RALEIGH Dressed in a red suit and accompanied by her husband Bob Eaves, Perdue placed her hand on the bible and swore to uphold the constitution and bear allegiance to the state of North Carolina.
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After taking the oath, Perdue took a few moments to address the crowd and acknowledge the tough road she has ahead. With the economy in trouble and unemployment steadily climbing, the Governor has said jumpstarting the state's economy will be her top priority.
"In this time of tremendous economic crisis the people of North Carolina need and deserve a state government that works for them, not against them. We must take an outdated 20th century bureaucracy and move it into the 21st century. It is time for government to invest more wisely and run more efficiently," said Perdue.
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Perdue stressed not just the need to support existing industry; she pledged to work to create new ones.
"It took grit and toughness to establish prosperous industries in agriculture and manufacturing. With innovation we will take those economies and create new ones in the life sciences, defense, and green technology," she said.
For people out of work, Persdue stressed the importance of education.
"We will remain true to our commitment to education. We'll retrain displaced workers and educate our people for 21st century jobs. No child in North Carolina has permission to drop out of school. We all benefit when learning is seamless from the high chair to the rocking chair," she said.
The swearing also featured the installation of nine other members of the Council of State. Four of the 10 are new to what amounts to the governor's cabinet, led by Lt. Gov.-elect Walter Dalton.
Perdue is the 100th person since Colonial times to serve as North Carolina's chief executive. She defeated Republican Pat McCrory in November.
Becoming Governor is just the latest step in a long and distinguished political career.
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Friday night there was a huge inaugural ball in Perdue's honor that brought out a who's who of NC politics and society.
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