By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
jonathan@wdnweb.com
Staff Writer
By some measures, Beaufort County is at a crossroads in terms of its influence in the North Carolina Legislature.
Democrat Marc Basnight, the county’s representative in the state Senate, is ending a record-setting run as president pro tempore, a position that brought him unprecedented power.
Basnight was re-elected Nov. 2, and he will go on serving a chunk of counties in the northeast, including Beaufort County.
Yet, Basnight announced he’ll step down at the end of his next two-year term, which begins in 2011.
Also, Beaufort County is getting a first-time lawmaker in Republican state Rep.-elect Bill Cook, who will replace four-term, Democratic Rep. Arthur Williams.
And then there’s the matter of legislative redistricting, which is taken up by the General Assembly every 10 years, after each census.
Various reports have suggested portions of eastern North Carolina will lose legislative strength next year as lawmakers redraw district lines, partly because population growth in other parts of the state has outstripped in-migration to areas east of Interstate 95.
In an interview Tuesday, Cook indicated he’s preparing for any coming changes in the political landscape as he makes ready to start work in Raleigh in January.
“I’m going to have to find out more about the details, what’s happened with the census,” he said regarding redistricting. “I’m going to do everything I can to help keep as much political power in our area as I can.”
Asked what his efforts might entail, he replied, “It’ll entail whatever it is I have to do. I’ll try to work with people to keep the process of redistricting fair and legal.”
Though it isn’t clear a freshman like Cook would have a seat on a legislative redistricting committee, the incoming representative made it known he would favor keeping Beaufort County whole in a single district.
This means Cook would resist attempts to divide Beaufort County between multiple districts, which observers have said would erode the county’s effectiveness in getting things done on its behalf in the state capital.
“I think it should be treated as one entity,” Cook said of the county.
Cook also represents precincts in northeast Pitt County.
Asked what effect Basnight’s reduced influence could have on his community, Cook referred indirectly to the fact that he — not Basnight — will be part of a new GOP-majority Legislature.
“He was a very liberal guy,” Cook commented. “He may have brought home some bacon, but he was certainly not our friend when it came to liberal policies.”
Cook added he’s been meeting with local leaders for the past couple of weeks, including members of the Beaufort County Economic Development Commission and several mayors, getting a sense of their priorities.
Former state Rep. Sandy Hardy once represented Beaufort County as a Republican, and knows the job Cook is about to assume.
“I disagree with the premise that there will be a loss of influence,” Hardy said. “We’ve got a good Republican legislator in Bill Cook.”
He added, “I think Bill Cook will be more attuned to representing his district, and the Republicans are in power, and he will be able to accomplish a lot more than if we had elected a Democrat. … The Republicans are the ones with the influence now.”
To Ed Booth, a Democratic Beaufort County commissioner, Cook’s task should involve leveling the playing field.
“I don’t know what he can do, but what he should do is all that he can possibly try to do to make sure that our powers are not diluted,” Booth remarked. “Eastern North Carolina, especially Beaufort County, has been long, long overlooked, and we need to continue the same level of influence that we have had over the years.”
For Republican Commissioner Stan Deatherage, reducing state spending would fill the bill.
“If it is true that we are going to lose our influence by shrinking numbers of population down east, this would be a good time for Mr. Cook to strike out boldly to reduce government spending across the board in North Carolina,” Deatherage said. “Then we wouldn’t have to worry about how much we’re losing. Everybody would be losing. Furthermore, government cannot give you back what it has not already taken from you.”