AP: Black says he won’t run for Speaker again
This AP news alert is making cell phones ring all over Cap City tonight:
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Embattled state House Speaker Jim Black said Tuesday night he will not seek another term as speaker, ending an eight-year tenure as the top official in the state House."I've been speaker for four terms," Black told The Associated Press. "This is, again, not about me. I don't have any need for me to be speaker forever."
In many respects, this makes things easier for House Democrats, many of who did not want to reject Black but did not want to have him as their leader again.
We’ll carry the wire story on this for tomorrow’s paper. You can get a head start after the jump.
From Gary Robertson at the Associated Press:
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Embattled state House Speaker Jim Black said Tuesday night he will not seek another term as speaker, ending an eight-year tenure as the top official in the state House."I've been speaker for four terms," Black told The Associated Press. "This is, again, not about me. I don't have any need for me to be speaker forever."
Black said he has no plans now to step aside from his Mecklenburg County legislative seat, and dismissed the suggestion he decided against seeking another term as speaker because he is worried about a possible federal indictment. For more than a year, a federal grand jury has looked into the Democrat's campaign finances and his connections to the lottery and video poker industries.
"I have no more reason to think today that I'll be indicted than I did a year ago," Black said.
Black announced his decision after having dinner with about 25 House Democrats at a Raleigh restaurant. He said their focus in next year's legislative session should be on the issues facing the state _ not who is leading the party. Black added he plans to be involved in choosing his successor, a decision he doesn't expect House Democrats to make until January.
"It's wide open and everybody will make their case," he said.
Black's office has provided thousands of pages of documents to grand jurors seeking information on more than two dozen entities or persons, many of whom are connected to the lottery and video poker industries.
In October, a jury convicted former state lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings, a Black appointee to the commission, on five counts of fraud. Former state Rep. Michael Decker identified Black as a co-conspirator in a political party-switching scheme that ultimately helped Black remain speaker in 2003, though Black has denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Comments (3)
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The very sad thing is that it took so long . . . and that a number of legislators would've stood by him until the bitter end for the sake of power.
But, as I wondered at Ed's, is this really going to change anything? Or will he simply morph into the puppetmaster behind the scenes . . . potentially a much more ominous and dangerous and harder to police problem?
Posted on December 13, 2006 11:42 AM
Mary:
The question you're really asking is how much influence will Black retain now that he is giving up his power. I think the answer to that question is a bit unkoweable until we see who gets the nod.
If it someone close to him, then yes, you'll probably see his hand in a lot of things. If it is someone who has a bit of distance or a different mindset, then you probably won't see his influence as much.
The other thing to look at is what role does Black take in the new session. He's stepping down as Speaker, which doesn't mean he won't be a committee chairman or some such.
Posted on December 13, 2006 11:56 AM
I'm sure you'll keep us posted. I did not believe the news until I read your post:)
I thought he would hang in until the bitter end.
Posted on December 13, 2006 12:32 PM