North Carolina Republican state legislators have shifted appointments power over the Local Government Commission to the GOP-dominated legislature, in a move the Democratic governor says is an effort by Republicans to give power to their friends.
Gov. Josh Stein signed a
As the state's government now stands, with a Democratic governor and Republican-dominated legislature, the party-appointments to the LGC will go from five by Democrats and four by Republicans to two by Democrats and seven by Republicans. Further, one of the two Democratic-appointments, that by the governor, that had been made without legislature review will now have to be confirmed by the legislature.
In the new approach, Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall will lose her position on the board immediately.
"Almost 30 years of valuable input and institutional knowledge was superseded by a purely political power grab" WRAL news quoted Marshall as saying. Marshall has been secretary of state since 1997, winning eight statewide elections.
The governor still appoints the secretary of revenue, who serves on the commission.
In the new approach, the Senate President Pro Tempore will appoint two members, the Speaker of the house will appoint two members, and the state treasurer will appoint one member, as current terms of non-ex officio members come to an end. All three are currently Republicans. In North Carolina voters elect the treasurer directly. The legislature will have to approve all the commission members.
Earlier this month, before Stein signed the bill, he said, "This is all about on a partisan basis taking power away from Democrats and it's wrong…. Government should be about serving people. What they're trying to do is just move power so it goes to their friends."
The Republican treasurer, Brad Briner, who chairs the
Stein has also recently criticized the Republican shift of control over the state's election board to the Republican state auditor from the governor.
The new law allows the state Bureau of Investigations and State Highway Patrol to stand outside the oversight of the governor-controlled Department of Administration under certain circumstances. It requires some heads of state agencies appointed by the governor to gain Senate approval.
The Local Government Commission has approval power over locally proposed borrowings, issues all local debt directly from the commission, oversees the auditing of local governments, monitors local government fiscal health, and offers financial administration assistance to those governments.
