RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina legislative leaders will form a committee to study whether offshore drilling is feasible off the coast.
Senate leader Marc Basnight said Thursday he remains opposed to drilling to explore for oil and natural gas reserves. Basnight is a powerful Democrat from coastal Dare County.
But Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney have agreed to create a legislative panel to look at environmental concerns and what the state can do proactively on the matter.
Oil prices have dropped below $50 a barrel, but that in no way means they won’t go back up again. Despite that threat Marc Basnight wants to risk plaguing his constituents as well as the rest of the state with unbearable gas prices which many economists say could return. Furthermore, he wants to keep North Carolina dependent on foreign oil, an exchange which puts money in the hands of groups like Al-Qaida, all in the name of faux environmental fears.
Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue has been opposed to drilling. But her campaign said she would be open to the idea if a team of scientists said it was safe.
And of course she’ll find a team of “scientists” who she already knows will be opposed to the idea, providing she even follows through with this at all. Perdue lied throughout her campaign so why do we have any reason to believe she won’t once in the governor’s seat?
Add N.C. Sen. David Hoyle, a Gaston County Democrat, to the list of possible commerce secretaries under Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue.
Hoyle, long known as a business advocate, said he has not talked with Perdue about the job and isn’t campaigning for it. He was asked about his interest in the post, though, by friends of Perdue, he said.
“I didn’t say ‘yes,’” Hoyle said, “and I didn’t say ‘no.’”
Much like the possible appointment of Congressman Jack Spratt to the Obama administration, the Republicans will be very happy over Hoyle leaving his Senate seat to serve under Bev Perdue. Hoyle’s seat is heavily Republican and will almost definitely go to the GOP once Hoyle vacates.
Despite the local successes of County Commissioners, Senator-elect Hagan and President-elect Obama. The State Senate shows 1 seat GOP gain and the State House shows no change either way. The Democrats by all rights SHOULD have swept state legislative Democrats in office but didn’t.
This is important to note since the 2010 elections will determine who gets to set both state and federal legislative districts for the next 10 years. Will we continue with the status quo or will Republicans get their act together?
All Republicans need to get involved over the next two years to overcome 120 years of Democratic rule in North Carolina.
Marc Basnight laughing on the front page of the N&O was not laughing with Bev Perdue, he was laughing at North Carolina voters.
Debbie Clary said she doesn’t take anything for granted.
“We’re feeling good now,” she said Tuesday.
She surely appreciates the 730 votes that separated her and Democratic opponent Keith Melton in the race for the 46th District N.C. Senate seat. As it stands now, Clary is, by numbers alone, a North Carolina senator. But with such a tight race - Republican Clary landed 35,867 votes, Melton totaled 35,137 - there could be more to it than Election Day.
Provisional ballots have to be counted, but if the difference between the candidates’ final tallies falls within 1 percentage point, the loser can request a recount, according to county Elections Director Debra Blanton.
The Republicans were hoping to pick up several Senate seats in this election, but this was the only one they got. They need to pick up seven seats to have a majority in the State Senate, something they have never had in state history. The 46th will bring that number down to six. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to take six Senate seats in 2010 and the problem is that is what’s needed to be in charge of redistricting. If the Democrats are still holding the cards after the Census then they’ll redistrict the GOP into another 10 years as the minority party.
The high-dollar campaigns, which result in campaign ads being dropped in mailboxes and numerous television ads, are primarily in seats currently held by Democrats, including the 46th District (Cleveland and Rutherford counties), the 43rd District (Gaston County), the 5th District (Greene, Pitt and Wayne counties) and the 24th District (Alamance and Caswell counties).
I do think that the Republicans will pick up the 46th District Senate seat. I don’t think that Foriest is going to lose in the 24th. I am surprised that the Republicans are making such a concerted effort to knock of David Hoyle in the 43rd. While that is a heavily Republican district Hoyle has a conservative voting record and I don’t think he is the least bit vulnerable.
It’s not just the next President we’re electing on Tuesday; we’ve got all kinds of races going on in both states from the U.S. Senate down to your local school board. I have put together a list of state and Federal races that should be carefully followed Tuesday night as I imagine they will be close.
President - Obviously everyone knows we’ll be choosing our next President. I think John McCain is going to carry both North and South Carolina, North by a hair and South easily, however I think Barack Obama will end up becoming the next President.
NC US Senate Race - This has been a brutal race between Elizabeth Dole and Kay Hagan. I think Hagan is going to emerge the victor in this in no small part by the Dole campaign’s “Godless” ad. I think that hurt Dole more than Hagan.
NC Gubernatorial Race - Another nail biter, but I think and pray that Pat McCrory ends up the next governor and I am going to make a very bold prediction here. I think his Lt Governor will end up being Democrat Walter Dalton, not Pittenger. McCrory has been leading by three or four points in the last few polls that have come out. If people really are change oriented as they claim then McCrory should prevail. He is the candidate of sorely needed change in Raleigh.
NC 5th Congressional District - Virginia Foxx has received a tougher than anticipated challenge from Roy Carter, but I think Foxx will be reelected.
NC 8th Congressional District - If Robin Hayes pulls out a reelection victory Tuesday night I will be stunned. I just don’t see it and I think that Larry Kissell will be the 8th District’s new Congressman. I think this will be the only Congressional District to flip in both states.
NC Auditor General - I think Les Merritt will be okay, but it will be a close victory. As I have stated in recent days, voters would be doing a disservice to themselves by replacing him. He is the only watchdog the people have had against the majority party in Raleigh.
NC Labor Commissioner - I think Cherie Berry is going to lose. I think people will make a mental connection between Labor Commissioner and a soured economy. They have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but when you think of a bad economy you think of job losses, hence labor, and people tend to relate to Democrats better than Republicans on labor issues.
NC Senate District 9 - I think Julia Boseman will come out on top in this one, but I still expect a close race considering the money that has been spent on it on both sides.
NC Senate District 25 - Tony Foriest just won this seat in 2006 and faces a challenge from Rick Gunn to take the seat back for the GOP. I think Foriest will get reelected.
NC Senate DIstrict 46 - This is Walter Dalton’s Senate seat that he is vacating to run for Lieutenant Governor. This should be a Republican pickup. It’s fairly conservative and has leaned Republican for some time now, but Dalton has hung on due to incumbency and having a more conservative voting record.
SC Senate District 10 - This is John Drummond’s seat and he decided to retire after many years in public service. The seat is being strongly contested on both sides with Dee Compton as the Republican candidate and Greenwood Mayor Floyd Nicholson on the Democratic ticket. This has the potential to go either way, but I think the Democrats will hold this seat.
SC Senate District 25 - I think this will be the closest race of all of them. Republican Shane Massey won this seat last year in a special election after the former Democratic Senator Tommy Moore resigned from the Senate for a more lucrative career opportunity. This seat actually leans slightly Democratic, but Massey has never really stopped campaigning since he won it. He faces Democrat Greg Anderson. This is too close for me to make a call on how this will turn out.
SC House District 115 - Wallace Scarborough almost lost his seat in 2006 when his challenger came within a little over 300 votes of him. He faces another strong challenge this year from Anne Peterson Hutto, but I think Scarborough is going to hang on by a larger margin than ‘06.
The campaign of state Sen. Julia Boseman, D-New Hanover, has raised $846,000 in her bid for a third term, including more than $537,000 from state Democratic Party committees.
According to campaign finance reports filed at the State Board of Elections this week, Boseman had out-raised Republican challenger Michael Lee by more than a 3-1 ratio. Lee has raised about $255,000, including $70,600 from the state Republican Party. Lee also received $4,000 from the New Hanover County GOP.
The reports cover campaign activity through mid-October, as well as large contributions since then.
Boseman and Lee, both Wilmington attorneys, are vying for New Hanover County’s seat in the N.C. Senate. Combined, they’ve raised more than $1.1 million for the race and spent most of it. The numbers are sure to grow as campaign cash continues to flow during the last few days before Tuesday’s election.
I don’t think that the Republicans are going to be successful in winning back this seat. Boseman won the seat in 2004, which was a great year for Republicans, and understandibly hung on in 2006, a year very good for Democrats. Considering that 2008 is looking similar to that I think the odds are in her favor to get reelected despite the ethical issues she faced earlier this year.
In the 8th Senate District Julia Boseman (D) is leading her challenger Michael Lee (R) 49% to 37%. In the 9th Senate District R.C. Soles (D) leads challenger Bettie Fennel (R) 42% to 33%.
Congressman Mike McIntyre (D) is handily leading Republican challenger Will Breazeale 64% to 22%.
No, they won’t. They would need to win seven seats to win the Senate and that is not going to happen in this current political environment, but I do think they have a shot at picking up a couple of seats. I think Walter Dalton’s vacated seat will likely be one. A Republican take over of the State Senate could be more probable in 2010, but only time will be able to tell the atmosphere that year.
Asked about the most competitive Senate races, Berger flagged nine races to watch.
He pointed to what he predicted would be close races for WNC Democrats protecting their recently-won seats: Sens. Joe Sam Queen, John Snow and Steve Goss. He also mentioned two senators down east, Sens. Tony Foriest and Julia Boseman.
“That’s favorable territory for Republicans because Republicans have won those races,” he said.
He mentioned open seats being vacated by Sens. Janet Cowell, Walter Dalton and John Kerr, as well as one held by the longest-serving senator, R.C. Soles.
In North Carolina’s Ninth Senate District, incumbent Democrat Julia Boseman is running for her third term and facing Republican attorney Michael Lee. Boseman got herself embroiled in a bit of a scandal earlier this year when it got reported that she owed several thousand dollars in back taxes on a home she owed. Furthermore, issues came out about her past drug use and she was confronted by an angry group of voters demanding that she “pay for taxes, not for pot.” I have to admit. That would be a tough decision for me too…….
The question is will the negative attention she received earlier this year hurt her reelection chances next month? It’s hard to say. The seat she represents used to be held by former Republican Senator Patrick Ballantine who gave it up to make what turned out to be an unsuccessful run for governor in 2004. Attorney Woody White was appointed to replace Ballantine for the remainder of his term and Boseman defeated White in the 2004 general election. So, this is more of a swing seat than your typical gerrymander. The Republicans do have a better than normal chance winning this seat than in many others. However, due to the recent turmoil in the financial markets, 2008 is starting to look like it may be another 2006 so that may be exactly what Boseman needs to save her skin.
Regarding her voting record, Boseman was the sponsor of Senate Bill 17, an act to ammend the pretrial release requirements for sex offenders. It basically amounted to a virtual restraining order against anyone accused of a sexual crime against a child. She also sponsored Senate Bill 30 which provided additional protections to domestic violence victims.
On the wasteful end of things she wrote Senate Bill 1103 requesting $16.3 million of taxpayer dollars be given to three aquariums to create oyster hatcheries. She voted to extend the vehicle registration fee increase until June of next year. She also voted in favor of the bloated $21.3 billion budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year which incorporated over $1 billion in earmark and pork barrel spending. In the 2007-08 session Boseman has racked up $62,613,658 in earmark requests altogether.
Michael Lee has a fairly detailed description of his Senate agenda should be get elected. He wants to change the way road and highway infrastructure is prioritized and notes that while much attention has been given to Raleigh’s highway and Charlotte’s lite rail system, the Wilmington area is being ignored. He wants North Carolina to recognize the death of a fetus in the event of an attack on the mother as murder. Lee is a strong advocate of solving the problem of illegal immigration in North Carolina and and putting an end to the taxpayer subsidizing of state benefits for illegals.
Lee appeared on Carolina Talk earlier this year and you can watch the interview below:
         At the AKA Sorority function last night Kay Hagan attacked Dole with the same talking points from her commercial. She talked about Dole’s effectiveness rating and voting with Bush 90% of the time. Hagan forgot to mention that she voted with Marc Basnight and Tony Rand 100% of the time and also voted for that $9 million jet Easley had to cancel. Hagan was very negative and condescending towards Dole while talking to a small probably receptive audience.
         My opponent Dan Blue was too busy talking about Voting for Obama to be worried about his own race. And I got Vernon Malone angry at me because I said that the leadership in Raleigh was responsible for our failures on Mental healthcare, Roads, Schools, and many other failures. I did mention to a voter that it took a Democratic consultant to start the downfall of Jim Black, not the General Assembly leadership. Also Malone did not ask for the expulsion of Representative Wright when overwhelming evidence caused the full House to eject him. Malone only wanted a slap on the wrist of Wright. Maybe corrupt is a label that DOES fit the leadership of the Democratic Party in Raleigh.
The Pacific Research Institute released their 2008 Economic Freedom Index rankings and for North Carolina the results are ghastly. In 1999 North Carolina ranked 17th in terms of economic freedom and business friendliness. By 2004 that ranking had dropped to 24th and now today in 2008 the state has sunk down to number 36. What does this say? Mike Easley and the State Assembly suck at their jobs. North Carolina has become increasingly less competitive over the past decade and the boom growth that this state has experienced is going to taper off and reverse if this trend continues. When I see states like Massachusetts and Maryland ranking higher I am disturbed.
When you look at the breakdown of the individual categories that make up this ranking the reason for North Carolina’s downturn becomes more apparent. In terms of fiscal responsibility the state ranks 37th out of the 50. That’s not surprising at all. The legislature has been on a spending spree over the past several years which have caused vast tax increases and debt. In regulatory friendliness the state has fallen to 33. In the judicial category, in terms of lawsuit abuse and high jury awards the state ranks 39th. In size of government the state has fallen all the way to 41st meaning the scope of government in North Carolina has drastically increased, which I think should be obvious to even the occasional observer. In welfare spending the state falls in at 21.
What’s in North Carolina’s future? The answer to that lays within the choice you make at the voting booth in November. You know who has been running Raleigh for the past decade. Do you want more of that or are you looking for a new, positive direction?
State Sen. David Hoyle had no conflict of interest and was obligated to vote on legislation that funded a planned expressway, according to a legislative ethics adviser. (related story)
O. Walker Reagan, an attorney for the N.C. Legislative Ethics Committee, cleared Hoyle of any wrongdoing in an advisory opinion dated Wednesday that Hoyle requested.
The Gaston County Democrat owns nearly 350 acres of land near the proposed Garden Parkway, which would link Gaston and Mecklenburg counties.
Critics say he shouldn’t have voted for a project that could benefit him financially.
I like David Hoyle and I hope it’s true that he didn’t make these votes to increase his pocket book, but people had every reasonable suspicion to question them, especially in North Carolina where corrupt politicians grow on trees.
What Hoyle should have done was recuse himself from these votes, the way Robert Pittenger did, who also owns property near Hoyle’s. That way Hoyle’s hands are clear and nobody could question his integrity.
Currently a North Carolina state legislator makes an annual salary of $13,951. The salary of a Court Appeal judge is $128,011, slightly higher than the region’s average while a Superior Court judge’s salary is $121,053 per year, slightly lower than the regions average. The State Legislature’s salary has not been raised since 1995, but inflationary costs have risen 30%.
There is an article in the Herald Sun this weekend about current and former judges and attorneys quietly lobbying the Legislature to increase state salaries in order to, in their opinions, attract more qualified candidates.
Is this a good idea? Does a state legislator or judge in North Carolina deserve more than the current compensation? I can relate to both sides of this. I am interested in hearing others’ opinions on this matter.
Here is a letter written to the editor of the Wilson Times. The continuing culture of corruption and graft. Just remember that Representative Blue-D and Senator Nesbitt-D are Electricities water carriers. If those two politicians wanted to they could clean up Electricities and many other issues in Raleigh.
The recent City Council meetings should signal to all that something is very wrong in Wilson when it comes to our electric rates. It is time for City Council to hold ElectriCities accountable for spending and decisions. It is time for all 32 cities to hold them accountable. I hope Wilson will be the leader. ElectriCities needs to make cuts now.
In October 2003, Mr. Tilton, the CEO, made $328,328 and now he makes $458,000 and the board says he is underpaid. What did he do over five years to yield a $130,000 increase? Clay Norris makes $244,000 now and in 2003 he made $165,000, what did he do to earn an $80,000 increase? Estherine Davis earned $75,000 in 2003 and now makes $135,000, what did she do to earn a $60,000 increase? Is it just me or are these salaries and salary increases excessive?
I officially hang this albatross around the neck of Dan Blue. He is a Democrat with more than two decades in the General Assembly of North Carolina. He is also a former ElectriCities lobbyist and current recipient of a $1,000 PAC donation.
Gov. Mike Easley today called lawmakers back to the capital to decide whether to overturn his veto of new boat-towing rules.
In the special legislative session starting Wednesday at 11 a.m., lawmakers could override Easley’s veto, allow it to stand until they return next year under a new governor, or pass compromise legislation.
I can’t believe how much attention this trivial issue has gotten from the media and the legislature. I wish Easley and Co. put this much attention into the condition of the mental health facilities and the disarray of the state’s probation system.
RALEIGH, N.C. — A new federal report is identifying some serious problems with North Carolina’s probation system.
The NIC makes 35 recommendations including a “back to basics†approach. Eighteen of the recommendations are meant to improve operational effectiveness, and 17 address management and personnel issues.
Representative Dan Blue, a Wake County Democrat, said he thinks the proposition to make juvenile records accessible would have to be fine-tuned.
“I think most people would be very reluctant to open wide the juvenile records,†Blue said.
But he believes the legislature would do what it can to make the probation system run more smoothly.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure the citizens in this state are safe,†Blue said.
The final draft report will be released in a few weeks.
Dan Blue says that the legislature should make us citizens safe? Well he has had how many years to accomplish this and has utterly failed. I believe that more than 10 terms is enough for us to realize that Blue and the Democratic party bear some responsibility in Eve Carson’s death. He said it above in a quote. Vote for CHANGE in North Carolina to ensure the thugs are put away. Not free to menace society because Dan Blue is worried about a technicality.
No doubt it was not ElectriCities’ intention to show how ridiculously insensitive, self-serving and out of touch elected officials can be. But by staging its annual meeting at the Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, S.C., last weekend, just weeks after raising its members’ electricity rates by 14 percent, the group managed to do just that.
ElectriCities is a government agency per the legislation of NC Representative Blue and NC Senator Nesbitt. Apparently getting power directly from Progress Energy or Duke Energy is not good enough. These governments and lobbyists have decided this is the best way for them to make huge profits and outlandish salaries. They raise rates way above the rate of inflation and the actual costs of the energy to pay for parties like this one and advertising. Why does ElectriCities need to advertise?
ElectriCities has also pointed out that half the cost of the three-day conference — $175,000 — was paid for by corporate sponsors. Critics allege, however, that many of these sponsors may also be the same businesses that perform paid services for ElectriCities, so it’s in their interest to foot half the cost of what amounts to an expensive weekend getaway for public officials.
Taxpayers of the cities sending officials fund the other half of ElectriCities’ annual junket, paying approximately $500 per official in room costs and other expenses. Unlike the corporate sponsors, we’re not sure how taxpayers’ backs are being scratched by last weekend’s ElectriCities beach bash. Of course, “clawed” actually may be a more apt description, since most will be paying higher electricity costs thanks to the rate hike ElectriCities approved in June.
It is time to end the culture of corruption in North Carolina and ElectriCities is a big part of it.
What we witnessed was a system out of control, especially in our Senate. A handful of Senators made decisions behind closed doors and shoved them through to approval with only token opposition from other Democrats, who supposedly hold majority control. One longtime observer remarked that this year’s Basnight-Rand run Senate was far worse than the infamous “gang of eight†led by Liston Ramsey and Billy Watkins back in the 1970’s and ‘80’s.
It is time that we take back our state from the back room politicians of Basnight, Blue and Rand. The members of the Democratic caucus have had more than ample opportunity in the last two years to speak up about what is the right thing to do.
Our children are dropping out of school at a alarming rate, over one third. The mental healthcare fiasco is directly the responsibility of the Democrats in charge. And our roads are falling apart even after only a few months after bring built. Do we need to have a disaster like what happened to the interstate bridge in Minnesota?
I agree with Tom Campbell, we cannot wait till next year, we need to make changes to who goes back to the NC state legislature next year.
