Realtor Ticks

Usually BlueNC's Greg Flynn keeps his eye on the activities of the NC Association of Realtors, but I may have beaten him to the punch this morning.

The News and Observer is reporting that there is a feud brewing within the Association over the campaign to land transfer tax.

UPDATE: Greg is already 10-steps ahead of me on his blog, STOP The NC Home Ticks.

As many of you know, the North Carolina Senate has a long history of siding with special interests over the common good. That's exactly what happened when the Real Estate Lobby and Figure Eight Island millionaires teamed up last year to push The Inlet Stabilization Pilot Project bill through the Senate.

This bizarre and controversial bill would take a huge step back from the state’s existing policy prohibiting the construction of hardened structures (seawalls, jetties and groins) to protect private property. It passed the Senate overwhelmingly last year (quickly and without much notice).

This story slipped by me over the weekend, so special thanks to Chris Fitzsimon for covering things over at NC Policy Watch. For those of you who have been keeping up with the Realtor Ticks and their undue influence on public policy in North Carolina, go ahead and get out your bug spray. They're back.

The Realtors and homebuilders are clearly wealthy special interests that exert significant influence on elections and the state policymaking process. This weekend, the Charlotte Observer reminded us that state coastal management policy is also influenced by wealthy special interests, in this case by the well-heeled residents of Figure Eight Island, an exclusive, private, gated beach community just north of Wrightsville Beach.

I got your email today and I must tell you, I am scared.