Weisel's Platform

As State Treasurer, Michael Weisel will have the political independence and investment experience to protect the security and sound investment of the state's pension funds.
- The State Treasurer as Chief Fiscal Watchdog
  As North Carolina State Treasurer, Michael Weisel will be a strong, forceful and independent voice for fiscal responsibility, keeping politics out of investment decisions, preventing politicians from raiding the state's pension fund. Weisel will determine appropriate debt levels to maintain our vital AAA bond rating and make sure North Carolina, like each of us - lives within our financial means.
- Protect North Carolina's Current and Future Retirees' Pensions
  The Treasurer's primary responsibility is to invest North Carolina's pension monies wisely and prudently, to ensure our state's financial obligations to our retirees and future retirees are met. As an investment manager and pension fund advisor, he managed more than $1.25 billion in pension fund assets with firms like Kemper Financial Services and Wells Fargo Bank. Michael Weisel is the only candidate with any actual investment experience in managing and protecting people's money.
- Political Independence
  Keeping politics out of investment decisions and being an independent voice for fiscal responsibility is impossible if you are already running for your next political office or worried about "getting along" with other politicians. Michael Weisel is the only candidate who has publicly pledged never to run for a higher political office.
As State Treasurer, Michael Weisel will increase the transparency and customer service of the treasurer's office.
- NC First
  Maintaining our pension fund's investment integrity is paramount. We need to ensure the state's investment management work is given to qualified firms based upon their records of performance without regard to political contributions or influence. Michael Weisel is the only State Treasurer candidate who has refused political contributions from banks, investment managers, their PACs or anyone else who invests the State's pension funds.
- Create a Public Shareholders Board
  Michael Weisel will create a Public Shareholders Board for the retirement systems managed by the treasurer's office to improve the transparency and customer service of the office. Representatives of participant members (teachers, state and local government employees, police and firefighters) will serve on an advisory board to increase communication between the office and those directly impacted by it. Investment holdings, returns, managers, future trends and economic forecasts would be discussed at quarterly meetings held around the state at various community colleges.
- InvestNC
  Establish InvestNC, a program allowing individuals to purchase small denomination North Carolina-issued bonds directly without the Wall Street middleman. Banks and certain State offices would provide outlets for average citizens to invest in State bonds while ensuring a fairer distribution of the investment benefits. This "savings bond" opportunity increases public awareness and support for every North Carolinian to invest in rebuilding our needed school, road and bridge infrastructures.
- Economic Growth
  The Treasurer has an ability as a shareholder/owner of many companies to use that position to help promote North Carolina's responsible economic growth. North Carolina's $77 billion pension funds represent enormous potential to leverage our ownership positions to help persuade companies to move their plants, distribution facilities, divisions and headquarters to North Carolina. Michael Weisel will use our sound investment portfolio to help promote continued good economic growth.
As State Treasurer, Michael Weisel will help ensure North Carolinians have the knowledge they need to make responsible financial decisions and improve their economic well-being.
- Making Financial Literacy a Top Priority
  Educate all North Carolinians, both children and adults, to understand how saving and borrowing affects their everyday lives, basic financial skills such as checking accounts and responsible credit card use. Michael Weisel will accomplish this goal with a financial literacy education program for middle and high schools students through a public/private partnership. Adults will be educated through a similar program established at their local community college.
- Fight Payday and Predatory Lending
  Continue his fight against payday and predatory lenders, which Michael Weisel began while fighting 36% interest rates as a member of the State Banking Commission. We have over 60,000 families losing their homes in North Carolina this year from foreclosure - this is unacceptable. Mortgage brokers and banks must be held accountable for misleading a borrower when making mortgage loans. We need full disclosure in simple language of the terms and conditions for all consumer and mortgage loans made in North Carolina. As State Treasurer, Michael Weisel will hold brokers and lenders accountable.
- NC Emerging Managers Program
  Michael Weisel will give women and minority money managers the chance to manage investment portfolios with escheats fund accounts (no pension trust funds). Women and minorities cannot manage public pension funds without having prior experience doing so - but they can't get public pension fund clients because they don't have any experience. As State Treasurer, Michael Weisel can break this circle and help deserving young investment management talent get a start, with the best investment performance as the benchmark.
- Create Affordable North Carolina Multi-Family Housing
  Michael Weisel will continue investing our pension funds in federally-guaranteed Fannie Mae or Ginnie Mae mortgages, but allocate some of these investments to finance mixed-income, multi-family housing across North Carolina.
- DreamStart Mortgage Loan Program
  Michael Weisel will continue to invest our pension funds in federally-guaranteed Fannie Mae or Ginnie Mae mortgages, but allocate some of these investments to finance North Carolina single family homes, enabling people to receive lower mortgage loan rates, with the same rate of pension investment return by cutting out Wall Street's fees.