SALISBURY — Republican N.C. Rep. Larry Pittman is being challenged by Democrat Gail Young to represent N.C. House District 83, which includes parts of Rowan and Cabarrus counties.

A consultant for Roger Schwarz & Associates who has worked in local government for 26 years, Young said she is a better qualified candidate for the district.

“Our local leaders work hard every day to solve problems with school construction needs,” Young said,” balancing existing infrastructure, continued growth, and maintaining quality of life; attracting new businesses, in new sectors; ensuring our community colleges have the support to retrain workers for jobs in new industries.

“We need a representative who will work closely with local officials to fix problems here, not to legislate power or their view of morality,” she said.

Pittman, a pastor, currently represents District 82 in Cabarrus County.

“I intend to continue my efforts to defend our citizens’ property rights, gun rights, parental rights, freedom of religious expression, and the right to life and to uphold the state and federal constitutions,” he said. “I will keep working toward the goal of eliminating corporate and personal income taxes.”

Young said as a representative, she would concentrate on restoring public education.

“I remember when our state had an excellent reputation in the nation, and I want to us work to regain that reputation,” Young said. “My concern is the charter school system has provided choice at the expense of accountability and performance.”

She says the state needs to raise teacher pay to the national average and expand pre-K programs.

She also wants to provide affordable health care by adding transparency in costs and to ensure a skilled workforce by adequately training students.

Statewide, she would focus on addiction and environmental issues, such as coal ash and proposals for fracking and off-shore oil drilling.

Pittman said controlling growth is an important issue.

“The growth we are seeing is outpacing our ability to absorb it,” he said.

“Overdevelopment, allowing too many homes to an acre in some places, increases the problems with overcrowding schools and traffic congestion and contributes to problems with drainage, increasing problems with flooding in some places,” he said, and called for zoning changes.

Pittman said he is proud of the work he has done in the General Assembly, like sponsoring Sheyenne’s Law and supporting House Bill 2, the so-called Bathroom Bill.

He said he would like to continue to work on concealed-carry gun legislation, increasing pay for Highway Patrol troopers, eliminating Common Core and strengthening Sheyenne’s Law.

“I am a constitutional conservative,” Pittman said. “I have committed not to run for more than five full terms and am running now for my fourth. I have enjoyed helping people solve problems through constituent services.”

Young said she wants voters to know she is a Christian

“And that doesn’t mean I want to legislate my view of morality,” she said. “Instead, I follow God’s teachings that we are to be loving, merciful and just. These are the tenets I live my life by.”