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Election '08: Council of State
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Published: October 14, 2008
Updated: 10/13/2008 07:45 pm
When North Carolinians vote in presidential election years, they also face a long list of statewide candidates vying for Council of State offices. They seek important jobs that affect our schools, worker safety and much more. Today, the Journal endorses candidates for nine of these positions. We previously announced our gubernatorial nod.
Of the nine races, four are easy choices: The Journal endorses Attorney General Roy Cooper, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson, all Democrats, and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, a Republican, for re-election.
Cooper has been a solid attorney general for eight years, and a good public servant for many more. Marshall has done the yeoman's work of secretary of state for 12, bringing the department into the computer age and playing a critical role in the efforts to reform North Carolina's lobbying laws. The superintendent is mostly a ceremonial position, but Atkinson has done as much with it as the state's upside-down governing structure allows. She deserves a second term. During his first term, Troxler has done an excellent job of running the state's agriculture programs, of operating the state fair and further restoring public confidence in his office.
North Carolina's lieutenant governor is not especially powerful, but does play several key roles, serving as president of the state Senate and a member of the boards of education and of the community colleges. The Journal endorses Democratic State Sen. Walter Dalton over Republican State Sen. Robert Pittenger.
Dalton has been a steady Senate leader for years, working closely with Forsyth County's Sen. Linda Garrou on the state budget. He is not flashy but is very competent. His challenge is to assert his independence from the current Senate leaders, if they retain control. Otherwise, his election will only make the Senate juggernaut all that much more powerful.
Pittenger has Senate experience, but has not distinguished himself there. He pledges to be a lieutenant governor who shakes up Raleigh, but we're afraid that his irascible political personality will lead to unnecessary confrontation that impedes progress more than it assists it.
The state treasurer's race is a bounty of quality for voters. Both candidates are exceptionally bright and have world-class educations and relevant work experience. The Journal endorses Republican Rep. Bill Daughtridge, a veteran businessman, over Democratic Sen. Janet Cowell because we think his experience is more suited to this job.
Republican State Auditor Les Merritt has done well in his first term, and the Journal endorses him for another. We have concerns that he has allowed some top deputies to bring partisan politics into the office but trust that he will fix those problems. Therefore, we endorse him over a qualified challenger, a former department employee, Beth Wood, a Democrat.
Republican Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry is the only incumbent the Journal chooses not to endorse for another term. Berry came to office promising to balance her department's "carrot and stick" roles: to enforce state worker-safety laws for the protection of our residents while also helping employers to achieve safety levels without undue government intervention. The record indicates she has not done so. Berry has overseen a department that has been too willing to reduce fines for employers who contribute to her campaigns while also failing to properly protect agricultural and processing-plant employees.
For labor commissioner, the Journal endorses Mary Fant Donnan of Winston-Salem, who served in the department while it properly balanced its two roles. Donnan has the experience and the commitment to do this job properly, something that has escaped Berry over the past four years.
Insurance Commissioner Jim Long is finally retiring, and the Journal endorses Republican John Odom to replace him. Odom is not an insurance expert, but he is an experienced political leader, a conservative Republican who was a tremendous asset to the Raleigh City Council for years. He promises to be a consumer advocate in the job. Long's hand-picked successor, Democrat Wayne Goodwin, has experience in the department, but Goodwin has always struck us as a too-eager politician.
The Journal encourages all North Carolinians to vote in these important races.
We Were Wrong
The editorial in yesterday's Journal that endorsed state Rep. Larry Womble of Forsyth County for re-election should have said that Womble is a Democrat.
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