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Elections

Stein’s first orders

Gov. Josh Stein marked his first full day in his new office by signing five executive orders he and his aides believe will bolster western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. Stein’s Executive Order No. 1 gives the Department of Public Safety and Department of Administration permission to waive a...

By Ray Gronberg

January 3, 2025

Briner names Friedman, Auth to posts

Incoming State Treasurer Brad Briner named Duke Health manager Thomas Friedman to the executive administrator post for the State Health Plan, which spends more money on healthcare than any other N.C. entity. Before his six years at Duke Health, Friedman worked at the State Health Plan as director of policy,...

By Ray Gronberg

December 17, 2024

Lumbee money in elections

There’s more to say regarding Monday’s item about Rep. Jarrod Lowery’s complaints about the presence of Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians Chief Michell Hicks’ presence on Gov.-elect Josh Stein’s transition team. The Robeson County Republican and former Lumbee Tribal Council member noted that the Eastern Band is a regular...

By Ray Gronberg

December 12, 2024

Batch vs. Blue

With the advent of Senate Democrats’ new caucus leader, Sen. Sydney Batch, it’s a good time to consider if she can raise money as well as the previous leader, fellow Wake County Sen. Dan Blue. The available evidence suggests she’s capable on that front. Her campaign committee’s reports to the...

By Ray Gronberg

December 5, 2024

A new leader for Senate Democrats

Monday also yielded a shakeup among Senate Democrats, with Wake County Sen. Sydney Batch getting elected by her caucus as minority leader for the 2025-26 sessions of the General Assembly. She replaces Sen. Dan Blue, a 75-year-old party stalwart who’d held the post for a decade and before that also...

By Ray Gronberg

December 3, 2024

Briner returns SigRist to key N.C. investment job

Treasurer-Elect Brad Briner said Monday he is bringing back Kevin SigRist as chief investment officer of the N.C. Retirement Systems. It’s the same role Sigrist had from 2013-17, when Janet Cowell was State Treasurer. SigRist resigned from his post in July 2017, about six months after Dale Folwell’s election. “It...

By Ray Gronberg

November 26, 2024

Political infrastructure

Among current or recent Republican political operatives, the post-election buzzword of the month is … infrastructure. It’s the word folks like former Phil Berger aide Jim Blaine and former Dan Forest aide Andrew Dunn are using to explain the GOP’s 5-5 showing in this year’s Council of State races. This of...

By Ray Gronberg

November 25, 2024

Hall’s rise to speaker confirmed within GOP

The results are in, and House Republicans have agreed that Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, will succeed departing Speaker Tim Moore when they convene in the new year. Hall, the current Rules chair, has been the speaker-in-waiting for a while, ever since some behind-the-scenes dealmaking with current Majority Leader John Bell...

By Ray Gronberg

November 20, 2024

On the move: Luke Farley’s future staff

Labor Commissioner-elect Luke Farley is shuffling some key department officials around. Jennifer Haigwood will become chief of staff, moving from her existing post as director of occupational safety and health. The current chief of staff, Scott Mabry, will take over Haigwood’s present job. He was assistant deputy commissioner for occupational...

By Ray Gronberg

November 13, 2024

Bond pass everywhere else

As mentioned, the Cary vote broke with the pattern elsewhere. Just in the Triangle, Chapel Hill voters backed a quintet of bond issues that collectively sought $44 million in borrowing authority for an assortment of projects. Orange County voters likewise backed a $300 million school bond. Wake County voters, 56.4%...

By Ray Gronberg

November 11, 2024

Cary defies prevailing bond-issue trend

On a night when most cities and counties that put a bond referendum on the ballot saw it pass, Cary’s government suffered not one but two losses, the larger of which left some planned major parks projects adrift. Cary voters rejected a $560 million parks bond by a still-unofficial total...

By Ray Gronberg

November 11, 2024

Stein transition

Gov.-elect Josh Stein’s transition team will include at least one Republican, former Wake County state Sen. Richard Stevens. He joins a group that also includes Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Department of Justice Chief of Staff Seth Dearmin, former gubernatorial Chief of Staff Kristi Jones and UNC Wilmington trustee Malcomb Coley. The...

By Ray Gronberg

November 8, 2024

Some observations about the election

Some observations about the election: First, among North Carolina pollsters, the outcome in broad outline was about what they expected. Democratic pollster Tom Jensen told his Facebook followers on Wednesday that his firm, Public Policy Polling, “never had a poll with [Democratic nominee Kamala] Harris up in North Carolina” and...

By Ray Gronberg

November 7, 2024

More money in Council of State races

Continuing our round-up of the latest campaign-finance reports for Council of State candidates, we see that Democratic nominee Natasha Marcus has out-raised Republican incumbent Mike Causey in the insurance commissioner’s race. Marcus has banked $744,904 and spent $467,956, while Causey raked in $442,536 and spent $279,705. Unlike many Council of...

By Ray Gronberg

November 5, 2024

Who got big money from Stein, Robinson funds?

Back in early September, Senate leader Phil Berger voiced a bit of skepticism that North Carolina would really be a toss-up state in this year’s presidential election. He accepted that Vice President Kamala Harris’ early polling numbers were a “sugar high” after President Biden withdrew from the race. While Harris...

By Welcome

November 4, 2024

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