Dependable Erection

Thursday, March 22, 2007

This is going to be interesting . . .

Ray Gronberg reports in the Herald-Sun this morning that as many as "seven people have emerged as prospective candidates to replace the late state Sen. Jeanne Lucas, including a former County Commissioners chairwoman, Durham's mayor pro tem and the chairman of the county Democratic Party."

As it turns out, the Durham County Democratic Party Executive Committee will get to select a nominee, although i'm pretty sure the Governor is one who actually ends up submitting the name to the state Senate.

For most of my adult life, i've looked askance at party politics. Sure, i've got opinions (you know the story on opinions, right? Everybody's got one), i've got expectations, often unmet, about candidates and policies and office holders. I've voted in every election, local and national and primary, since 1980. But when it comes to the sausage-making part of the political process, my preference has been to stay home and tend to the garden.

So i'm probably more surprised than anyone to find myself the chair of Precinct 19 Democratic Party in Durham County, with a vote in the selection of a nominee to replace Senator Lucas.

I'm looking forward to a very educational experience.

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4 Comments:

  • Under state law (GS 163-11), the governor has seven days to make the appointment, and if he doesn't, the appointee takes office anyway. Basically his role is nothing more than a formality. He has no decision-making authority here.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:47 PM  

  • Thanks. I'm curious about when the 7 day period starts. Last night i learned that the nominee needs to be selected within 30 days from when the office is vacated.

    So if i understand you correctly, after the Durham exec properly submits a nominee to the Governor, he has 7 days to appoint that person, and if he doesn't, it doesn't matter? The nominee fills the seat till the end of the term anyway?

    By Blogger Barry, at 3:04 PM  

  • Barry, you have a sacred duty to perform for the rest of Durham. Let me just say one word and slink off into the shadows:

    Matherly.

    You'll have blog material for the rest of the decade.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:59 AM  

  • Perhaps Steve's new venture in restauranting will keep him too busy to pursue his further ambitions in politics?

    By Blogger Barry, at 9:56 AM  

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