Raleigh Dispatch: “Go Team!” edition
In years past, I’d be writing a column right now either:
- Letting folks know that the legislators from the Triad/Guilford County don’t figure to be very powerful in the next legislative session; or
- Things are looking up, sort of, for local legislators in the next session.
Consider this down-in-the-mouth prose from a 1998 News & Record editorial, lamenting the fact that a lack of legislative horsepower has resulted in a lack of state dollars:
“Guilford County has learned that lesson the hard way. All too often, Guilford has come out on the losing end of legislative showdowns, trumped by counties with more effective and powerful delegations.”
Yeesh.
Now, I’m not here to tell you that the honorables from Guilford County or the broader area will run roughshod over the joint during the next two years. But during the past few years, the current team of local legislators has clawed their way up in terms of power and influence.
Well known, I think, is that Sen. Kay Hagan is an appropriations chair, giving her a bunch of clout in the appropriations process and a seat in the Senate’s Democratic leadership team.
Sen. Katie Dorsett will ad to her profile next year as the Senate’s majority whip. Both of them Democrats, both women will have a seat at the chamber’s big kids table.
Also on the Senate side, Republican Phil Berger keeps his role as minority leader, the voice of the loyal opposition in the chamber.
Although this frequently puts him at odds with Democrats when debating the budget and taxes, Berger finds himself at the center of collaborative efforts when there’s common ground to be had, which is more often than you’d think.
And even though no one will mistake Sen. Stan Bingham, another Republican, as a wheeler-dealer type, his tenure and temperament allow him to negotiate some thorny issues as bills are being drafted.
Over on the House side, we really won’t know the layout of the power landscape until the session starts. Democrats will choose their leaders later this week, but a final deal won’t be done until Jan. 24 and things have been to sketchy with the whole Jim Black situation to say for absolute sure what’s happening until its down in blood.
Still, both Maggie Jeffus and Alma Adams have served their time in the appropriations ranks and should continue to be able to nudge things this way and that.
Adams has raised her profile through the minimum wage fight and its possible she could be named head of the legislative black caucus this week. Add to that her seniority and healthy penchant for twisting arms when needed, and she’s a dangerous animal down here.
Pricey Harrison, a freshman Democrat last session, managed to maneuver a couple substantial bills through the House and is general recognized as a smart cookie, if one who finds herself on the more liberal end of the Democratic caucus. Look for her to continue adding to her profile this term.
Also on the Democratic side, though slightly across the county lines, Reps. Hugh Holliman of Davidson County and Nelson Cole of Rockingham have both taken on some higher-level leadership roles in recent years. Both have been mentioned as candidates for Speaker, although Holliman now says he’s interested in being majority leader, and both will probably be prominent players no matter how things shake out later this month.
On the House Republican side of the ledger, John Blust has been one of the loudest voices for reform, and in opposition of the Speaker’s less-than-fettered used of authority. Although you won’t find him on anyone’s list of the most powerful figures in Raleigh, he’s the go-to guy for the contrarian point of view.
Meanwhile, Rep. Laura Wiley, also a Republican, has quietly made a name for herself as a pragmatist who has worked across party lines on things like sex offender restrictions and special education rules. She’ll be starting her second term with a reputation for being reasonable reservoir of good will, which is always helpful.
On the downside, and he’s going to fuss at me because of this, I would put Democratic Rep. Earl Jones a little further down on the clout-o-meter than his three-term tenure and status as part of the majority party might suggest. He has, however, been able to ride the issue of stem cell research hard, which he lists as a primary goal.
He may or may not be hurt by his public and unwavering loyalty to Speaker Black. And though Jones has been chair of a local government committee, that didn't really give him the broad reach that some of the more powerful committee seats would.
We'll have a little bit clearer picture of how things are going when the House finally appoints its leaders and committees. But Guilford County certainly looks to be a delegation with solid clout.
So what should they do with it? Your comments below.