Political Career
Robert was elected to the Jacksonville City Council in 1981, serving three terms, including two as Mayor Pro Tem. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1986, becoming one of the first Republicans elected to the legislature from Eastern North Carolina. While serving in the House he specialized in Education and the Judiciary, serving on the appropriations committee for Crime Control and Public Safety, which oversees the judiciary, clerks of court offices, prisons, and state law enforcement (the highway patrol, alcohol law enforcement, the SBI and prisons).
He has also served on the appropriations committee for Education which funds the public schools, community colleges and universities, as well as providing state funding for private colleges (Legislative Tuition Grant) and charter schools.
He sponsored legislation to teach university level courses at community colleges and to insure that the academic credits students earn at community colleges will transfer to universities if a student decides to continue his or her education.
As a result of his efforts Coastal Carolina Community College and UNC-Wilmington established one of the first programs that allows students to receive a 4-year degree from UNC-W – without ever leaving Onslow County. Both programs were praised as examples of reducing costs, providing more convenient services and saving taxpayers money.
In the House, Grady also sponsored legislation to establish the Veteran’s Cemetery in Jacksonville and fought, over three sessions, to pass legislation to force the state to refund taxes the government had improperly collected from retired veterans and federal employees. (The state tried to use a technicality to try to keep the retirees’ money).
A popular legislator, Grady was elected and reelected 12 times by large margins. In January, he announced he would not seek reelection and, instead, would run for Onslow County Clerk of Court.
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