Dan Besse Profiled in Charlotte, Raleigh Papers

From the News & Observer:

Besse's experience comes from three decades working for change at government's lower levels -- as a member of state environmental regulatory boards, as an attorney for the poor and as an activist for clean water, abortion rights and other causes.

The lieutenant governor's office, he said, should be used as a bully pulpit.

"That office represents an opportunity to get a new perspective into the policy mix at the state level," he said.

Beginning in 1983, Besse spent 10 years as a lawyer for indigent clients in the New Bern area before moving to Winston-Salem. In the '80s and '90s, he held leadership positions with several environmental groups, including the N.C. League of Conservation Voters, and he still edits the weekly electronic newsletter of the Conservation Council of North Carolina.

As a member of the state Environmental Management Commission, he played a key role in devising complex state regulations related to mercury, wetlands and air quality -- issues that pitted environmentalists against energy companies, developers and other industries. Besse pushed the rules through long, behind-the-scenes negotiations.

"He's a workhorse, not a show horse," said Bill Holman, an environmental secretary under Gov. Jim Hunt. "He's someone who listens carefully and does his homework and tries to work with key interests."

The Charlotte Observer tells the same story and closes with the following bio:

Dan Besse

Democrat.

Residence: Winston-Salem.

Age: 53.

Family: Wife, Kay House; no children.

Education: Law degree from UNC Chapel Hill, 1980; Bachelor's degree in political science from UNC Chapel Hill, 1977.

Profession: Lawyer focusing on nonprofits; occasional university instructor; former deputy director of local Planned Parenthood.

Political resume: Winston-Salem City Council, 2001-present; N.C. Democratic Party Executive Committee, 1995-present; N.C. Environmental Management Commission, 1993-2005; N.C. Coastal Resources Commission, 1985-1993; Unsuccessful candidate for N.C. House, 1998.

Top priority if elected? Environmental stewardship.

Of personal note: He has run marathons and ultra-marathons, once finishing a 100-mile race in just under 24 hours.

www.danbesse2008.org