News-Record.com

From this weekend's paper, in no particular order:

• * Inside Scoop covers a local bill to change how the Greensboro City Attorney is appointed. (Second item.) Short version: it ain't moving for the foreseeable future.

• * North Carolina Republicans are getting ready to chose a new chairman. My story talks more about what the next chairman will have to do in terms of rebuilding the party. For more on the latest mud slinging in the race (which I only mention briefly) check out this story from the Legion of Dome.

• * I wrote for Sunday's paper about efforts to change North Carolina's negligence laws. The push comes in large measure from a Greensboro family and lawmakers.

• * So it turns out that some playground equipment is safe from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. but unsafe after school. Click here to find out how.

• * Not from me, but check out this good read from the AP's Gary Robertson on former Gov. Mike Easley's tenuous grasp on his legacy.

There has been much speculation about whether state Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat, would run for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Richard Burr. The answer is "no" according to an e-mail the AG is about to send to supporters:

Dear Friends:

A few weeks after I took the oath of office for my third term as Attorney General, many of you asked me to consider becoming a U.S. Senator in 2010. Because this can be an important way to help the people of North Carolina, my family and I considered it. While I am honored by the encouragement I’ve received, I don’t want to go to Washington and serve as a U.S. Senator at this time. I am committed to public service and I want to serve here in North Carolina rather than in Washington.

Right now, I’m moving forward with ways to make the lives of North Carolinians better and safer, even during these challenging times. We’re pushing for new laws and helping people struggling with bad loans, debt and foreclosure. At my request, the Governor just signed an executive order this week to begin “StreetSafe”, a project that will reduce the number of repeat offenders and cut the crime rate by coordinating nonprofits, businesses, faith-based initiatives, and government to rehabilitate people who have committed crimes.

I am taking action right here in North Carolina to boost our economy, bolster education, improve our health care and make us more secure. I will continue to need your ideas and help. I am grateful for your encouragement and support.

Roy Cooper

A spokesman with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee called this afternoon to say the group was launching a web ad against Republican Sen. Richard Burr.

To be clear: they're not investing in TV time yet. But it does signal that North Carolina's 2010 Senate campaign is going to draw the same kind of outside fire power as the 2008 Dole-Hagan race did.

"This signal that North Carolina is going to be one of our top, targeted races this cycle," said Eric Schultz, communications director for the DSCC.

It also seems to signal that although Burr thinks the story was much ado about nothing, campaign consultants for the Democrats plan to ride this thing as far as it will take them.

This is all the more interesting since the field of Democrats ready to run against Burr is limited.

The ad targets Burr's comments saying that he asked his wife to withdraw money from the bank during last year's banking crisis. Background: here and here.

Here's the video:

From a story posted online this afternoon:

RALEIGH — Rep. Hugh Holliman’s role in rewriting the state’s health plan makes him “part of the problem,” according to an employee group running radio ads criticizing the Lexington Democrat.

The two-year, $675 -million bailout raises deductibles and copays as well as increases the cost for dependent coverage. It also cuts benefits for those who are overweight or smoke. And while it costs taxpayers, it is not as expensive as other potential fixes to the plan.

The ad attacking Holliman is sponsored by SEANC, the State Employees Association of North Carolina, a 55,000-member, union-affiliated group that frequently gets involved in political campaigns and lobbies the legislature.

“Hugh Holliman has his priorities wrong,” says the SEANC ad, airing on WZTK-FM and WSJS-AM in the High Point and Greensboro markets. “He’s part of the problem when he needs to be part of the solution. Maybe it’s time for new leadership in the North Carolina legislature.”

Click here for the full story, including this from Holliman:

“I think it’s fair to say I really don’t appreciate that (the ad) but they’re certainly welcome to do what they think they need to do,” Holliman said. “I think SEANC needs to discover they’re in the real world... and we don’t have money to just throw around.”

Click here to listen to the ad.

Worth noting: SEANC also targeted Rep. Margaret Dickson with a radio ad, as you can read in this release.(PDF)

As I point out in the story, Holliman is really part of a two-headed beast that oversees the state health plan. The other is Sen. Tony Rand, the majority leader in the Senate.

I asked SEANCE why they were going after Holliman and not Rand. The reply came back from SEANC political director Kevin LeCount that Rand's time may come. From the story:

“Everything we say in the ad about Rep. Holliman, we would be happy to make the same assertions about Rand,” LeCount said. “It’s not because we’re not going to talk about Rand.”

However, I think it's worth nothing that Holliman had a relatively close General Election in 2008, winning by 5 percentage points in what could be a swing district. Meanwhile Rand was unopposed and in a district carried handily by Democrats at all levels of the ballot.

It would not be unreasonable to speculate that SEANC is spending its ammunition where it thinks the impact is more likely to be noticed.

I got a call this week from Marcus Brandon, who said he will be challenging Rep. Earl Jones for the 60th District State House seat in 2010.

Now, it is early, way freaking early, for candidates to be jockeying for position in the 2010 state legislative races. (I'm pretty sure the 2010 U.S. Senate Election began for real about three weeks ago.) And I've known candidates who have declared themselves at about the same point in previous cycles but were nowhere to be found when it came time to file.

With that caveat: here is the SBOE page that has Brandon's campaign finance filings.

When I spoke with him Thursday, Brandon said that he has been a political consultant and worked on the presidential campaign of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. And in fact, from what I can find, that seems to be the case.

And it looks like there is at least a web page for KMB Consulting listing Brandon as the President. It has a Washington, D.C. Address.

Brandon's campaign finance and voter file lists 808 Glendale Drive in Greensboro as his North Carolina address and show him voting in the 2008 election.

Brandon, 34, a Democrat, said he was born and raised in Guilford County and a graduate of Southern Guilford High School and NCA&T.

Of Rep. Jones: "He's a friend of my family's and they've known him for years. I just think it's time for us to move forward." Brandon mentioned Jones' video poker stance: "I would be more inclined to put money into people's pockets."

Is he sure he's running: "I'm 100 percent sure, I'm raising money right now." Brandon said he was starting early on organizing because it would take work to unseat a four-term incumbent.

More: "Basically, our platform is green jobs."

His uncle, Brandon said, is a Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor in Guilford County.