The State Senate’s District 10 seat is open for the first time in more than 15 years, and the first candidate in what could be a crowded field this year announced his intention to run Friday.

Lenoir County Commissioner Chris Humphrey had planned to make a formal announcement a week or two from now, but said he was compelled to announce Friday when long-serving Sen. Charlie Albertson, D-Duplin, announced he would not seek re-election.

“On the heels of his announcement I felt that the citizens of this district (should know they) did have a viable option,” he said.

Humphrey, a Republican, made his announcement before the candidate filing period for this year’s elections begins Feb. 8

Source: Kinston Free Press

This announcement did not come as a total shock to the political establishment of North Carolina.  Senator Albertson has made noise about retirement during past legislative sessions and considering the current political environment, we are not surprised that the 78 year-old Democrat is calling it quits.

Albertson's district is rural and conservative.  The retirement of Albertson must have Republicans salivating.  This district is likely to be a pick-up for the GOP in November.

The retirement of Alberston combined with Senator David Hoyle shows that long-serving Democrats in conservative leaning districts are deciding to vacate their offices rather than fight for re-election in the fall.  As filing deadline approaches, eyes will be on other Democrats in conservative districts to see if they decide to seek another term.

One thing is for sure, the wind is at the backs of NC Republicans.  We will wait to see if that translates into a new majority party in the NC Senate and House of Representatives.  We feel Republicans have a greater chance of taking control of the Senate in 2010.

        

COLUMBIA, SC – The Barrett for Governor Campaign today announced via twitter [@greshambarrett] that it has raised more than $2 Million in the race for Governor of South Carolina. According to a state financial report the campaign will file Sunday, Barrett raised more than $379,000 in the final quarter of 2009, marking the fourth consecutive quarter that the campaign has exceeded the record-breaking fundraising pace set by Governor Sanford in the 2002 Republican Primary.

“Gresham’s finance totals are simply amazing given current economic conditions and the traditionally slow pace of fourth quarter fundraising,” said Barry Wynn, Barrett for Governor Finance Chairman and former Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. “His consistent continued fundraising success underscores the fact that Gresham’s proven leadership and unique ability to unite people behind his conservative vision for job creation has captured the support of South Carolinians from all walks of life.”

Barrett raised nearly $328,000 in new money and transferred more than $51,000 from his congressional account to the gubernatorial campaign, a process the campaign will continue throughout the election.

Including the newly raised money and transfers, the Barrett for Governor Campaign now has over $1.5 million cash on hand.

To View the Entire Release: Gresham Barrett Press Release

        

Here it is. Hot off the press! This week's calendar of events happening in the Triangle. If you have an event you wish to showcase on this blog, please email us at andrewjacksondem@gmail.com. Have a great week.<< MORE >>

Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate of the state’s 100 counties in November, the latest figures show.

The county’s figures surpassed Scotland County, which had maintained the highest unemployment rate in the state for nearly a year.

According to recent media reports, the swine flu epidemic may have caused Scotland County’s jobless rate to drop. Qual-Pak, which makes Purell hand sanitizer and wipes, was poised to close last year until the H1N1 epidemic took hold.

Just before it was set to close, the plant received 300 million orders and had to hire more people.

Larry Parker, a spokesman for the N.C. Employment Security Commission, said the job market is extremely tight in Edgecombe County.

“Much like Scotland County, the Rocky Mount area certainly has had its fair share of struggles when it comes to the unemployment rate, not only during this recession, but even a little bit prior to that,” he said.

Source: The Rocky Mount Telegram

Monday, The Jacksonian featured an article from The Fayetteville Observer regarding the unemployment rate in Scotland County which was the highest in the state as of the month of December.  As of Friday, Edgecombe County now has the highest rate of unemployment in North Carolina.

Both counties are rural and in dire need of a plan for economic development.  I will restate that I believe the underdevelopment in the state's rural economies is the most dire issue facing North Carolina.  This issue needs more than lipservice and talk from lawmakers. 

        

Long-time state Rep. Robert Grady announced Thursday that he plans to run for Onslow County Clerk of Court instead of seeking re-election to the General Assembly.

“Serving the people of Onslow County in the State House has been a part of my life for the past 24 years,” he said in a prepared statement. “I am grateful for the experience. And I will miss it.”

He served three terms on the Jacksonville City Council in the early 1980s and was elected to the N.C. House in 1986 as a Republican. He served 12 terms as a state representative.

While in the House, Grady served on the appropriations committee for education and Crime Control and Public Safety. Grady is also credited with helping to establish a veterans cemetery in Jacksonville and programs at Coastal Carolina Community College that allow students to receive a four-year degree without leaving Onslow County.

Source: Jacksonville Daily News

Robert Grady, a 12 term Republican representative, is vacating the general assembly to seek the office of Onslow County Clerk of Court.  As a ranking member of the minority party in Raleigh, had the GOP become the majority in the NC House Grady would have been in line for a big committee chairmanship.

Perhaps this signals that NC GOP Chair Tom Fetzer's claim that the Republicans will sweep all major offices and become the majority party in both houses of the general assembly is not the conventional wisdom of members in the GOP caucus and is another example of  his (Fetzer's) hot air!

        

Boeing Co. released some information Friday about the tax breaks it expects to receive from Charleston County in an effort to ease concerns that details of the deal will remain secret at least until after next week's vote.

No dollar figures were disclosed, but the aerospace giant said it would pay the same tax rate as the owner of an owner-occupied home -- 4 percent -- on its real and personal property for 30 years, if the terms are approved Tuesday.

The payment will be based on the total capital investment by Boeing, which picked North Charleston in the fall for a 3,800-worker aircraft assembly plant that is projected to cost $750 million. The amount will be fixed under a so-called fee-in-lieu of tax arrangement, which is a fairly common inducement for large businesses expanding to South Carolina. The dollar figure could change if Boeing adds to or reduces its local investment.

Source: The Charleston Post & Courier

Another example of incentives given to chosen corporations.   Not going to beat a dead horse by re-blogging my thoughts on this subject!

        

COLUMBIA -- As South Carolina's unemployment numbers continue to rise, a new legislative proposal could cut off jobless benefits for people shown to be users of illegal drugs.

Under the bill proposed by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, anyone now receiving unemployment benefits must first submit to a test for illegal drugs. If the test is positive, the benefits are cut off, and the applicant has to complete drug treatment before they are restored and must submit to random testing the future.

Failing a random test would shut off benefits until a second round of treatment is completed. A second failure would mean no benefits for a year.

Thomas, who said he introduced the measure at the prompting of business leaders, asserts the tests are necessary to get help for people struggling with drug addictions and to keep the unemployment benefit system from being abused.

"My concern is as much for those who are addicted or misusing drugs as for the folks that are paying the bills," Thomas said this week. "Ultimately, I think the question needs to be asked, 'Should unemployment be provided for people with ongoing drug problems, because they're using that unemployment money to feed the habit?"'

Source: The Aiken Standard

If public employees can be drug tested at any time as a condition of their employment in government, one can make a good argument that individuals receiving any form of public assistance should be subject to the same tests.  However, if South Carolina takes this step you can bet the court challenges will come. 

Personally, I think the federal government should apply the same principle to testing execs and employees of big business that received federal bail out monies. 

        

RALEIGH — Ask pretty much any political expert and they’ll tell you that what happens in North Carolina’s polling places next year will be tied to what happens in the state’s marketplaces.

“I’m going to watch unemployment numbers and housing starts and see what happens to the economy,” said Hunter Bacot, a political science professor and pollster at Elon University.

More than one political career, he said, may rise or fall with the economy, although your guess as to which ones might be as good as the experts’ at this point.

At this point in the 2008 campaign, former Sen. John Edwards was considered a viable presidential candidate, and national commentators had all but written off then-state Sen. Kay Hagan’s chances of knocking off Republican rock star Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

Source: The Greensboro News & Record

The Jacksonian's Predictions for 2010

• North Carolina Republicans will gain the majority in the North Carolina Senate and pick up seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
• Senator Richard Burr will squeak through re-election receiving 53% of the popular vote over Democrat Cal Cunningham.
• The unemployment rate one year from now will be close to 8% and GDP growth will show moderate progress signaling a recovery from the worst economic climate since the Great Depression.
• The North Carolina Tar Heels will lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• North Carolina State will fire coach Sidney Lowe at the end of another disappointing season.
• Mike Easley will escape indictment by a federal grand jury.

        

        

        

Fourteen years as Charlotte's mayor has proven a powerful resume-booster for Pat McCrory, who plans to put his experience to use in a new job: He's joined law firm Moore & Van Allen as a public policy consultant.

McCrory started Monday as the Charlotte firm's senior director of strategic initiatives. In that full-time position, he'll focus on helping clients on energy, the environment, transportation, governmental affairs and other issues and public policies.

"I see it as a wonderful opportunity to work with a Carolinas firm that's headquartered right here in Charlotte," McCrory said.

McCrory, a Republican, stepped down from the mayor's office last month.

Source: The Charlotte Observer

Unlike many working people in this economy, McCrory was able to leave one lucrative job for another lucrative position.  This move will allow McCrory more time to showcase his platform and spend time in both Raleigh and around the state speaking to organizations about his plans for North Carolina. 

Campaign 2012 for Governor has already begun!

        

LAURINBURG - James Ward has worked hard all his life. And the active 82-year-old Laurinburg man wants to work some more.

The only problem is, there aren't any jobs out there. Not for him, not for most people in Laurinburg or the rest of Scotland County.

Since the beginning of the year, the county has maintained either the highest, or one of the highest, jobless rates in the state.

In October, when the figures were last measured, the county's unemployment rate was at 17.2 percent - the highest in the state for the month.

And if you ask Ward, it doesn't seem to be improving.

After filling out several applications for jobs and spending time at the county's Employment Security Commission, Ward isn't exactly discouraged. But he knows enough to realize there simply aren't any jobs.

"We got a pretty little town," he said. "But nowhere to work."

Source: The Favetteville Observer

The economic fate of rural counties across North Carolina, and the country for that matter, have long been ignored by policy makers.  When the economy was doing well in the suburban and developing regions of the state, development to the poorer sections of the state was discussed but local governments find it is more difficult to intice individuals to relocate to a less developed communities for various reasons.  This issue has forced local governments to offer huge incentive packages that often only benefit the corporations if they decide to relocate.

As the economy improves slowly in the developed communities of North Carolina, it is of major importance that North Carolina does more to attract new industry and jobs to rural underdeveloped areas like Laurinburg/Scotland County.  I believe this issue of rural economic underdevelopment is the single most important issue facing North Carolina and hope to see more discussion from our leaders in Raleigh in the short session of the general assembly.

        

The recession will not go away easily.  It continues to have a bad effect on the ability of state legislators to craft new legislation or programs, apart from those that operate as tools to help ease citizen’s pain, such as fighting foreclosures, funding minimal government services or dealing with unemployment.  Lawmakers have to examine new ways to find funding to operate government, knowing that relying on stimulus spending from Washington is a temporary situation.  And to make matters worse, exacting governmental service cuts and tax increases at the same time is causing alienation from the voters.  But the mess we are in today comes from many years of misguided governing and will not be corrected overnight. 

Legislators will be making a series of difficult decisions about issues many would rather not deal with in an election year, but it cannot be avoided. Two broad issues to be considered are:

State Budget
North Carolina is constitutionally bound to balance its budget annually.  While this is fiscally prudent, it limits the State’s ability to fund projects or programs to do long-term stimulation of the economy or to create jobs.  It is important to remember, as well, that current monetary stimulation from Washington is temporary.  To fill the budget shortfalls, the State will need to find longer term solutions.  Presently, we are facing revenue shortages because fewer people are working and when people don’t work, they draw more on government services, such as welfare or unemployment insurance, and they pay less taxes and purchase fewer goods that would bring in sales tax revenue. 

Taxes
With dropping revenues and rising costs, many state legislatures in the past year have raised taxes, primarily income and sales taxes, and have expanded the base for sales taxes, including taxes on more business services.  Republicans have generally resisted these approaches, and it has been the Democrats who have mostly supported the increases.  But some budget shortfalls are so steep that even a few traditional Republican states have seen their leaders—if in power—broach the subject of raising taxes.  In North Carolina, naturally, the GOP has been strongly opposed to any tax increase, it seems, and it is a mystery how they would guide the State through this crisis, except to practically shut government down to meet the only governmental obligation they seem to be aware of: balancing the budget.  I think this is an example of the GOP knowing the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

These are tough times and I believe we must see legislators come together, no less than what we expect the people to do, in this financial crisis, and produce bi-partisan legislation to balance the State budget, while also funding basic government services and agreed to spending priorities that will grow jobs, prosper the economy, ensure a safe environment and keep people safe and secure.  This approach will require less quick fixes and more long term solutions.  The North Carolina General Assembly is facing issues too important to be voted upon by strictly party lines.  If the resulting legislation is right, it should be decided with more consensus than has been the case.  And when we do, we will see legislation that will find solutions that endure, not evaporate, under the changing tides of these recessionary times.  

**This blog post was authored by Charles Malone, candidate for North Carolina Senate Disctrict 15.  Mr. Malone is a contributing writer for The Jacksonian.  His column appears weekly on this blogsite.** 

 

        

Sources close to The Jacksonian have told us that Republican Congressman Henry Brown of South Carolina will retire at the end of the 2010 Congressional session.  Brown has served in the House since 2001.  Brown will announce his intention not to seek re-election at a 2 p.m press conference today.

Before serving in Congress, Brown was the chairman of the South Carolina House Ways and Means Committee. In 2008, he defeated Democrat Linda Ketner to win a fifth term in office by a thin margin.

        

Good afternoon and Happy 2010! To kick off the New Year, we are featuring "The Left Side Story," a weekly update on events happening throughout the Triangle on the Democratic side of the political spectrum. If you have an event you wish to promote on this blog, please feel free to contact The Jacksoninan at andrewjacksondem@gmail.com<< MORE >>

FAYETTEVILLE — The 19th Senatorial District Executive Committee will hold a special meeting in Fayetteville on Jan. 20 for the purpose of discussing the vacancy left by the retirement of State Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand last week.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Courtroom No. 3 on the second floor of the Cumberland County Courthouse, located at 130 Gillespie St. in Fayetteville.

The meeting is open to the public.

According to Melvin Williams, chairman of the 7th Congressional District Democratic Party, voting members of the executive committee will discuss potential candidates to replace Rand, who has held his Senate chair for the past 27 years.

Source: The Bladen Journal

        

Lawmakers and other officials who monitor state spending will get an unprecedented level of detail from a new state purchasing system, which the State Auditor’s office says has been plagued by cost and administrative problems.

Over the past year, the state budget has been squeezed by an economic downturn that has curbed revenue and driven up demand for services. In that light, the audit report on the e-procurement system offers both frustration and the hope of better understanding state spending.

First the bad news: In May 2000, the state contracted with Accenture to develop an e-commerce system through which the state could buy goods and services. Originally the state was supposed to take over the system by 2005.

But because of technical issues and budget restraints, Accenture is still running the system. That combined with a poorly worded contract extension ended up costing the state about $60 million, according to one comparison in the auditor’s report issued in December.

Source: The News-Record

This tracking system is an asset for policy makers as they attempt to ensure that public dollars are spent wisely by our state agencies.  It is sad that implementing this system took as long as it did but as the old saying goes, "better late than never!"  I hope the first audit will look at the community college and university system of North Carolina.  Ever been on a campus?  I have never seen so many changes for fraud and waste.

        

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, will moderate the state GOP’s gubernatorial debate, to be held on January 28 in Charleston.

Scarborough is host of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC.

"The South Carolina Republican Party is incredibly fortunate to have five great candidates running for governor, and we are fortunate to have a nationally recognized figure like Joe Scarborough here to highlight them," SC GOP Chairman Karen Floyd said. "Our Party has a winning message in South Carolina, one of cutting taxes, limiting government and expanding individual liberty, and we are looking forward to hearing each of our candidates weigh in on how they will advance those ideals."

Details of the debate will be announced later.

Source: South Carolina Republican Party and The State

I wish I lived closer to Charleston as I would love to watch the debate between GOP candidates for SC governor.  Joe Scarborough is an amazing journalist and does a wonderful job moderating debates.  If you are able to attend this event, I would make plans to be in Charleston on January 28!

        

With nearly 300 companies on its roster, from Accenture to Yahoo, the group stands out as a small island of ideological diversity in a sea of partisan polarization.

The group is for taxes or against them, depending on how they are structured; for more regulation or less of it, depending on what is being regulated; and for affordable housing, transportation financing and education reform.

A cynic might say the group’s guiding philosophy is a paraphrase of that old General Motors line: What’s good for Silicon Valley is good for California. And the group’s agenda for 2010 certainly reflects its narrow self-interest. But it goes deeper than that.

Source: The New York Times

        

Reporting from Washington - With the healthcare battle still unfinished, the Obama administration has been laying plans to take up an issue that could prove even more divisive -- a major overhaul of the nation's immigration system.

Senior White House aides privately have assured Latino activists that the president will back legislation next year to provide a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

In a recent conference call with proponents, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, political director Patrick Gaspard and others delivered the message that the White House was committed to seeing a substantial immigration bill pass and wanted to make sure allies were prepared for the fight.

In addition to the citizenship provision, the emerging plan will emphasize efforts to secure U.S. borders against those trying to cross illegally. But that two-track approach was rejected repeatedly in the past by Republicans and other critics who insist that a border crackdown must demonstrate its effectiveness before any action on citizenship is considered.

Source: The Los Angeles Times

We all remember how this debate split social and business conservatives in 2006-2007 when it was debated in the Republican controlled Congress.  This fracture has yet to heal within the GOP and is a perfect opportunity for Democrats to open some old wounds and perhaps halt Republican momentum and unity heading into the midterm elections.

This issue is long overdue for a comprehensive solution.  Our leaders must do more to strengthen our immigration laws to ensure legal entry into the US, while addressing the millions of immigrants who are living ihere with children born in the country.  There must be a remedy to make illegal immigrants citizens or residents with recourse to obtain taxes, etc.  We must also increase penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants for any reform to work.

It is time for real immigration reform in the United States that is fair and addresses all aspects of this complicated issue without demonizing a segment of our society with racial slurs and epithets.