Guilford redistricting map: Meandering lines, party affiliation and voting history

Republicans put party registration before compactness and community cohesion in a new Guilford County Commission redistricting map rushed through the General Assembly this week.

“The county’s citizens would also be best served if the districts were balanced in regards to political parties as much as possible based on party registration, and the ratio for the county in the districts should have an equal number of Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, unaffiliateds, and even conservative voters — all based on the ratio of voters outside the voting rights districts in the county,” said Jeff Hyde, a founder of Conservatives for Guilford County, who ran unsuccessfully for NC Senate last year.

Hyde condemned a map submitted by Skip Alston, the commission’s Democratic chairman.

“Your current map stuffs, stacks and packs based on party affiliation and voting history,” he said. “This is the practice that the General Assembly wanted to discourage, and which is why they passed this bill.”

NC Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger responded to a complaint by Alston that he went back on his word by shepherding a bill through the Senate that took away the county commission’s power to draw its own map.

“The understanding I had was that they were going to draw competitive maps,” he said. “Unfortunately, what we saw as a result of that one map that Commissioner Alston had submitted was anything but competitive. There was discussion about a two-pronged process where they were still looking at the possibility of leaving the commission with 11 members.”

Berger said three Republican members of the county commission — Linda Shaw, Billy Yow and Mike Winstead — expressed concerns to him about the local redistricting process.

Berger said the purpose of the plan enacted by the General Assembly was to have “a situation where the maximum number of competitive districts were in place.”

Shaw described the plan somewhat differently yesterday.

“This is supposed to be five favoring Republicans and three favoring Democrats,” she said.

The three minority-majority districts are a lock for Democratic candidates. The remaining five districts are almost evenly split between in voter registration between the two parties. But judging by past history, Republican candidates would be favored to win.

The five districts would have consistently been carried by Republican candidates in the 2008 presidential, gubernatorial and US Senate elections, along with the 2010 US Senate election, with only two exceptions. District 5, which snakes up from downtown Greensboro up to Summerfield, would have been carried by Barack Obama in 2008 by a mere 50.0 percent. And Democrat Kay Hagan would carried all five districts in her 2008 US Senate campaign. But Hagan is an anomaly: 2008 was a year of pent-up Democratic mobilization, and as a Greensboro resident, Hagan enjoyed a home court advantage in Guilford County.

The map approved by the General Assembly features district lines that are even more contorted than those in the plan submitted by Alston.

“It’s almost like a bunch of snakes running around because it just meanders and meanders,” Commissioner Kay Cashion observed.

As a result it chops High Point up into three separate districts. The city is currently represented by two district commissioners.

Republican Commissioner Bill Bencini, who lives in High Point, is drawn into a district comprised of only 35.9 percent High Point voters. Another district in the western part of the county, which will be an open seat, has an electorate that is majority High Point voters. About 60 percent of the new District 1, a minority-majority district is in High Point.

Cashion is drawn into a district with Shaw that radiates out from UNCG out to Stokesdale in the county’s northwest corner. Democrats hold a slight edge in voter registration in the new District 3, but Republicans John McCain, Pat McCrory and Richard Burr would have carried the district respectively in the 2008 presidential election, 2008 gubernatorial election and 2010 US Senate election.

Berger blamed the Voting Rights Act for the tortured electoral lines evident in the map enacted by the General Assembly. But maps submitted to the county redistricting committee by the Guilford County Republican Party and by Keith Brown, a blogger who is active in the Republican Party, feature compact districts.

“I did and have seen that map, as well as other maps that have been available,” Berger said. “You know, I’m not saying that there’s only one way to do this. I do think the map adopted by the General Assembly is competitive. That’s the primary concern of those who called me. That was the primary focus of their attention. They wanted a situation where the quality of the candidate and the quality of the message would be the deciding factor for how elections turn out.”

Consistent with their rhetoric throughout the redistricting process, Democrats have charged that the Republicans are using race to maximize their partisan advantage. Sen. Don Vaughan, a Greensboro Democrat, echoed that complaint in remarks about the Guilford County Commission redistricting plan enacted by the General Assembly.

“It’s a pattern of segregation: Putting minority folks all into the same area for voting purposes,” he said. “It’s packing.”

In fact, the three minority-majority districts in the map adopted by the General Assembly share similar contours with other proposed plans, including some submitted by Democrats. The new map increases black voting age population in two of the districts only slightly in two districts: From 47.7 percent to 50.7 percent in the district represented by Davis, and from 63.7 percent to 64.3 percent in the district represented by Commissioner Carolyn Coleman. In a third district, represented by Alston, black voting age population decreases from 62.0 percent to 59.9 percent.

Considering that Guilford County is covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, the county attorney is required to submit the map to the US Justice Department for preclearance. Part of what the Justice Department will be scrutinizing is whether the plan is retrogressive, that is, whether it makes black voters worse off than before.

The process, if not the contents of the map, could present a challenge.

“Under the regulations governing Section 5, one of the required pieces of information is, what role did minorities play in the development of the plan and the enactment of it?” said Gerry Cohen, director of bill drafting for the Fiscal Research Division in Raleigh. “So that’s one of the things that the county attorney is going to have to submit. I would guess he or she will be checking with folks here or in Greensboro to find out if that happened.”

There was no public hearing on the map before the General Assembly approved it, and the bill that was enacted does not allow the Guilford County Commission to put the matter to a referendum by the voters.

Targeting key voter demographics in Guilford

President Obama and the Democratic Congress’ agenda hangs in the balance of the national outcome of today’s election. It’s also a crucial contest for a number of Democrats who either hold state office or are seeking it. In Guilford County, two of the tightest races are in NC House District 59, where 16-year Democratic veteran Maggie Jeffus is attempting to fend off a challenge from Republican Theresa Yon, and in the three-way contest for the open NC Senate District 28 seat between Democrat Gladys Robinson, Republican Trudy Wade and independent Bruce Davis.

Enter Yvonne Johnson, whose reelection defeat in last year’s Greensboro mayoral race, ushered in conservative control of city council. Johnson’s loss by 921 votes to Bill Knight came as a surprise to many of her supporters.

Johnson said she recorded a robo-call that went out to households where registered Democrats live with a message that highlighted the consequences of political complacency.

“I basically told people what happened last year about this time, because 10 percent of people came out to vote and the difference in turnout was just enough for me to lose my race,” Johnson said. “I said, ‘Get out and vote so some of these extremist people don’t get in power.”

That message could prove critical for Jeffus, along with Democrat Don Vaughan, who is defending his District 27 seat in the NC Senate. Democrats enjoy a significant advantage in each candidate’s district in voter registration, but Republicans tend to demonstrate more consistent turnout and have shown greater enthusiasm this year. Several precincts in northeast Greensboro where Johnson is a resident and household name hold deep reserves of registered Democrats, and their turnout could be critical to Jeffus’ and Vaughan’s reelection prospects.

Johnson’s call also likely benefits Gladys Robinson, the Democrat in the NC Senate District 28 race. Robinson is expected to split the vote of Democrats and African Americans with Bruce Davis, leaving Trudy Wade to pick up the Republican vote and a good portion of independents.

Wade has her own liabilities to overcome as a white conservative candidate in a district in which black voters outnumber their white counterparts, and a postcard sent out by her campaign last week seeks to mitigate against any racial solidarity black voters might feel towards Robinson and Davis.

“Trudy sent out an postcard with my picture on it and her picture side by side saying Trudy Wade and Yvonne Johnson talk about issues important to the African-American community,” Johnson said. “It gave a lot of people the impression that I support her. She didn’t get my permission and she didn’t inform me about it. I didn’t even know about it until I got my copy in the mail.”

Johnson said she is not backing any of the three candidates in the race.

“You’ve got two very capable African Americans running, so I have not been endorsing anyone,” she said. “I went out to the polls and voted for the person I thought would do the best job.”

Early indicators

As with the rest of the country, interviews with voters in Guilford County today indicate that the key question at stake in this election is whether President Obama's agenda deserves support or repudiation and whether the president's party should retain control of Congress. A similar dialectic plays out in state legislative races, with unrest among voters and Republican challengers highlighting the fact that Democrats have long controlled the General Assembly in Raleigh.

Against the expectation of a Republican wave, some glimmers of hope have appeared today for Democrats hoping to pull out tight races against GOP opponents. Compared to their registration numbers, Democrats in NC Senate District 28 turned out for early voting at higher levels than their Republican counterparts, while enthusiasm appeared to be about equal between the two parties in NC House District 59. And even in Republican leaning precincts in Greensboro's Irving Park neighborhood, along with Brown Summit and Jamestown, voters could be readily found who explicitly mentioned a desire to give President Obama more time to try to succeed in getting the nation out its economic slump.

Other indicators appear to favor the Republican Party. Long lines were reported this morning and high early voting numbers were logged at precincts that tend to be affluent and Republican-leaning. The Guilford County Board of Elections reports that voters waited for 45 minutes in one precinct in High Point, where additional interest has been generated by a municipal election for mayor and city council.

Before daylight, Cecil Livengood walked into First Baptist Church in Greensboro for Bible study. The church is a polling place for precinct G12, but Livengood had already voted. The registered Republican exemplifies the kind of passion and conviction his party hopes will batter down Democratic ramparts.

"They're a bunch of knuckleheads out there," Livengood said, when asked how he felt about the battle over the nation's direction. "They're trying to take this country to socialism with Obama as dictator."

Yet just as typical was Brian Haidinger, an accounts manager for a national office products company, who was headed out of Jamestown Town Hall after being told that he was at the wrong polling place.

"I'd like to see us continue on the path we're on to see if we can put some of these programs into place," said Haidinger, who is registered as an unaffiliated voter. "Everyone who says Obama has gotten nothing accomplished in two years and is driving the this country off the rails, it's utterly ridiculous. They don't remember where we were in January 2009. Anyone who says this country is going in the wrong direction, they haven't been paying attention. Private sectors jobs have been growing for nine months straight."

Wade among candidates receiving law enforcement endorsement

The NC Police Benevolent Association, representing law enforcement employees from across the state, has announced its election endorsements.

The endorsement likely to carry the most weight in the Piedmont Triad region of the state is the association’s nod to Republican Trudy Wade in the NC Senate District 28 race. The district leans Democratic, but the entry of Bruce Davis — a registered Democrat who serves on the Guilford County Commission and is running as an independent — potentially spoils the race for Democratic nominee Gladys Robinson.

“During the interview process Trudy Wade demonstrated why her experience makes her uniquely qualified to represent the voters of District 28,” the association said. “She also demonstrated to the NCPBA that she is committed to making strong, effective law enforcement a priority in her campaign.”

The association also endorsed Democratic incumbent Don Vaughan, whose Republican challenger is Jeff Hyde, for the NC Senate District 27 seat. Likewise, the association is supporting Democratic incumbent Pricey Harrison over Republican challenger Jon Hardister in the NC House District 57 matchup.

Curiously, the association made no endorsement in NC House District 59 races contested between Democratic incumbent Maggie Jeffus and Republican challenger Theresa Yon.

Other endorsements include Democrat Elaine Marshall for US Senate, Robert C. Hunter for NC Supreme Court, incumbent Martha Geer for NC Court of Appeals, challenger Jane Gray for the Court of Appeals seat currently held by Ann Marie Calabria and incumbent Rick Elmore for Court of Appeals.

State legislative candidates square off at Greensboro forum

Republican Jeff Hyde (left) and Democrat Don Vaughan address voters.

The Clean Smokestacks bill, a piece of legislation passed by the NC General Assembly in 2002, became a reference point for an open debate about the role of government in regulating business during a candidate forum tonight at Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro.

“The environment for small business in North Carolina is a poor one,” said Jeff Hyde, the Republican candidate for NC Senate District 27. “We are overtaxed, over-regulated and the mandates that come down from government for business activity are stifling.”

Irwin Smallwood, a retired News & Record managing editor, probed Hyde on the point, asking him to name three regulations he would repeal.

“One instance would be we required Duke Power a couple years ago to spend $3 million to clean smokestacks on the idea that there would be a significance difference in the emissions of those smokestacks,” Hyde responded. “Since it’s been done, there’s no discernible effect. They’ve done exactly what the state asked them to do. And yet what’s happened [is] our energy costs have gone up.”

Hyde’s Democratic opponent, freshman Sen. Don Vaughan, was given an opportunity to speak, but steered away from conflict. Vaughan said that he believes in a free enterprise system and generally favors less regulation on business, and pivoted to a different issue: “I think our teachers are over-regulated in the classroom. I think we should give them more ability to handle their problems without having to go up the food chain.”

Pricey Harrison, the Democratic incumbent in the NC House District 57 race, used part of her allotted time to chastise Hyde.

“The Clean Smokestacks bill is one of the best things we’ve ever done to clean up the air here in North Carolina,” she said. “It reduced emissions by more than 70 percent and it’s been a tremendous tool. And we have lower asthma rates; we can actually document that.”

Harrison and her Republican opponent, Jon Hardister, sketched out different political philosophies, but remained cordial and avoided direct challenges against each other on the issues.

The two candidates demonstrated different approaches in response to a question about what services they would cut to make up an expected budget shortfall next year.

“Clearly, if we cut $3 billion out of a $19 billion budget, that 15 percent of what’s out there is going to be pretty serious, and I think we’ll set ourselves back decades in terms of the investments in education and quality of life – I think will severely undermine us," Harrison said. "I think there’s a place where we can cut, but we’re going to have to have some alternatives. Close the tax loopholes. There are a ton of those out there. That’s been sort of forbidden ground. A $100 million bank tax loophole. There are things like that out there we can look at. Review the whole tax code. I’m not an expert. There are ways to create more equity in the tax code because we don’t really have that in the tax code right now. But there’s some pork in the budget, and I’m frustrated by that. I tried to lead the charge to eliminate that $10 million subsidy that was going to the UNC Booster Club and opposed that mega port that was never going to get permitted. There are things like that in the budget, but I don’t think it’s going to add up to $3 billion. It might be a half billion.”

Hardister responded, “The first thing we’ve got to do is what you hear politicians say all the time: You’ve got to go through the budget line by line. We need to start doing that, but in particular, we need to go to zero-based budgeting. After that, to look for wasteful spending I would start with corporate subsidies and corporate incentives, excessive possible entitlement programs, and the discretionary spending. We need to really put a hold on discretionary spending until we get the budget under control. And then I think we need spending caps. We need a constitutional amendment that pegs allowable spending with changes in inflation and population. Because North Carolina for years our population has increased, but spending increased at a faster rate, so we need to tie the two together and also put a formula in there for inflation.”

Sparks flew between Republican Theresa Yon (right) and Democrat Maggie Jeffus, who are competing for the NC House District 59 seat.

Remarks by Democratic incumbent Maggie Jeffus and Republican challenger Theresa Yon, who are vying for the neighboring House District 59 seat, provided more discernible contrasts for voters.

Asked to provide an example of wasteful spending, Yon mentioned the state film tax credit, which was increased from 11 percent to 25 percent in the most recent session.

“The state of North Carolina taxpayers will now pay 25 percent of the cost of making movies,” Yon said. “It’s projected to cost us $160 million over the course of the next few years. Do we really want the taxpayers to pay $160 million?”

Jeffus defended the use of incentives to maintain the film industry in North Carolina.

“You all remember ‘Dawson’s Creek’?” she asked. “That has left. We have lost to Louisiana. We’ve lost to Canada. We’ve lost to Mississippi. We’ve lost to Georgia. The governor was right on the verge of – back in the long session, I guess – of announcing a film that was being filmed in North Carolina. She was sure we would get it. Only to find out the next day that Georgia got it. These film people, the people that produce them, they bring jobs into North Carolina. Guilford County does have a film office here, and films have been shot here in Greensboro and High Point – all around. So we’re talking about jobs. Construction. Production. Directors. Costumes. They stay in hotels and motels. They buy food. It’s just a no-brainer. We need jobs. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Yon retorted, “‘Dawson’s Creek’ went off the air; it’s not filmed anymore.”

Yon and Jeffus also parted ways on the issue of education, specifically on a proposal by Yon to require that a minimum of 65 cents of every dollar allocated for education be spent in the classroom.

“I know my opponent has come out against that publicly,” Yon said. “She says it will tie the hands of local education agencies, and I disagree. Guilford County may use that extra money in the classroom to pay teachers bonuses. Forsyth County might use it to buy textbooks. Another county might use it to replace their arts and music programs they’ve had to cut. Another county might decide, ‘We need an after-school reading program.’ But it’s spent in the classroom. If we took just three cents more of every single dollar and spent it in the classroom, that’s $210 million more in our schools without raising your taxes. The lady in maroon asked earlier if we can cut some administration. Yeah, I think we can cut some administration and put it in the classroom.”

Jeffus acknowledged her difference of opinion.

“I do oppose the 65 cents in the classroom,” she said. “I want everything that we can get for the schools and for the classes and for the children. She does not understand how the budget is done. And we do need to give them flexibility. It will tie their hands. That’s one of the things we do – we give a great deal of flexibility to the [local education agencies], and each LEA is different. What we need in Guilford County, they might not need in Carteret County or someplace else – Hoke County – so that they have the flexibility to do what they need to do. And I think most of them do a diligent job of putting it into the classroom. And a great deal of our education money goes to teacher salaries.”

Yon found an unlikely ally for her initiative in Marcus Brandon, the Democratic candidate for House District 60, who noted in his remarks that he was not opposed to mandating that 65 cents out of every dollar be spent in the classroom.

Brandon's Republican opponent, Lonnie R. Wilson, outlined a conservative Christian political ideology.

“Believe me, when you get up here, the elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top as much as it usually does, and you can’t remember everything you want to say," he said. "So I’m going to have to read some of my stuff. And I do believe this stuff that I’m reading. I do believe ‘In God we trust.’ And I do believe that our representatives should defend our ancient landmarks of Judeo-Christian values. And those we send to Raleigh should do that. And I am a conservative; I am a Republican. This is my first run for office, and maybe the only one.”

Broader themes related to longstanding Democratic control of the General Assembly and a the possibility of a Republican majority after the coming election emerged in an exchange between Republican John Blust and Democrat Alma Adams, who respectively face nominal opposition in their quest for reelection in safe districts 62 and 58. Libertarian Jeffery Simon and Republican Darin H. Thomas – neither of whom was present – are respectively seeking the District 62 and District 58 seats.

“The process is broken,” Blust said. “You see it in Washington. You see it in Raleigh. Rep. Jeffus just told you the decisions are all made in Room 612. And I’ve been out on the block before. I’ve knocked on over 13,000 doors in this community, and I’ve won elections, and I’m entitled to a seat in the room where the decisions are made. I can’t use force and I can’t be violent, but I resent that I’m shuffled off because, ‘You’re in the minority and you don’t get to. We’ll tell you and we’ll come out and we’ll give you a 300-page bill and you’re supposed to vote for it or you’re against education. You’re against the children.’

“And I’ve heard that over and over, and I’ve still studied,” he continued. “I’ve come up with proposals. When we redid the budget a couple years ago, I had five or six amendments. I run an amendment every budget. They set the process up so you can’t touch the decisions they’ve made in the back room. And it’s wrong. It has got to be opened up. The answer to the budget would be, let all 120 House members have some say. I resent it. It really angers me. I hear the same thing on television. I hear it out of the president. I hear it out of the Houser speaker. ‘The Republicans are the party of no, and they don’t have any ideas.’ If I don’t have any ideas, then you can let me in Room 612 and I won’t do a thing because I don’t have any ideas. But I have ideas.”

Blust added, “If Marcus Brandon wins and the Republicans have the majority – I’m more hopeful than ever – If Alma wins, I am not going to let the Republicans arrange that House the same way and say, ‘You don’t get to represent your people.’ It’s a blight on our constitution, our way of government. And we’re going to have to be willing as Republicans to lose some votes because we might run something and instead of getting people by cajoling them and threatening and having a $128,000 base-pay speakers aide go whisper in your ear, ‘We don’t have the votes, can you leave?’ let the body work. You might find the budget gets better. The process will work. The genius of our republic will let us pass good, solid budgets.”

Adams – like Jeffus, a senior budget writer – disputed Blust’s assertion that the room where the Appropriations Committee meets is closed, adding that it’s natural that the party in control will limit participation from minority members.

“I don’t want anybody to think that 612 is closed,” she said. “Rep. Blust, I don’t know how many times you’ve been in there. The door’s always open. The process – Rep. Blust was there when the Republicans were in control. The process – now, I’ve been there 16 and a half years – the process has never changed, no matter who’s in control. But we do work together. But there are some philosophical differences that are probably always going to exist. Now, how you change that I don’t know. I haven’t been able to change it in 16 years. When Speaker Brubaker was speaker when I came there or after I came there, I was silenced and could not present my amendments or speak. Some of those things are probably never going to go away. But I don’t want people here to think that we don’t collaborate and put legislation together. I mean, I filed a number of bills with three Republican women. I chaired the women’s caucus that actually the Republicans put me in. There is some civility. Whether that process is going to change from historically the way it is, I’m not sure how much we can do about that.”

Gladys Robinson was the lone candidate present for the NC Senate District 28 race. Republican Trudy Wade and independent Bruce Davis will also be on the ballot. Wade was unable to attend because she was participating in a previously scheduled neighborhood walk in the Greensboro City Council district that she represents.

Prompted by supporter Lewis Brandon, Robinson knocked Wade for a unanimous decision by the city council last month to delay approval of a $5 million federal grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide weatherization for buildings in east Greensboro last month. Minutes from the council's Sept. 21 meeting state, "Council discussion focused on the potential consequences of loan defaults and the City’s assumption of financial responsibility."

“I think it’s a travesty," Robinson said. "What we’re talking about now is how to grow jobs so we can improve the economy. So any source – federal or state or businesses or whatever – we can get to come into Guilford County that promotes jobs, we know that weatherization means better use of our energy, for one thing. But it also means that it’s low-income people whose houses can be weatherized, can have more efficient living. It also means jobs. And that’s critical. So I think that any of us who say we want to go to Raleigh and we want to create jobs to improve the economy, if we’re not supporting that and if the city council’s not supporting that and my opponent, then I’m not sure that those are the kind of people that we want in Raleigh.”

Democrats stand ground at Greensboro candidate forum

Don Vaughan, the freshman Democratic state senator who represents District 27, made a preemptive strike against an expected Republican onslaught during remarks tonight at a candidate forum sponsored by WOMAN at Mahi’s Seafood Restaurant in Greensboro.

Brandishing a copy of the News & Record, Vaughan made the case that the state is on the right track under its current leadership.

“I’m not going to bring you any doom and gloom,” he said. “I’m going to bring you fairly decent news right now. Now things have been bad, but by golly, if you saw Saturday’s paper, you know they’re starting to get better. And the headline here says, ‘North Carolina helping to lead nation to recovery.’ Things are starting to happen because of some things we did in the North Carolina Senate are helping to make this recovery. If you read this article, if you read USA Today, if you read the Wall Street Journal today, you know that this state and its policies – these are independent sources – things are beginning to work and things are beginning to turn around thanks to what has been done in Raleigh.”

Tea Party favorite Jeff Hyde, Vaughan’s Republican opponent, responded directly.

“Senator Vaughan just held up a newspaper article; it said, ‘North Carolina leads the nation out of recovery,’” Hyde said. “You know, those same newspaper sources said that we’ve been out of our recession since June of 2009, but we’ve heard speaker after speaker tonight talk about the anxiety that they have about the future of our schools, about prosperity in North Carolina, about the 19 months of double-digit unemployment.”

Hyde argued that if North Carolina scales back the size of its government based on the principles of the federal and state constitutions, it will enjoy prosperity again.

The appearance of the Democratic and Republican candidates for District 28 seat opened with the retirement of Sen. Katie Dorsett also presented a contrast for voters. Independent candidate Bruce Davis was not present.

Gladys Robinson, the Democratic nominee, acknowledged her lack of elective experience, and instead highlighted a range of civic activities.

“I am a community leader,” she said. “People say, ‘You’re not an elected official.’ Well, you get your best training in the community. I’m a PTA life member, and you really learn a lot in education. I was one of those persons on redistricting that advocated to merge three systems so we would have equity in pay for our teachers, so we could build buildings and schools across this entire county, so we would have good education for our children. I’ve been on the UNC Board of Governors for 10 years, and on that board we have built new facilities in our universities. We’ve instituted new programs.”

Republican Trudy Wade, a practicing veterinarian and a member of the Greensboro City Council who has also served on the Guilford County Commission, stressed her empathy with struggling business owners.

“I talk to clients all the time about how bad it really is,” she said. “But I sent out a fundraising letter like we all do. And if anybody knows about fundraising at this time, it’s terrible because the economy’s so bad. But I got one letter back from a veterinarian. And she sent 15 dollars. And she said, ‘It’s really all I have. And I wanted to send it because things are so bad that I knew you, being a veterinarian and a businesswoman, would understand that I can’t meet my loan payments. We may go out of business. I’ve had to let my employees go. But I’m sending you this 15 dollars in the hopes that people like you will get elected.’”

Wade added, “I can promise you that if I’m elected I’m going down there and I’m going to try to cut taxes, stimulate business, bring new businesses here and do what we need to do to bring North Carolina back to being competitive in this market and to bring new jobs here and get our people back to work and help the businesses that are here to continue to expand and supply jobs for all our people.”

Two candidates in the crowded race to replace state appellate judge Jim Wynn also made their pitch to voters.

Cressie Thigpen, who was appointed by Gov. Beverly Perdue to fill Wynn’s unexpired term, said, “I really didn’t know I could attract such a crowd. I kind of feel like Forrest Gump in the scene where Forrest is running and he’s got bullies after him, and his friend says to him, ‘Run, Forrest, run.’”

Stan Hammer, a Greensboro resident who practices law in High Point, said, “I’ve practiced law for nearly 25 years. I’m passionate about the law, and I’m passionate about public service. And I’m passionate about being able to work in a forum that will do justice and apply the rule of law for everyone.”

Hammer rapped the microphone to arrest a hum of feedback. Later, when another speaker was beset by the same problem, a murmur could be heard from the crowd: “Give ’em the Hammer.”

Thigpen and Hammer have 11 other opponents in the race.

Rep. Alma Adams, the Democratic incumbent in NC House District 58, played to an audience preference for her party by taking additional time at the end of the program to make the point that the Nov. 2 vote is “a critical election,” adding, “Whoever wins it depends on who turns out.”

Adams is defending her seat against Republican Darin H. Thomas.

Kay Cashion, who is running unopposed this year for her seat on the Guilford County Commission, came to the aid of her fellow Democrats by singing the praises of Adams and Maggie Jeffus, who represents NC House District 59.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank two representatives here tonight for the work that they did to salvage the funding for our two shelters at Family Services," Cashion said. "If you read the paper recently you will remember that funding was supposed to be cut in half – it would have just been devastating – for the High Point shelter and the Greensboro shelter. Rep. Jeffus and Rep. Adams and Sen. Katie Dorsett and Rep. Laura Wiley worked very hard to get this funding restored for this year, and I think we owe them a great round of applause.”

Candidate profile: Don Vaughan

Sen. Don Vaughan greets Jeannie Krulish, a Guilford County special education bus driver and member of Teamsters Local 391.

On Tuesday at the NC General Assembly, Sen. Don Vaughan seemed to be lord of the animal kingdom. One moment, he was running a bill to enhance sentencing for people that heinously torture and abuse animals. The next he was shepherding a surprisingly difficult bill to enable the city of Greensboro to relocate beavers.

“Are you ready for the Don Vaughan show?” asked Sen. Martin Nesbitt, the Asheville Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary I Committee.

Vaughan, a Greensboro Democrat who is completing his first two-year term in the Senate, described the provisions of the bill, which now awaits Gov. Beverly Perdue’s signature after received a unanimous vote of approval in the Senate today. But the real star was Susie herself, the dog who is the bill’s namesake, who sat with her supporters in the front row, nuzzled her owner’s hand, flopped down on the floor, rolled over and stretched out to show off her belly to the lawmakers.

Her ears are missing and patches of missing hair spot her body, but her sweet nature and harrowing back story — in 2009, she was set on fire, left for dead and later discovered with a broken jaw and maggots covering her body — make her as effective an advocate as one could find.

Controversial and non-budget related legislation is typically not considered during the short session, which falls on every even-numbered year. Vaughan said the bill initially ran into opposition from the dog-breeding industry, whose representatives worried that its provisions could be used against people who use shock collars to train pets. But Susie’s compelling story and the popularity of the cause she represents helped knock down the obstacles.

“You’re certainly getting special dispensation to get this heard in the short session,” Nesbitt said. “We probably didn’t follow the rules, but Sen. Don Vaughan never seems to pay attention to the rules anyway.”

A former Greensboro city councilman, Vaughan was elected to fill the NC Senate seat vacated by Kay Hagan in 2008. District 27, which covers much of Greensboro, seat leans heavily Democratic.

Vaughan’s Republican challenger, Jeff Hyde, is a small businessman who helped organize this spring’s Greensboro Tea Party event. Hyde is banking on a rising tide of conservative discontent to carry him to victory in the fall.

The incumbent Democrat’s advantages are formidable, however. Vaughan’s political experience, both as an elected official and a onetime Raleigh lobbyist, coupled with an energetic and amiable personal style, have translated into a campaign war chest of $77,009. Hyde, in comparison, has not reported raising any money. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 2.

The second animal bill on Vaughan’s calendar Tuesday did not fare so well.

At the initiative of Greensboro City Councilwoman Trudy Wade, a veterinarian by profession, the city of Greensboro has requested enabling legislation to allow it to relocate beavers that are creating a nuisance by damming up North and South Buffalo Creeks. The city discovered that the beavers were being euthanized after being trapped, and has pursued a policy of harassment with mixed results.

Before heading into a Senate State and Local Government Committee hearing, where the beaver relocation bill was on the agenda, Vaughan corralled representatives of the interested parties into his office to try to hash out a viable compromise. Representing the city of Greensboro were Associate General Counsel Thomas D. Carruthers and Stormwater Manager David Phlegar. Gordon Myers and Sarah Clapp negotiated on behalf of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

“We’ve had problems with beaver dams,” Carruthers explained. “We’ve tried a harassment policy, which hasn’t worked. We have landowners who want to attempt to relocate the beavers. I say attempt because we know beavers have a mind of their own.”

“Beavers will be beavers,” Vaughan offered helpfully.

Myers said he had already spoken to Wade about the issue, and explained why his agency would be loathe to consider allowing the city to relocate the beavers.

“With beaver management, we spend about a million dollars a year,” he said. “There’s a lot of damage to statewide to highways and private property from beavers due to inundation and flooding. The question is, who determines the suitability of the habitat? What happens when the beaver creates a greater problem when it goes off the property where you’ve moved it?”

One idea the city has explored is relocating the beavers to a site in Davidson County where property owners are willing to accept them. Myers made it clear that he was implacably opposed to any arrangement that involved transporting beavers across county lines. Another option under consideration by the city is to move the beavers to the TZ Osborne Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is within the corporate limits of the city.

It looked like the two sides were at loggerheads. While the tenor of discussion was friendly Vaughan appeared resigned.

“I guess we’ll have to move the bill through and see what the committee says,” he said.

Then Clapp asked whether the city would consider narrowing the bill to specifically list the sites from which the beavers would be removed.

“Do it on a trial basis, maybe sunset it after one year,” Myers suggested. “Establish a relationship between you and us where I help you with some engineering technologies.”

“We could put the names of the creeks in the bill,” Vaughan said. “It’s essentially North and South Buffalo Creeks. We’re at the headwaters of the Cape Fear River. We could say that they must be moved within the city limits of Greensboro. How about that?”

Reception to the bill from other lawmakers on the State and Local Government Committee was mostly mocking.

“The city of Greensboro has a problem,” Vaughan said, “and the only way it has to solve the problem is to come to the General Assembly. It’s probably not the biggest problem Greensboro has had, but it’s a problem nonetheless. Little did I know that it would be a heck of a situation with a lot of different parties. We can trap the beavers, but we can’t move them without killing them. What we are trying to do is find a solution without killing the beavers.”

The representatives of the city and the wildlife resources commission presented their respective arguments, and Vaughan pulled it before it could come to a vote, indicating he would bring it back the next week. Meanwhile, the bemused lawmakers laughed among themselves and wondered aloud why anyone would want to save the critters.

“If you’re going to move the beavers, make sure you keep them in the city of Greensboro,” said Sen. Michael Walters (D-Hoke). “We don’t want them in eastern North Carolina.”

A textile executive in his early thirties, Vaughan falls squarely in the business wing of North Carolina’s Democratic Party. He has been involved with the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization devoted to limited government and free-market principles, since the 1980s. Yet, as a lifelong Greensboro resident, Vaughan has forged a densely woven network of alliances across a wide spectrum of ideologies, thanks to his approachable manner and interest in a broad array of issues.

On Tuesday, before the beaver hearing, the senator invited a delegation of special education bus drivers and school cafeteria workers from Guilford County that were represented by Teamsters Local 391 into his office for an unscheduled visit.

“We’re in the senator’s office — yeah!” enthused Jeannie Krulish as the group huddled around Vaughan for a picture. The handful of members went through their agenda, repeating as a mantra: “We need a voice.”

One of their demands is that the state refrain from imposing a furlough — a measure to save money by requiring employees to take unpaid leave from work.

“I’m not with you on this, as you know,” Vaughan said, before recommending that they speak with Sen. Linda Garrou, whose leadership position at the Senate Appropriations Committee gives her extraordinary sway over the question.

Vaughan likewise appeared unmoved by the drivers' argument that they should have collective bargaining rights. Unlike their counterparts in the classroom, who are represented by the NC Association of Educators, the bus drivers represented by the Teamsters say they do not receive paid training even though they are responsible for transporting students with acute disabilities.

“You might be pulled over on the side of the road in an emergency,” Krulish said. “You might have a kid that has a trach that needs to be cleaned.”

Mary Donaldson, a special education bus driver and shop steward added, “They don’t want us to come inside, but we transport the kids to and from school. They put bathrooms outside. That was just inappropriate for women. No employee should be treated that way. We need a voice.”

Reflecting on his political reputation while eating lunch in the Senate dining room, Vaughan noted that among majority white districts, his is one of the most Democratic leaning in the state. His name is a recognizable political brand in Greensboro, and he holds a reputation for being helpful and accessible.

“People know me,” he said. “People know how to find me.”

When Kay Hagan left the state Senate to join its more august counterpart in Washington, she gave up the seniority accumulated over 10 years, including a co-chair position on the Appropriations Committee. A lawyer by profession with experience in criminal defense and real estate matters, Vaughan has landed a vice-chair position on the Judiciary II Committee and a member slot on the Select Committee on Economic Recovery, along with five other committee appointments.

In February, Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight (D-Dare) appointed Vaughan to co-chair the Joint Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control, which was mandated to examine local board governance and compensation, and explore the option of privatization. Vaughan and his House counterpart, Rep. Ray Warren (D-Alexander, Catawba) have held three hearings. Only one person, a lobbyist for the NC Merchants Association, spoke in favor of privatization, and the idea was scratched.

The legislation wending through the Senate and House is described by Vaughan as “a tune-up, not an overhaul.” Among other things, it limits compensation to local administrators, prohibits nepotism, and requires transparency in local board deliberations and budget adoption. The most controversial aspect of recent deliberations in the NC General Assembly has been the matter of whether the threshold for municipalities to hold referenda on establishing a state-controlled liquor store should be 500 or 5,000 registered voters. (The Christian Action League favors the higher number, but bill current language leaves the threshold at 500.)

On Tuesday, the Judiciary II Committee heard a summary of the bill from Vaughan, along with mostly favorable comments from a bevy of lobbyists, but did not take a vote. Later in the same day, Vaughan sat in on the House State Government/State Personnel Committee hearing on the bill. Rep. Winkie Wilkins (D-Durham), who chairs the committee, almost forgot to recognize Vaughan, who left for a Senate floor session before the committee approved the legislation. The bill is scheduled for a final House vote tomorrow.

“I was pleased to be selected as co-chair of Alcohol Beverage Control,” Vaughan said. “It is one of the hot issues. To be able to work with the various groups — county commissioners, ABC boards and the Christian Action League — and come up with something that makes everybody happy is a great thing.”

Early voting numbers favor Republicans in Guilford

Registered Democrats in Forsyth County who participated in early voting outnumbered their Republican counterparts about two to one, Election Director Rob Coffman says. That's in a county where registered Democrats make up 45.9 percent of the electorate, and Republicans 33.0 percent.

In Guilford County, the trend is running in the opposite direction, with Republicans showing stronger turnout. Of the approximately 5,110 people who participated in early voting, 39.3 percent were Republican. Republicans make up 29.1 percent of the electorate. The percentage of Democrats that participated in early voting is lower than the Democrats' overall share of the electorate.

High levels of interest among Republicans in Guilford County would seem to bode well for Republican candidates in state legislative races in the fall.

Likely Republican nominee Trudy Wade would ordinarily face an uphill battle in NC Senate District 28, whose electorate is 58.6 percent Democratic, but she might have a shot this year going up against either of the Democratic contenders, who lack the kind of widespread name recognition that comes with experience in elected office. If Democrat Bruce Davis garners enough signatures to get on the ballot as an independent, that will peel off a significant number of Democratic votes and potentially spoil it for the Democratic nominee. High turnout among Republicans only helps Wade more.

High turnout among Republicans could also help Republican Tea Party activist Jeff Hyde, who is running in NC Senate District 27, where Democratic registration runs at 52.6 percent. Hyde's challenge is that he is virtually unknown, while one-term incumbent Democrat Don Vaughan has built up a large reservoir of goodwill and name recognition through his decades of service on the Greensboro City Council and his law practice.

A Republican surge also makes races in NC House districts 57 and 59 worth watching. If Jon Hardister wins the Republican primary, he can be expected to run an energetic campaign with ample grassroots support in District 57, whose registration is 51.1 percent Democratic. Democratic incumbent Pricey Harrison is a formidable fundraiser and is at the top of her game policy wise, so she will be tough to beat.

The most vulnerable Democrat this year might turn out to be Maggie Jeffus, who faces a fiscal conservative ideologue in Republican opponent Theresa Yon. The Republican candidate is agitating against the federal healthcare bill. As a Republican Party fundraiser, she's in a position to call in a lot of favors. Also, she was recruited to run by Republican NC Rep. John Blust.

Across the state, Democrats and Republicans participated in early voting at rates that closely reflected their respective shares of the electorate, with neither interest in unseating Republican US Sen. Richard Burr on the left or Tea Party excitement on the right doing much to change the balance.

Guilford educators back Gladys Robinson in state Senate race

The politically formidable Guilford County Association of Educators, which represents 3,300 education professionals, has made its endorsement picks. The endorsements are helpful to Democrats in the general election, and critical to Democrats in the primary.

Gladys Robinson has received association's nod over Evelyn Robinson in the Democratic primary for NC Senate District 28. Association President Tijuana B. Hayes said Miller did not return her questionnaire. Robinson — who is the favored candidate of the seat's current occupant, Katie Dorsett — boasts on her campaign website of endorsements from the State Employees Association of North Carolina, NC Trial Lawyers and Lillian's List.

The Guilford County Association of Educators endorsement slate strongly favors Democratic incumbents or candidates who have previously held office.

Democrats Alma Adams and Earl Jones, who each have contested primaries for state House seats, received the educators' endorsement, as did Pricey Harrison and Maggie Jeffus. The Republican primary victor in NC House District 57 will face Harrison in November, while Jeffus will go toe to toe with Republican Theresa Yon.

"Maggie and Alma are our A+ legislators," Hayes said. "They voted with the educators on issues that we felt were important. They voted for the Healthy Youth Act, the reinstatement of sick leave, the state health plan blue ribbon task force.... One that we're particularly proud of is the School Violence Prevention Act. We appreciate the probationary teachers appeals [legislation]. It assures that our probationary teachers are provided reasons for nonrenewal in their fourth year. Now, they can appeal to the local school board if their contracts are not renewed."

The educators endorsed Georgia Nixon-Roney in the Republican primary for NC House District 61. With no Democrats in the race, the candidate who prevails in the May 4 primary is all but certain to win the seat.

The endorsement for Guilford County School Board at-large went to incumbent Nancy Routh, and the District 2 endorsement went to incumbent Garth Hebert.

The association endorsed Bill Bencini in the Republican primary for Guilford County Commission District 2, but is remaining neutral in the District 3 race. Hayes said none of the three candidates in District 3 returned questionnaires.

The educators are endorsing Democratic incumbent Don Vaughan in the NC Senate District 27 race. Vaughan faces Republican Jeff Hyde in November.

In the Democratic primary for US Senate, the educators threw their clout behind Cal Cunningham, who is considered by many in the party as the most viable contender against Republican incumbent Richard Burr.

Scenes from TREBIC's 'Pigs, Poultry & Politics' reception

Pigs, Poultry & Politics 2009

About 300 people attended the "Pigs, Poultry & Politics" reception, hosted by the Triad Real Estate & Building Industries Coalition, or TREBIC, at Castle McCullough in Jamestown. President Marlene Sanford said the turnout was consistent with previous years, with 60 candidates and elected officials attending and the balanced comprised of members of the various industries under TREBIC's umbrella.

The event drew everyone from NC Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger to a candidate for mayor of Thomasville. Emcee Tom Terrell described the TREBIC as "the go-to real estate organization in the Triad," and lauded NC Sen. Don Vaughan, husband of Greensboro City Council at-large candidate Nancy Vaughan, as "a true champion on the Jordan Lake Rules."

Fundraising reception for Democratic state senator to be held

Candidates for city council are not the only ones in fundraising mode. NC Sen. Don Vaughan, a Guilford County Democrat, will be honored at a reception and fundraiser at the home of former Guilford County Democratic Party Chairman Paul Mengert on Wednesday. NC Senate Democratic Majority Leader Tony Rand of Fayetteville is listed as a special guest.

Human smuggling and human trafficking bills before NC legislature

Two bills currently before the NC General Assembly tackle the related but different phenomena of human smuggling and human trafficking.

Create Crime of Smuggling Human beings, sponsored by Rep. Curtis Blackwood (R-Union) and cosponsored by Rep. Dale Folwell (R-Forsyth), would make it “unlawful for a person to engage in the smuggling of human beings for profit or commercial purpose,” with “smuggling of human beings” meaning “the transportation, or procurement of transportation, by a person or entity that knows or has reason to know that the persons transported, or to be transported, are not United States citizens, permanent resident aliens, or persons who are otherwise lawfully present in the United States.”

Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes told a predominantly Latino audience at an April 1 forum in Greensboro: “This law is too vague, and I personally don’t think they’ll end up getting it passed. I, for one, am not an advocate for a bunch of more laws.” He added later: “I will definitely be calling [legislators] tomorrow to tell them not to [approve the bill]”

Greensboro police Chief Tim Bellamy added, “I think it’s very broad. I would be scared of the police because it’s going to give some police the idea that every time a truck or van goes down the road to stop it and say, ‘Let’s detain someone and question them.’ I have a lot of issues with this legislation.”

The critical difference between smuggling and trafficking persons has to do with consent.

The Justice Department defines human smuggling as “the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person(s) across an international border, in violation of one or more countries’ laws, either clandestinely or through deception, such as the use of fraudulent documents.” A section.” A 2005 Justice Department report adds that “human smuggling is generally with the consent of the person(s) being smuggled, who often pay large sums of money” and that “the vast majority of people who are assisted in illegally entering the United States are smuggled, rather than trafficked.”

In contrast, the United Nations defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, or abduction, of fraud, of deception, of abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”

The NC Human Trafficking Commission bill sponsored by Sen. Eleanor Kinnaird (D-Orange) serves an entirely different purpose and addresses a different issue.

The bill would create a state commission to, among other things, “explore the specific ways trafficking is occurring in North Carolina and the links to international and domestic trafficking” and “to contribute to efforts to inform and educate law enforcement personnel, social service providers, and the general public about trafficking so that traffickers can be prosecuted and victim-survivors can receive appropriate services.”

Cosponsors from the Guilford County delegation include Sen. Katie Dorsett and Sen. Don Vaughan, both Democrats, and Sen. Stan Bingham, a Republican.

More on this from Ben Holder, AKA Troublemaker.

Vaughan on Expanded Voter-Owned Elections bill

Sen. Don Vaughan (D-Guilford) had this to say about Expanded Voter-Owned Elections in a recent e-mail:

"I worry about putting any state tax dollars into any new programs because of the erosion of the economy and the dire financial condition of our state.

"In general, in order for me to consider this bill, I feel that in order for any candidate to receive matching funds, the required number and amount of qualifying contributions must be significant enough to prove the candidate's viability. A candidate in name only is unacceptable."

ADDENDUM: March 31, 6:51: Sen. Peter S, Brunstetter (R-Forsyth) has this to say about the legislation: "I am open minded, but leaning against it at this point. I would be more interested in this issue if it included a number of across-the-board reforms, including independent redistricting."

NC Senate committee appointments

NC Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight announced committee appointments yesterday.

Sen. Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth) was reappointed co-chair of Appropriations/Base Budget. Sen. Peter Brunstetter (R-Forsyth) was appointed vice-chair of Judiciary I, while freshman Sen. Don Vaughan (D-Guilford) was appointed vice-chair of Judiciary II. Sen. Katie Dorsett (D-Guilford) was appointed co-chair of the Select Committee on Energy, Science and Technology.

Other appointments:

• Garrou, as vice-chair of Pensions, Retirement & Aging, member of Commerce, member of Education/Higher Education and member of Finance;
• Brunstetter, as member of Appropriations/Base Budget, member of Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety, member of Commerce and member of Healthcare;
• Dorsett, as vice-chair of Education/Higher Education, vice-chair of Healthcare, member of Appropriations/Base Budget, co-chair of Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology, member of Commerce, member of Judiciary II, member of Pensions, Retirement & Aging and member of Rules and Operations of the Senate;
• Vaughan, as member of Appropriations/Base Budget, member of Appropriations on Education/Higher Education, member of Commerce, member of Transportation and member of the Select Committee on Energy, Science and Technology.

Other legislative news: bills filed in the House and Senate to restore the protest petition in Greensboro. More from Binker.

Joe Wilson on alternative energy

Joe Wilson, who is contending against Don Vaughan for the open state Senate District 27 seat, uses YouTube to campaign. Wilson takes a small-R Republican approach to alternative energy, advocating tax breaks to individuals that take action to reduce their fuel use. He says he would vote for offshore drilling, but not because it's a solution to the energy crisis. "Oil, in my opinion, is an antiquated energy source," he says. Posting this in the interest of throwing new ideas into the mix....