State Senator Ellie Kinnaird Resigns

Thank you, Ellie Kinnaird! 

I have travelled a bit. In North Carolina I have put in quality time in every one of North Carolina’s 100 counties growing up the son of a publisher of several local newspapers in NC, as executive director the NC Rural Communities Assistance Project working with towns on their water and sewer systems, and working with leaders in more than 40 mostly small NC towns to pass resolutions on the death penalty. There are wonderful communities in North Carolina and amazing people everywhere around the state.  All of that travelling has made me appreciate the place Janet, our kids, and I have called home for 23 years: Carrboro. There are a lot of things about this community for which we can be especially grateful for having – and a lot of things we can be especially grateful for not being burdened with. Keeping it that way, and striving to make this a healthier community are not easy and take an engaged community and hard-working, dedicated, and creative formal leadership.

We have a deep well of such people who could carry on from where Ellie Kinnaird has left off. I would be happy with any of the people who are from Orange and Chatham counties whose names I have seen and heard suggested as Sen. Kinnaird’s successor. That’s a remarkable thing to be able to say in a small Southern community. We are fortunate.

Above all, I hope Mark Chilton becomes our next senator. I can see Mark changing the legislature and the state for the better. He has the collaborative skills and the independence to be a highly effective legislator, helping our community and our state grow in new ways while remaining grounded in the values of nonviolence, social justice and solidarity with people living on the margins. I am excited for all of us, and grateful.

I love Damon's proposal for the Foushee-Insko-Chilton ticket in 2014!I am a fan of Valerie Foushee and we are fortunate to have her representing part of Orange County, but it's important to me that Ellie Kinnaird be replaced by someone who will energetically carry the mantle of the Conscience of the Senate. Mark Chilton's blend of principled problem-solving and strategic initiative is exactly what we need in Raleigh right now to push back against Senate Leader Tillis and the whole Art Pope administration.I hope our local Democratic Party officials will agree with me that Mark is the best candidate to carry on Ellie Kinnaird's leadership in the Senate. 

Orange and Chatham Counties should have the most progressive and effective state Senator we can possibly find, and I believe Mark Chilton is that person. I served with Mark 20 years ago on the Chapel Hill Town Council, and I was arrested with Mark two months ago at Moral Monday.  I have great confidence in his ability to do what needs doing.James ProtzmanPS  Being arrested at Moral Monday should not be a litmus test for office, but it does signal a depth of commitment that is noteworthy. (Sorry if this is posted twice.)

  A couple of months ago, the State House had the opportunity to vote yea or nay for Gov. McCrory’s choice to head the Public Staff, a unique agency of state government that is charged with representing consumers and rate-payers in matters before the Utility Commission. McCrory’s choice was Chris Ayers, a guy who spent his entire career as a lawyer representing utilities. The vote was 112-4. Only Representatives Michaux and Luebke from Durham, Rep. Pricey Harrison from Greensboro, and our own Verla Insko voted against this appointment. Thirty nine Democrats, including Valerie Foushee, voted for McCrory’s guy. This past February, she was one of just a few Democrats that joined with the overwhelming Republican majority in the House to vote in favor of a Hwy. 540 bypass route that ignored the issues raised by the affected community in Garner (HB10). Insko,  Michaux, and Harrison voted for a fair process and against over-riding the desires of the community.  Last year she voted over the protestations of the community in the Eno Economic Development District to fast-track rezoning before their issues were fully addressed. As Barry Jacobs said during the proceedings (I’m paraphrasing here), we in Orange County have never run roughshod over the interests of a community.Referring vaguely to “values” is easy. Voting records reveal the quality of those values.      

Amy Tiemann has also announced her candidacy:http://amytiemann.com/ Roster so far is: 

• Valerie Foushee
• Alice Bordsen
• Mark Chilton
• Amy Tiemann 

We're fortunate to have multiple well-qualified people for this seat. I support Mark Chilton for this opening because recent NCGA sessions have seen many controversies over the line where state government ends and local government begins.With his experience as a Mayor, as well as a councilman/alderman in two municipalities, and his legal background, I believe Mayor Chilton is particularly suited to the challenges of the next few years in addition to long-term concerns.A major reason that Carrboro has a better Smith Level Road under construction that meets community needs is Mayor Chilton having the good judgment of when to say "we can do better" to NCDOT and when to shake hands and say "you've addressed our concerns, now let's move forward."I think he can bring that same approach to the legislature.

James Pronto and Heidi Chapman have both contacted me expressing interest in the position and indicated moving forward. Both have public health backgrounds, I believe

I think the last Orange legislative vacancy was when Judge LJ Phipps was appointed to fill the house vacancy caused by John Umstead's resignation in 1963. Phipps was a judge for about 22 years, serving Chapel Hill and Orange County Recorder's court and as a district court judge. He resigned as judge to take the legislative appointment and died in office as a district court judge in 1969. I do not know whether his appointment process was contested but Orange was a single county district so the full county executive committee would have nominated the replacement. http://ncpedia.org/biography/phipps-luther-james

I've said it once, and I'll say it again - if we want to be tue progressives we should strive to ensure our elected bodies look like the populations they represent.There are only 5 women in the North Carolina Senate (out of 50 members total), and we'll lose another woman's voice if Mark Chilton is appointed. And this comes at a time when women's rights are under attack more than they've been for decades in NC.I think Mark would be a great senator, and my comment doesn't reflect on his qualifications or record, but there are plenty of equally qualified women who are more than ready to fill Sen. Kinnaird's seat - and I want to see one of them speaking alongside (the very wonderful) Sen. Stein rather than another man speaking for me.Other, mostly unrelated food for thought: There is a lot of untapped progressive money in Orange County. I would love to see someone appointed who is willing to be a powerhouse fundraiser, supporting other progressive candidates locally and across the state so we can win back some of these seats for the common good.

"Ensuring out elected bodies look like the populations they represent" is a worthy goal. In the case of candidates with similar merits, deferring to that goal makes perfect sense. In this case, I believe that Mark Chilton is the superior candidate, as well as someone who will advocate as strongly as anyone for issues that affect women's rights.  

Does anyone know when and where the meeting to select the replacement for Ellie will be? I remember the one where Verla was selected and that was an upset at the time. Even Verla had a surprised look when she won the vote that night. Moses left quickly because everyone thought he had it in the bag.

The committee is meeting today to confirm the process. They will likely post something soon.

The North Carolina Senatorial District 23 Democratic Party Executive
Committee will host an information session this coming Wednesday,
August 28, at 7pm, in the old Courthouse/Post Office, 179 East Franklin
Street, Chapel Hill, NC. The agenda of the information session is to
explain the process, hear brief statements from declared candidates,
allow the Executive Committee members to ask questions of the
candidates, and allow for public comments. This optional and unofficial
meeting is free and open to the public.
The North Carolina Senatorial District 23 Democratic Party Executive
Committee will hold its official meeting on Sunday, September 8, at
6pm, in the Holmes Room at the Chatham Community Library, 197 NC Hwy 87
North, Pittsboro, NC. At this meeting, the Executive Committee Members
will make nominations and vote to name Senator Kinnaird's successor.
This essential and official meeting is free and open to the public; at
this meeting, the public is welcome as observers of the official
process.
Candidates must be a resident of the 23rd Senate District (Chatham
and Orange Counties) and a registered Democrat. If you wish to declare
yourself a candidate, you can contact the committee by sending an email
with your resume and any supporting material to ncsenate23vacancy@gmail.com, or by way of Matt Hughes, Orange County Democratic Party Chair at matt.hughes@orangedems.com or 919-537-9568.
http://orangedems.com/Senate-Vacancy-Process has an informational presentation on the process.

It's here.

I just want to encourage everyone to contact the committee that is selecting Ellie's replacement. They have expressed interest in hearing what people in the district want. You can write to them at ncsenate23vacancy@gmail.com.I drafted my own endorsement letter last night which I will post here on OP after I submit it.

Apparently they were taking public comment about the appointment at the meeting tonight. Even if I had realized this, I wouldn't have been able to attend anyway. Here's the letter I sent to the selection comittee earlier today:

Dear executive selection committee,I am writing to express my strong endorsement of Mark Chilton for the N.C. Senate seat recently vacated by Ellie Kinnaird. Thank you so much for making this process public and taking the time to hear from the people of Orange and Chatham Counties about our concerns.I have lived here (in both southern Orange and northern Chatham) since 1973, and have been involved in local politics for more than two decades. In fact, I worked on both Mark and Ellie's campaigns in the past. I think Mayor Chilton is our best choice to fill this seat because he would bring a wealth of practical political skills, energy for civic engagement, and the same idealism and passion that made Senator Kinnaird the Conscience of the Senate.As a woman, I know that that Mayor Chilton will go to bat for my reproductive rights, as he has done for decades including working for NARAL-NC in their early days. As an environmentalist I know he will work to stop fracking and the many other assaults on NC's precious ecosystems. As a person concerned with human rights, I know he will work hard for better treatment of immigrants just as he has done for many Carrboro residents that are day laborers and residents of substandard housing. As a person against racism, I know he will continue to address persistent institutional racism as well as the GOP's unconscionable attacks on voting rights. As the father of two school-aged boys, I know he will take attacks on education personally. And I also know he will work hard for student enfranchisement as he is one of only a handful of people who has been both a student and an elected official in North Carolina at the same time.But I don't just support Mayor Chilton's appointment because of his strong support of the issues that I care about, I also think he will be an asset to our region and the entire state by being an energizing force that will help target vulnerable Republican districts, raise money for Democratic campaigns, and engage activists and potential candidates from across the state.I truly think that Mark Chilton is the very best person for this job, especially at this time. He is our best hope to take back seats in the General Assembly in 2014 and 2016. If you appoint him, it will send a powerful message that Democrats do not intend to take the past year of attacks on our state lying down. He will start the first wave of what will be a growing movement to reverse the retrograde agenda of Art Pope and the Tea Party Republicans currently in control of the General Assembly.Thank you for your time and consideration.Sincerely,Ruby Sinreich 

I wasn't able to attend last night's meeting, but I trust Ellie's judgment on Alice Bordsen; I trust other friends judgment of Heidi Chapman; I like James Protzman said about Lynette Hartsell being a firebrand, gay lawyer; and I think there's value in Amy Tiemann's experience as a busines person with ties to Chatham County. I like Valerie Foushee in the seat she was elected for so there aren't any further appointments.One other note: I read that there were questions for the candidates about what they would do to ensure the reinstatement of a Democratic majority in the General Assembly. I appreciate that concern, but I do not think it's the job of our elected officials, nor should it be considered a quality we want in a senator. That job is policy. The person in that seat needs to be skilled at negotiation; needs to be able to take complex issues and understand them and help constituents understand them; needs to be able to work with rural and urban constituents as well as different races, income levels, and political idealogy. I would hope the person is too busy to be doing the recruiting job of the Democratic Party's staff. 

It seems a bit irresponsible for Foushee to want to jump from her newly won House seat to another seat because presumably she feels it will be better for her political career. Also, doing this knowing that she will cause more appointments if she's chosen seems unnecessary.