DATE: Tuesday, October 28, 1997             TAG: 9710280282

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NAGS HEAD                         LENGTH:   61 lines

CHAPEL HILL LAWYER SEEKS SUPPORT IN 1998 RACE FOR U.S. SENATE SEAT

A Chapel Hill lawyer and a former lobbyist for the University of North Carolina System came to the Outer Banks to sow the seeds of a challenge against Republican Sen. Lauch Faircloth.

With the general election more than a year away, it might seem early for D.G. Martin to be starting his campaign. But Democrats will be nominating their candidate in May, and the winner will face a well-funded incumbent in November.

``A lot of the people in my campaign have told me I'm getting a late start,'' Martin said. ``I have to get my name in front of people. I'm known in the Charlotte area and to some extent in the Triangle, but I need to build support . . . across the state.''

Martin, 57, was in Nags Head as part of a two-day swing through the Outer Banks. He attended a reception in Southern Shores Sunday night, and visited local schools during the day Monday before addressing a Democratic women's group Monday night.

``I would have a hard time waking up the day after the election next November and thinking, `If only I had run we could have had different representation in the United States Senate,' '' Martin said in an interview. ``I can't not do it.''

Martin twice lost narrow elections for Congress in North Carolina's 9th District in the 1980s. He lettered under ``Lefty'' Driesell as a basketball player at Davidson.``My first priority is to work to provide the best educational opportunities for our kids, and for all adults who want to better themselves,'' Martin said.

While he said he supports national testing so that local school districts can measure their performance against the rest of the nation, decision-making should rest with state and local officials.

But he had strong words for congressional Republicans who have called for abolishing the Department of Education.

``I believe that people who say they want to see the dissolution of the Department of Education are really saying they don't support public education.''

Turning to the controversy over the jetties at Oregon Inlet, he said he favors ``reasonable efforts'' to keep the crucial passageway open. But he did not directly endorse the construction of jetties.

``If the inlet closes up, you have the disruption of jobs, and also from the environmental side, if there is a closure, you wind up with a repository for waste and pollution and the rivers and streams don't have an opportunity to renew themselves,'' Martin said.

On other issues:

Martin called for separation of Social Security and Medicare from the federal budget.

``The Social Security system will never be totally secure,'' Martin said. ``It needs constant attention and adjustment. For that reason I think it needs to be separate so that it can be constantly evaluated and strengthened.''

He urged caution on the call by some in Congress to abolish the Internal Revenue Service.

``Before we abolish the IRS, we need to make sure there is some mechanism in place to collect taxes,'' Martin said.

Martin said he is pro-choice.

``I believe the responsibility for this awesome decision has to rest with the woman and her closest family, and her physician.''

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