GOP Wake County Commissioner Joe Bryan has usually come off as a moderate over the years but is pushing himself as a conservative defender of taxpayers in his latest round of campaign advertising.
In this campaign mailer, Bryan calls himself "our first line of defense against higher taxes. Bryan, who is running against Democratic Don Mial, says he's "on the front lines, fighting against the reckless big-spending liberals."
"Joe Bryan knows that ever dollar saved in government spending is a dollar that you're not paying in taxes," Bryan says in the mailer. "That's why he led efforts to balance the county budget without raising taxes. Instead, he cut $30 million in spending while safeguarding needed funds for Wake County schools. And he voted to cut his own salary by 10% to make it happen."
Over the years, Bryan has been more willing than his fellow Republicans to work with Democrats on issues, particularly to increase school funding.
While Bryan has gotten donations this year from Art Pope and Bob Luddy, he's also gotten money from the N.C. Association of Educators and former school board member Tom Oxholm.
