extraordinary environment for future generations;
• guaranteeing a living wage for all workers;
• providing a simpler, fair tax code for all Americans;
• making sustainable improvements to our failing infrastructure;
• protecting Social Security and Medicare;
• following common sense gun regulations, such as limiting the sale of assault weapons and “bump stocks,” closing the gun show loophole, and requiring a photo license I.D., background check, and gun safety test for gun purchasers;
• requiring fair and equal treatment for all human beings, regardless of age, nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, sexual preference, or gender identification;
• providing Net Neutrality protections and broadband availability ensuring everyone equal access to the Internet;

Dr. Steve Woodsmall is currently a professor and program coordinator for the business and organizational leadership program at Brevard College in Transylvania County. He holds a PhD in Organization and Management and a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Woodsmall enlisted in the US Air Force in 1975 and retired in 1994 at the rank of Major (0-4). He held command positions in five separate assignments. Woodsmall was recognized during his service as Company Grade Officer of the Year, Maxwell AFB and Outstanding Airman of the Year, Scott AFB.

Following retirement, he held positions at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Aviation Administration, several corporate management positions, a community action agency, served as Adjunct Faculty at several universities, and taught graduate courses for the Forbes School of Business.

He has been active in the Transylvania community serving as the Executive Director for the VISION Transylvania leadership program and is a current member of the Transylvania County Planning Board. He has conducted seminars for the Transylvania County Chamber of Commerce. Woodsmall is also a former NCAA women’s college basketball official and serves as a referee for high school basketball teams across NC. Woodsmall has four children and six grandchildren and resides with his wife in Pisgah Forest.

Woodsmall says that he intends to bring to the US Congress a commitment to service that he has learned and lived by: “Public servants must be held to the oath they take to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I took a similar oath as an officer in the United States Air Force, and I will bring the same commitment to service to Congress that I lived by in the Air Force—duty, honor, and country.”