News-Record.com

Cross-posted from Capital Beat.

-=-=-=-=-=-=

Update: Click here for a short online news story.

Back in 1971 Greensboro lost the protest petition. Now the voices that say residents should get it back are getting the attention of local legislators.

(Don't know what I'm talking about. Read up: here / here / here / here.)

Rep. Pricey Harrison said this morning she has requested a bill be drafted that would repeal Greensboro's exemption from protest petition law. At least four other members of Guilford County's legislative delegation (Reps. Earl Jones and Alma Adams and Sen. Katie Dorsett, all Greensboro Democrats and Greensboro Republican Rep. John Blust) are aware of the issue and disposed to look at it.

If the delegation does decide to move forward, it won't be easy necessarily.

"I've briefly looked at the law," Blust said. "I do want to find out why in the world was Greensboro exempted. It seems like something that should be applied evenly across the state."

Cross-posted from Capital Beat.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The Guilford County legislative delegation (The House and Senate members that represent some piece of the county) will hold two - count 'em two! - public hearings this Spring before heading back to Raleigh in May.

Hearing number 1 will be in High Point, Monday, April 14, 6 to 8 p.m. at the High Point City Council Chambers: 211 S. Hamilton Street.

Hearing number 2 will be Monday, April 21, 6 to 8 p.m. in Greensboro at the Melvin Municipal Building (what normal people call city hall) on Eugene Street. That meeting will be televised.

From a news release:

Both of the hearings are open to any citizen who would like to address the delegation. The hearing will provide an opportunity for the delegation to receive input from citizens about their concerns and issues, as well as provide opportunities to receive input from local municipalities and other entities representing Guilford County.

[snip]

Citizens are encouraged to come to either location to share their thoughts with their elected members of the North Carolina General Assembly. Speakers will be given limited time (3 minutes) and are asked to come early to sign up or contact Representative Jeffus' office. Please be prepared to give your name, address, telephone number and organization. Organizations and individuals who need additional information are asked to contact Representative Jeffus' office. Email address is maggiej@ncleg.net or telephone is (919) 733-5191.

For those who haven't been to one of these shindigs, it's a chance to lobby the legislative delegation (or as many of them as show up) about stuff you think they should work on in the coming legislative session. Invariably, various government, nonprofit and industry types will line up to speak about their pet projects du jour, but there has been a fair amount of input from regular citizens at past meetings.

I was out following State Sen. Kay Hagan on the campaign trail today, as she waged her end of the U.S. Senate Democratic primary. My main purpose was to do the reporting for an upcoming campaign profile, but I did have a chance to ask her take on the protest petition push. (I didn't have a chance to catch up with her when I reported out that blog post and story a week or so ago.)

Hagan will serve in her state senate seat through year, which means she'll have a say over legislation during the short session. That's important because if the city's protest petition exemption is to be repealed, the 10 Guilford County legislators would need to be united.

"I have read about it in the newspaper ... But I haven't studied the issues and don't know how many other cities are like that," Hagan said. "And I don't know the history behind it either. This just came up."

She seemed interested but wanted to know more about it before committing to a position.