deborah ross

About 150 onlookers formed a standing room only crowd at a State Legislature meeting room for State Auditor Les Merritt's command performance at the Select Committee on Government and Election Reform. Merritt tried to explain away his sudden interest in State election law as an outgrowth of a strategic audit of DMV. He got off to a reasonable start but seemed to lose vigor and credibility the longer he talked especially during questions from committee members.

With Jim Black tangled up in ropes of his own making, positioning for Speaker of the North Carolina House is shifting into high gear. O-No! covered it today as did NC Policy Watch.

On Wednesday, three veteran lawmakers acknowledged their intentions to run for speaker if Black can't hold the position. Among them is Majority Leader Joe Hackney of Orange County, who previously had declined to talk about the possibility of a speaker's race. "It's obvious that there will be some people exploring that option as we go along, and I'd be one of them," Hackney said.

Via Exile on Jones Street: the House passed a bill that would prevent NC candidates from using campaign dollars for personal use. (This is already illegal in most other states.) A colloquy between Cary Allred (R) and Deborah Ross (D) is reported:

For example, today Rep. Carry Allred wondered if running for office drove him insane, would he be able to use campaign money for his psychiatrist? Ross replied that he probably could deduct the bills, but he would have to note the expense on his campaign finance report.

I really like Deborah Ross, but she dropped the ball here. The correct answer would be "If?"

I've posted several times now on Sue Myrick's grandstanding scheme to bully North Carolina, and pending further developments I should just let it go. But events conspire! Three NC State legislators and a high level staffer spoke to one of my classes today, and I got a chance to ask them about the situation.

Deborah Ross and Grier Martin, both Democratic members of the NC House representing parts of Wake County, sat on a panel with Republican Senator Richard Stevens (representing Cary) and Norma Mills, Chief of Staff for NC Senate President Pro Temp. Marc Basnight (D, Dare County). I asked them for their thoughts about the proposed legislation announced by Myrick, Foxx, Taylor, McHenry, and Jones that threatens to strip NC's federal highway dollars if the state doesn't change its driver's license policy. Nobody had good things to say.