Politics

Republican-turned-Democrat seeks House seat

Maureen Copelof

By Bill Moss, Published: January 11, 2016

After graduating from the University of South Carolina, Maureen Copelof faced a dismal job market in a sour economy that critics blamed on Jimmy Carter’s “misery index” — high inflation, high interest rates and high unemployment.

One big employer that was hiring was the U.S. Navy.
“I joined the Republican Party in the ’80s with Ronald Reagan,” Copelof said. “I was a Ronald Reagan supporter. I believed in his 400-ship Navy.”
Thirty-five years later, the lifelong Republican switched to the Democratic Party and signed up to run for the state House district that covers Transylvania and Polk counties and southern Henderson County.
“I can no longer support the policies and I feel their positions are detrimental to the state and to the United States in terms of moving forward,” she said.
A retired Navy captain who served 30 years on active duty, Copelof, 61, and her husband had often visited her parents in Brevard and liked what they saw. They moved to Brevard seven years ago.
“We wanted to live in a small town community,” she said. “It’s very alive. There’s a lot going on. There’s a good mix of natural beauty, culture, athletic activity.”
As a member of the Transylvania County Planning Board, she said she has gained a deeper understanding of her community. The board has been drafting a comprehensive plan that looks 10 years in the future.
“Jobs and the loss of industry is very big here,” she said.
She said good-paying jobs and the education to get them are two priorities.
“One of the things that really concerns me is the cuts to education the last several years,” she said. “We’re not competitive with other states and we’ve had teachers moving to other places, we have a very low per capita student expenditure rate. I think education is one of the most fundamental things we can do to improve the lives of future generations so I’m concerned about that.”
She also supports expanding coverage of the Affordable Care Act, something North Carolina has declined to do.
“We could have had 500,000 more people covered if that decision had been made,” she said.
She said she supports the proposed Ecusta Trail.
“I think that is a way we can promote this area for its natural beauty,” she said. “It gets cars and bicycles off the road. There’s very little shoulder on the roads now. Both the bicyclists and the motorists have commented to us about this. It enhances green space.”