Meet Jim Saranteas

A lifelong Democrat, I am a proud son of Greek immigrants. Raised by my mother, I grew up in a working-class area around a broad spectrum of people who frequented the commuter coffee shop my family owned for 40 years. As a result, I developed an ability to listen attentively and build a genuine rapport with individuals expressing a wide range of views. My mom taught me about hard work and the issues facing many Americans today. She taught me to be kind, treat people fairly, and when the opportunity comes around, to help people who need it. 

WHY VOTE FOR ME 

My established track record tells you . . . 

I am a Democratic Activist. 

Shortly after moving to North Carolina, I jumped in feet first to help elect Democrats. I started by working understaffed polls in the last midterm election. I then fundraised for the WCDP Valentine’s Day event only to determine that the way we fund the county party is inadequate. Because of that, the Impact Circle was born.  

To raise money for the Impact Circle, I attend countless precinct meetings all over Wake County as well as other events like those sponsored by ‘The Forum.’ I talked to our elected politicians and several of them joined.  

We changed the model of fundraising from two annual events to sustained monthly donations. By doing this, we doubled the party operating budget making up half of it. Because of this, we hired two additional employees to work the last election which turned out record setting canvassing numbers. While the Impact Circle needed you all to do the work, it seeded that success. It has built community. I believe I can bring this same success to the General Assembly. And this is just the beginning. There is more work to be done and I plan to carry this work ethic into the General Assembly.  

I am also a member of the American Constitution Society and have published on Attorney Ethics pertaining to the ‘Big Lie’ and the attacks on the rule of law, among other things. 

I am an educator. 

I have worked with law students for twenty years including as an adjunct professor, including most recently at Duke Law School. I want to support our teachers and students because I understand first-hand the difficulties and challenges of the job and how important our youth are to the success of our city, county, state, and country.   

I am most proud having served on a grade school council comprised of teachers, parents, and elected neighbors like me, partly during Covid. The school was ninety-five percent Latino and ninety percent low income to lower middle class. I witnessed what a difference a community’s love can have on a neighborhood and was in a position to support the good work the teachers and parents were doing. I fully intend to propose and support gun safety laws like gun safes and locks and that they be required for all gun purchasers who have children. 

I protect and fight for people. 

I have represented a variety of clients during my legal career but my two favorite include favorably settling a case involving a six-year old boy who electrocuted himself at an after school program. The other was successfully settling a case for a single mom of two whose husband tragically died and his employer and its insurer balked at paying life insurance coverage. The impact I made on their lives was so direct and made me so happy. 

Currently, I have a pending gun shooting case involving twenty-somethings one of whom was shot three times including near the spine. This was done by a neighbor in their apartment building suffering a mental health break. The injuries sustained required her learning how to walk again. The shooter who shot himself obtained his gun from a state where guns are sold with no background checks. Besides continuing to advocate for background checks, I fully intend on supporting legislation to require gun owners to obtain gun insurance so people like my client always have a source of recovery. 

I tear down barriers to success and build bridges. 

Besides the work I’ve done for the Wake County Democratic Party through the Impact Circle by changing the paradigm of fundraising, I have faced similar challenges when working with a groups of people that find it difficult to agree on a common goal. Anyone who has ever been on a board, whether HOA, charitable, fraternity, or otherwise, belonged to a community group, knows that success can be stymied by its own members creating false barriers to getting things done and instead fulfilling their own mission.  

I am a small business person. 

Besides my solo legal practice, I have small business experience having run two business including my family’s business of forty years. Small business people are the bedrock of most communities and I look forward to doing whatever I can to create an environment in which they can thrive in House District 40. Small business people shouldn’t carry the same burdens as large corporations do who cry “poor” whenever they face a tax increase but pour millions into political campaigns.   

I have a sound legislative plan right now. 

If elected, my first goal is to continue advancing the nine bills Joe John has sponsored and are pending. He also promoted a sensible governmental agenda which included fully funding our schools, eliminating partisan gerrymandering, supporting small business, and fighting against what he called the “War on an Independent Judiciary.” Not only do I plan on carrying that mantle forward should I be elected, you can see I am well qualified to do it and would be able to speak and advocate for the bill’s merits. 

For myself, besides requiring gun safes for gun owners where children are present in the house and requiring gun insurance, I’d like to see full funding of our nursing homes that care for the aged and sick, creating the constitutional right to receive information that is truthful and not deceitful, setting minimum wages by economic area, and creating an election system where everyone can run for office without having to be rich.  

These are sensible ideas that should find support from those who are on the other side to get passed. And if not, let’s tell all the voters the laws we proposed to help them and then show the Republicans that voted them down or sidelined them. Let them see who has their best interests at heart and who does not.  

In closing . . . 

The representative of House District 40 should be the best person for the job and I believe that person is me. 

Thank you for considering my candidacy. I am excited about the opportunity to serve House District 40 and to work together towards a prosperous future. I look forward to contributing my skills and passion to our shared success. I ask you for your vote.