More Democrat Abuse of Power:
North Carolina Democrats find their own Tom DeLay.
BY BRENDAN MINITER
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST
It's been somewhat of a mystery why North Carolina, a conservative leaning state that went decidedly for George W. Bush in the last presidential election, has remained a Democratic stronghold at the state level. Tar Heel Democrats control the governor's mansion and both houses of the legislature at a time when Republicans have been competitive and even dominant in bordering states and throughout the South.
But now it appears the Democrats' grip on power may be loosening amid a scandal that has members of his own party comparing Speaker of the State House Jim Black to Congressman Tom DeLay. And as in the scandal rocking Republicans in Washington, in North Carolina the root of the problem isn't law breaking per se but an arrogant use of power by an official who felt entitled to his position.
Here's what's happening. The State Board of Elections and the Wake County district attorney are looking into what prompted Republican Rep. Michael Decker to suddenly switch parties in 2003. The GOP had just won a one seat majority in the House and was preparing to take over when Rep. Decker's surprise turn forced Republicans into a power sharing arrangement with Democrats, which allowed Mr. Black to remain atop the House as "co-speaker." The Democrats have since won back a slim majority.
Mr. Black's fundraising is legendary. In a state where $10,000 can make all the difference in a State House race, he's been able to amass a $1 million campaign war chest. What the election board's investigation has uncovered is that Mr. Black may have crossed the ethical line. According to what investigators have dug up so far, Mr. Black apparently steered some $43,000 in campaign donations to Mr. Decker at about the time he switched parties. He did this by apparently hitting up his donor base for donations for Mr. Decker. And he also allegedly used his influence with a political action committee set up and run by eye doctors--Mr. Black is an optometrist--to solicit checks with the amounts filled in but with the payee lines left blank. Mr. Black then wrote in Mr. Decker's name on the checks.
For months Mr. Black has denied handling such checks. And more than a decade ago he publicly blasted state lawmakers for the practice. But at a recent public hearing, election board officials confronted Mr. Black with a $4,000 check from Gary Roach, a Mooresville eye doctor. When asked about the handwriting making the check payable to Mr. Decker, Mr. Black reportedly said, "I believe that's mine." He also admitted to filling out two other checks to Mr. Decker for $100 each.
Mr. Black is also being investigated by the Board of Elections for accepting $28,000 from the gambling industry, which threatens to open up a new controversy in the state over the lottery. And he is taking a public pounding for pushing through a law that requires parents to pay for their children to have extensive eye exams before entering kindergarten.
Of course, none of this proves Messrs. Black or Decker broke any laws. Mr. Black has maintained that he is innocent and to defend himself he has hired a Chicago based law firm, with local offices, at the state's expense and says he only directed campaign donations to Mr. Decker to help a member of his "team" win re-election. (Mr. Decker has since been turned out of office after switching back to the GOP and losing a primary fight in 2004.)
Nonetheless, the scandal goes far beyond the scrambling on both sides of the aisle to get behind ethical reforms to clean up Raleigh and could end up splintering the political base that has kept Democrats in power.
Mr. Black's fundraising connection to Mr. Decker only became publicly known because of the tireless efforts of Bob Hall, a 61-year-old former civil rights activist who in recent years has turned into a government watch dog. Mr. Hall runs a group called Democracy North Carolina and last year filed a complaint with the Board of Elections over Mr. Black's activities. More than anyone else, he's been pushing the board to investigate Mr. Black and other fundraising in the state, at times even personally advising board members. "Bob Hall is in our offices sometimes as much as our staff," Kim Strach, the election board's deputy director for campaign finance told the Raleigh News & Observer recently. "We are grateful for the work he does."
That work, although harmful to Democrats in power and which may drive voters to the other party, isn't partisan. After the board's recent hearings Mr. Hall told reporters that he was "sorry" to see the speaker of the House defend his fundraising practices and that he admires him "as a political leader." In his view, the system that requires lawmakers to raise campaign funds from lobbyists is inherently corrupt and is "chewing up good people."
But to his credit, Mr. Hall is sticking to his principles and is pushing for lobbying and other ethical reforms to clean up North Carolina politics. His ultimate goal is to have the state finance political races, but admits that is a long shot this year. One reform that will likely be enacted is a prohibition on lawmakers keeping whatever remains in their campaign accounts when they leave office. And Mr. Black's mandate for eye exams will almost certainly be repealed once the legislature gavels back into session in May. It's not hard to see how pushing that through was a clear abuse of power.
Mr. Miniter is assistant editor of OpinionJournal.com. His column appears Tuesdays.
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