Rep. Cherie Berry
(R-Catawba) defeated China Grove Alderman
John Miller in the May 30 GOP primary
run-off for state Labor Commissioner,
while Guilford County tobacco farmer
Steve Troxler defeated Durham
agribusiness consultant Tom Davidson in
the run-off for state Agriculture
Commission.
Turnout of Republican voters in the
second primary was barely 5 percent
statewide. Not a single voter went to the
polls in Currituck, Macon and Montgomery
counties, and 100 or fewer GOP voters
bothered to go to the polls in several
other counties (see chart).
Berry, who beat Miller 57% to 43%, will
face Democrat Doug Berger in the fall
general election for the right to succeed
Labor Commissioner Harry Payne, who did
not seek re-election to a third term.
Troxler, who garnered 60% of the vote,
will face Meg Scott Phipps for the right
to succeed retiring Agriculture
Commissioner Jim Graham.
Meanwhile, former Davidson County
Commissioner Stan Bingham won the GOP
nomination in the 38th Senate District.
He defeated Larry Potts, the current
Davidson commissioners' chairman.
Bingham, who trailed by 70 votes in the
May 2 primary, won 3,085 votes to Potts'
1,628. He will face Libertarian Michael
Smith in the fill, but no Democratic
opposition.
In a Democratic runoff in the 49th House
District, David Huskins beat former Rep.
Annette Bryant, 1,307-1,113, and will
face Rep. Mitch Gillespie (R-Burke).
Liquor-by-the-drink passed in two cities.
Lincolnton voters approved mixed-drink
sales, 1,565-1,231, as turnout topped 45
percent. In Claremont, 32 percent of
voters turned out and approved mixed
drinks 177-144.
State Government
News Briefs
Cutting Red Tape: The
Senate Judiciary II Committee on Thursday
spend several hours discussing and
hearing public comments on H. 968 Amend
Contested Case Procedures. The bill,
which is co-sponsored by Reps. Martin
Nesbitt (D-Buncombe), Connie Wilson
(R-Mecklenburg) and David Redwine
(D-Brunswick), is strongly supported by
NCCBI and is on this year's list of hot
topics the association is following. The
measure would simplify the administrative
review process by making the decisions of
the Administrative Law Judges (ALJ)
final. Contested cases would continue to
be commenced and conducted as they are
under current law. However, once the ALJ
makes a decision it will be the final
administrative decision, rather than
merely a recommendation as it is now. The
bill also amends the Administrative
Procedures Act to allow agencies to seek
judicial review of administrative
decisions by which they are aggrieved, in
the same manner as now applies to
petitioners. Speaking on behalf of NCCBI
in support of the bill, Leslie Bevacqua,
vice president of government affairs,
said that “approval of this bill
will make the process cleaner and we
believe it is also a faster and fairer
process. Time is a real factor for all
businesses. One of the most frequent
complaints we hear from our member
companies is the amount of time it takes
to process permits and the time it takes
to get decisions. By making the decision
of the ALJs final, it could cut as much
as nine months out of the process and
that would be a positive thing for
everybody. The main opposition to the
bill has come from state agencies which
believe this would dilute their power.
Gov. Jim Hunt has threatened to veto the
bill if it passes in its current form.
Other groups supporting the proposal
include the N.C. Home Builders
Association, the N.C. Forestry
Association, the N.C. Academy of Trial
Lawyers, the N.C. Association of
Realtors, the N.C. Retail Merchants
Association, the Manufacturers and
Chemical Industry Council, the National
Federation of Independent Businesses and
a number of other associations. The
committee will probably vote on the bill
next week.
Senate
Passes Million-Acre Bill: Gov.
Jim Hunt on Wednesday praised the Senate
for its quick action in approving
legislation to place the goals of his
Million Acres initiative into state law,
and urged the House to act accordingly to
begin the effort to preserve an
additional one million acres of open
space in the state by 2010. The
legislation, S. 1328 Million Acre Open
Space Goal, was sponsored by Sen.
Fountain Odom (D-Mecklenburg) and
appropriates no money for the
land-preservation effort. Odom said the
lack of money is the "only
drawback" to the bill. "We all
recognize the fact that North Carolina is
experiencing unprecedented growth. We
expect an addition 2 million people to
become residents of this state by
2020," he told reporters. Sen. Bob
Carpenter (R-Macon) cast the only vote
against the bill. He said he fears the
program will lead to government takeovers
of private property, such as when the
state condemned land surrounding the
DuPont State Forest in Transylvania
County. The Senate vote came a day after
a budget subcommittee cut $1 million the
governor had proposed in his budget for
farmland preservation. "This is a
tough budget year, and we simply can't
afford to do everything we would have
liked," Hunt said. "But the
whole idea of the Million Acres
initiative is to get as many segments of
our society as we can working in
partnership to preserve our open space
and quality of life. About 2.8 million
acres, the majority in state and national
parks and forests, already is set aside
from development in North Carolina. The
total constitutes about 8.6 percent of
the state's land mass, and preserving one
million additional acres would bring the
total to about 12 percent. Rep. Phil
Baddour has introduced similar
legislation in the House.
House Panel
Debates Four-Year Terms: The
House Rules Committee on Wednesday
debated but took no action on legislation
calling for a constitutional referendum
on giving legislators four-year terms.
The bill, H. 98 Four-Year Terms for
Legislators, by Rep. Ronnie Sutton
(D-Robeson) comes 18 years after North
Carolina voters soundly defeated the idea
of extending legislators' terms from two
years to four years. "My concern,
more than anything else, is constantly
having to campaign and constantly going
to people, whether in person or by mail,
and asking for their support, both at the
polls and financially," Sutton said.
A similar bill passed the Senate last
year and is pending in the House would
extend senators' terms to four years and
impose a limit on the number of days of
the General Assembly can remain in
session each year. Rules Committee
Chairman Bill Culpepper (D-Chowan) said
his panel would also take up that
measure. Constitutional amendment bills
must receive a three-fifths vote to pass
the General Assembly.
House Panel OKs Telephone
Solicitations Bill: The House
Public Utilities Committee on Wednesday
approved a bill, H. 1493 Control
Telephone Solicitations, that would
impose rules on when solicitors could
call residences and require that they
disclose their identity. The measure by
Rep. Gordon Allen (D-Person) would
require intrastate telephone solicitors
to state their names and the identity of
the business at the beginning of the
call; provide the phone number and
address the telemarketer is calling from;
end the call if the recipient does not
consent; and remove the person from
contact lists if asked to do so. Calls
could not be made between 9 p.m. and 8
a.m. Telemarketers who violate the law
could face a $500 civil penalty.
Floyd's
Toll: In two days Hurricane
Floyd did enough damage in Eastern North
Carolina to wipe out an entire year's
worth of homeowner's insurance premiums
for all of North Carolina, insurance
industry officials told the Senate
Insurance Committee on Wednesday.
Insurance industry representatives said
companies selling property insurance
collected $771 million in premiums in the
state in 1998. Losses from Hurricane
Floyd totaled $400 million for private
companies and $373 million for the
federal flood insurance program.
Toll Roads
Discussed: The House
Transportation Committee on Wednesday
debated but took no action on a bill that
would allow six pilot-project toll roads
in the state -- three built by the state
and three privately owned. The
legislation, H. 1630 Toll Roads, by Rep.
Jim Crawford (D-Granville) doesn't
specify locations for any of the pilot
projects, but witnesses said a proposed
bridge over the Catawba River between
Gaston and Mecklenburg counties would be
the leading contender for a privately
built toll road. The bridge would carry
commuters from southern Gaston County to
downtown Charlotte. The General Assembly
traditionally has rejected toll roads,
but this year's tight budget has made
them more appealing.
Jobless
Rates Fall: Unemployment rates (not
seasonally adjusted) for April fell in 96
counties, rose in two, and were unchanged
in two, ESC Chairman Parker Chesson said.
Swain County had the highest unemployment
rate at 10.1 percent. Orange County had
the state’s lowest unemployment rate
in April at 0.8 percent. The unemployment
rates for the Metropolitan Statistical
Areas (MSAs) for April compared with
March were:
- Asheville,
2.0 percent, down from 2.8
percent
- Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock
Hill, NC/SC, 2.3 percent, down
from 2.8 percent
- Fayetteville,
3.2 percent, down from 4.0
percent
- Goldsboro,
3.1 percent, down from 3.6
percent
- Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High
Point, 2.1 percent, down from 2.5
percent
- Greenville,
3.8 percent, down from 4.7
percent
- Hickory/Morganton/Lenoir,
1.7 percent, down from 2.2
percent
- Jacksonville,
2.6 percent, down from 3.3
percent
- Raleigh/Durham/Chapel
Hill, 1.3 percent, down from 1.6
percent
- Rocky
Mount, 4.5 percent, down from 5.5
percent
- Wilmington,
2.8 percent, down from 3.7
percent
Back to main page
|
| GOP
Run-offs |
Agriculture
Commissioner |
Labor
Commissioner |
| County |
Davidson
|
Troxler |
Berry |
Miller |
| Alamance |
140 |
555 |
253 |
421 |
| Alexander |
115 |
46 |
131 |
28 |
| Alleghany |
14 |
42 |
21 |
31 |
| Anson |
19 |
32 |
29 |
20 |
| Ashe |
46 |
57 |
69 |
34 |
| Avery |
459 |
537 |
545 |
459 |
| Beaufort |
142 |
74 |
88 |
128 |
| Bertie |
33 |
11 |
13 |
26 |
| Bladen |
16 |
16 |
16 |
15 |
| Brunswick |
84 |
113 |
111 |
87 |
| Buncombe |
467 |
262 |
392 |
344 |
| Burke |
131 |
128 |
186 |
72 |
| Cabarrus |
611 |
1,226 |
872 |
973 |
| Caldwell |
158 |
147 |
221 |
94 |
| Camden |
1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
| Carteret |
150 |
255 |
239 |
165 |
| Caswell |
10 |
165 |
36 |
72 |
| Catawba |
979 |
663 |
1,451 |
234 |
| Chatham |
157 |
176 |
176 |
151 |
| Cherokee |
24 |
29 |
29 |
17 |
| Chowan |
22 |
17 |
23 |
16 |
| Clay |
27 |
28 |
37 |
17 |
| Cleveland |
150 |
119 |
189 |
85 |
| Columbus |
45 |
37 |
49 |
31 |
| Craven |
153 |
196 |
177 |
170 |
| Cumbrlnd |
306 |
331 |
394 |
251 |
| Currituck |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Dare |
34 |
52 |
54 |
40 |
| Davidson |
612 |
1,767 |
1,120 |
1,149 |
| Davie |
586 |
1,344 |
1,183 |
774 |
| Duplin |
76 |
103 |
69 |
111 |
| Durham |
420 |
298 |
435 |
278 |
| Edgecombe |
32 |
46 |
38 |
40 |
| Forsyth |
366 |
1,199 |
895 |
667 |
| Franklin |
136 |
125 |
104 |
151 |
| Gaston |
284 |
211 |
346 |
162 |
| Gates |
12 |
10 |
14 |
8 |
| Graham |
24 |
30 |
30 |
23 |
| Granville |
34 |
55 |
56 |
33 |
| Greene |
8 |
19 |
10 |
16 |
| Guilford |
538 |
4,675 |
1,915 |
2,517 |
| Halifax |
45 |
43 |
41 |
48 |
| Harnett |
153 |
169 |
152 |
161 |
| Haywood |
59 |
84 |
82 |
62 |
| Henderson |
276 |
194 |
248 |
214 |
| Hertford |
24 |
20 |
19 |
22 |
| Hoke |
21 |
21 |
24 |
19 |
| Hyde |
9 |
10 |
15 |
4 |
| Iredell |
206 |
281 |
300 |
188 |
| Jackson |
28 |
43 |
40 |
32 |
| Johnston |
279 |
253 |
259 |
263 |
| Jones |
11 |
21 |
15 |
16 |
| Lee |
66 |
79 |
78 |
58 |
| Lenoir |
63 |
88 |
81 |
66 |
| Lincoln |
817 |
486 |
966 |
420 |
| McDowell |
91 |
73 |
108 |
54 |
| Macon |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Madison |
17 |
49 |
43 |
24 |
| Martin |
36 |
31 |
27 |
40 |
| Mecklnbrg
|
1,646 |
1,293 |
1,879 |
1,058 |
| Mitchell |
57 |
70 |
90 |
38 |
| Montgmry |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Moore |
566 |
496 |
879 |
208 |
| Nash |
117 |
166 |
142 |
136 |
| NewHanvr |
373 |
510 |
684 |
232 |
| Northmptn |
16 |
11 |
5 |
20 |
| Onslow |
75 |
99 |
94 |
84 |
| Orange |
289 |
359 |
283 |
348 |
| Pamlico |
38 |
27 |
40 |
25 |
| Pasquotnk |
39 |
38 |
50 |
25 |
| Pender |
24 |
65 |
48 |
42 |
| Perquimns |
27 |
22 |
34 |
16 |
| Person |
34 |
59 |
52 |
41 |
| Pitt |
193 |
203 |
178 |
219 |
| Polk |
41 |
25 |
47 |
22 |
| Randolph |
216 |
787 |
670 |
324 |
| Richmond |
25 |
51 |
45 |
31 |
| Robeson |
13 |
23 |
17 |
17 |
| Rocknghm |
24 |
462 |
187 |
231 |
| Rowan |
252 |
713 |
344 |
643 |
| Ruthrfrd |
152 |
85 |
168 |
70 |
| Sampson |
114 |
192 |
148 |
142 |
| Scotland |
28 |
36 |
28 |
37 |
| Stanly |
121 |
168 |
158 |
123 |
| Stokes |
563 |
1,032 |
759 |
799 |
| Surry |
65 |
147 |
110 |
87 |
| Swain |
22 |
5 |
26 |
2 |
| Trnsylvna |
112 |
141 |
186 |
81 |
| Tyrrell |
7 |
13 |
14 |
6 |
| Union |
1,041 |
851 |
880 |
1,001 |
| Vance |
24 |
29 |
24 |
28 |
| Wake |
2,496 |
2,441 |
3,189 |
1,798 |
| Warren |
15 |
15 |
14 |
17 |
| Washngtn |
25 |
11 |
22 |
12 |
| Watauga |
71 |
137 |
180 |
28 |
| Wayne |
187 |
217 |
239 |
160 |
| Wilkes |
138 |
425 |
376 |
160 |
| Wilson |
75 |
156 |
111 |
111 |
| Yadkin |
498 |
1,456 |
806 |
937 |
| Yancey |
245 |
225 |
201 |
269 |
| TOTALS |
19,886 |
30,405 |
27,924 |
21,230 |
|
