Preston shocked by margin of victory

Jean Preston said she was shocked by her margin of victory in the state Senate District 2 race.

Preston won a second term in the Senate by defeating Greg Muse, a New Bern businessman who was running for public office for the first time. Unofficial totals show Preston received 62 percent of the vote.

"The election was so uncertain from top to bottom," Preston said. "I really was surprised. But I think I do a good job of working with all people. I guess they return that feeling for me."

Preston, a Republican, was a public school teacher, principal and program administrator for 25 years. She represents Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties in the Senate, and she lists education improvements as important items for her next term.

During seven terms in the state House and her first Senate term, Preston served on several education committees. She said school systems in eastern North Carolina have done enough research and planning about school dropouts.

"The rate is disturbing," she said. "We know what we need to do. But it will take early initiative work, getting to the children at a young age and staying with them through middle school."

Preston said she strongly believes in vocational and technical education. She said the programs can be valuable for helping all high school students be prepared for jobs as soon as they graduate.

Preston supports No Child Left Behind, but she said the federal government will probably tweak the program. She also said school systems need to increase teacher recruitment efforts to eliminate a shortage.

"And my concern with military growth is having schools for the kids and enough housing," Preston said. "I'm keeping in close touch with the task force findings."

The Military Growth Task Force is working to help counties deal with growth caused by an increase in personnel at area Marine bases.

Preston said additional troops may bring new jobs, but the task force has expressed a concern about finding enough affordable housing for military members in Onslow County. She said she has the same concerns for Carteret and Craven counties.

Greg Muse said he enjoyed talking to people about the military, the economy and teachers during his campaign. Muse said a lot of people encouraged him Wednesday to run again for public office.

"It was really, really fun," he said. "I'm not really disappointed. I haven't made up my mind about running again, but I may jump in there."