Posted on 10/02/2002 5:25:04 AM PDT by Overtaxed
EMPAC worked under unusual circumstances this election year when it came to endorsing candidates in races for North Carolina House and Senate seats, due to numerous delays created by the controversial legislative redistricting process. The State EMPAC Committee was unable to assign new House and Senate districts to local EMPAC Areas until they were finalized as redrawn in late August. Furthermore, the primaries were not held until Sept. 10, leaving only eight weeks for local EMPAC Areas to conduct their work before the general election Nov. 5.
To further complicate matters, local EMPAC Areas that sought to have endorsements published in the last edition of The Reporter prior to the Nov. 5 elections had to operate swiftly to make final endorsement decisions in time to meet publication deadlines. Many of the local areas were unable to get their members together in this compressed time frame in order to do their jobs as procedures require. Several EMPAC Areas, however, were able to meet and make endorsement recommendations in this year’s legislative races, and their recommendations are listed below.
The men and women who are endorsed by EMPAC have been determined by their potential future constituents to be more favorable on state employee and retiree issues than their opponents. SEANC members, and all other state employees and retirees for that matter, are encouraged to not only vote for EMPAC-endorsed candidates on Nov. 5, but also actively support their campaigns. Although all House and Senate races are not included in the list of EMPAC-endorsed candidates below, SEANC members should still get involved in this year’s elections. Lawmakers elected this November will determine the future of state employees’ careers and pay, as well as health care and retirement benefits for state employees and retirees in coming years.
County Legislative District Candidate Party
Burke Senate 44 Austin M. Allran R
Burke House 85 Mitch Gillespie R
Caldwell House 85 Mitch Gillespie R
Catawba Senate 44 Austin M. Allran R
Chatham Senate 23 Ellie Kinnaird D
Cleveland Senate 46 John Weatherly R
Cleveland House 110 Debbie A. Clary R
Cleveland House 111 Tim Moore R
Durham Senate 18 Wib Gulley D
Durham Senate 20 Jeanne H. Lucas D
Durham House 30 Paul Luebke D
Durham House 31 H. M. "Mickey" Michaux, Jr. D
Gaston Senate 43 Michael O. Harrington R
Gaston House 110 Debbie A. Clary R
Granville Senate 18 Wib Gulley D
Johnston Senate 12 Allen H. Wellons D
McDowell House 85 Mitch Gillespie R
Orange Senate 23 Ellie Kinnaird D
Person Senate 18 Wib Gulley D
Wake Senate 16 Eric M. Reeves D
Wake House 35 Jennifer Weiss D
Wake House 38 Deborah K. Ross D
Wake House 39 J. Sam Ellis R
Wake House 40 Rick L. Eddins R
Wake House 50 J. Russell Capps R
Wayne Senate 12 Allen H. Wellons D
Moo!
Well, look at the names that are still there:
Gulley, Weiss, Michaux, Kinnaird, Luebke
The others I don't really know anything about (except Russell Capps).
Yeah, I know. I was kind of hoping that the "regular" state employees are so ticked off at the present legislature (for cutting jobs, stopping the contribution to the pension plan, and freezing salaries while the teachers get raises and more positions added) that they would start leaning our way.
Good News!
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