Stability in power has drawbacks
Monday, May 29th, 2006
By Chris Fitzsimon
JACK BETTS
RALEIGH - If the legislature had been working on House Bills 1843 though 1851 as recently as, say, two years ago, its leaders might not be in the political jam they are today.
The bills are the recent work of the House Select Committee on Ethics and Government Reform, appointed by Speaker Jim Black, a Matthews Democrat, to develop a response to a host of allegations about lobbying, government ethics and legislative procedure. The bills address legislative and executive branch ethics, lobbyists regulations and campaign finance.
It was a tall order. For years, lawmakers have been operating in a way that many N.C. citizens find troubling.
They’ve heard the tales about private "pork barrel" funds, illegal campaign contributions, failure of paid lottery lobbyists to register, refusal of appointees to disclose financial ties to lottery interests, federal indictments and state charges of criminal wrongdoing.
And they wonder: How did a state whose leaders once boasted about clean government come to the point where a former agriculture commissioner and former state senator are serving time in federal prison, and rumors fly about more legal trouble ahead?
I’ve written about this before: Part of the answer is an entrenched political leadership that has had demonstrable benefits — and certifiable problems. The stable leadership has enabled the state to make progress in education and economic development. (more…)
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