By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
jonathan@wdnweb.com
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA — A former Dare County commissioner will succeed retiring state Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare.
On the third ballot, the Democratic Party’s executive committee in state Senate District 1 nominated Stan White to replace Basnight, who resigns effective Jan. 25.
White is a Nags Head small businessman and a current member of the N.C. Board of Transportation.
White’s name will be sent on to Gov. Beverly Perdue, who will appoint him to fill the vacancy that will be left by Basnight.
White will serve out Basnight’s two-year, unexpired term.
He will represent eight counties, including Beaufort County.
Basnight, a long-serving lawmaker and Senate president pro tempore, recently announced he would step down, due in large part to a health problem and in no small part to the changing political landscape in the state capital.
Republicans are the new majority in the N.C. General Assembly, and, as such, Basnight has lost his platform as the state’s most powerful legislator.
“I’ve got to have a whole lot of input and a lot of help,” White said.
He has not established legislative priorities for the district. In a recent interview, White highlighted his transportation board background.
“I’m in Raleigh at least every other week and when I’m up there I stop by and stop and talk to senators and representatives and go by some of the offices,” he said.
He added, “It won’t take me nearly as long to get up to speed as it will some candidates.”
For more on this story, see Sunday’s print edition of the Washington Daily News.