N.C. House to Lose Senior Members

Rep. Pete Oldham, D-Forsyth; Rep. Gregg Thompson, R-Mitchell; and Rep. Ruth Easterling, D-Mecklenburg, all co-chairmen of the House Appropriations Committee, have announced that they will not run for re-election in November.

Their retirements leave Rep. E. David Redwine, D-Brunswick, as the only possible returning chairman for the 2003-04 legislative session on the House committee responsible for examining and constructing the state budget.

N.C. officials estimate that there will be a $1 billion deficit during the 2001-02 fiscal year and that the slowdown is likely to continue for at least the next 18 months.

UNC political science Professor Thad Beyle said the retirement of so many high-ranking legislators might result in some long-term negative effects for the state legislature. "We could have some problems with losing institutional understanding," Beyle said.

But he added that the next generation of legislative leaders are capable of filling the shoes of the retiring legislators.

"It's not like the seniors are leaving and all we have left are the freshman," Beyle said. "We've got some rising seniors that have been wanting this responsibility for a long time."

Beyle said the new House leaders will have to determine the makeup of the Appropriations Committee before the legislature convenes next January. He said their choices will shape how the committee deals with the state's budget. Some of the retiring legislators said they believe the future of the Appropriations Committee is in good hands.

Oldham said he is not worried about the fate of the committee or future budgets. "There are plenty of capable people who are planning to return who could do just as good of a job as I have," he said.

Oldham said his decision to retire is not related to his responsibilities on the Appropriations Committee. "I have been (in the legislature) 12 years, and I have missed being with my family," he said.

Easterling, who has spent 26 years in the legislature, said her decision to leave the N.C. General Assembly is based on the decision of two women to run in her district and not the state's budget problems.

Easterling said it is unfortunate that so many high-ranking legislators decided to leave the state legislature at such a pivotal time. "I hate to go out when there's so little money to spend," she said. "We're probably coming to the point where we'll have to cut the education budget and that's a terrible thing."

Redwine, the only Appropriations Committee co-chairman running for re-election, said he would miss his three colleagues. "It's tough to lose three people with their experience and knowledge," he said.

Redwine said he would gladly serve as chairman again, if asked by the next speaker. He added that he is confident the committee's future operations would not be harmed. "As much as we'll miss the three of them, it seems like there's always a wealth of qualified people who are willing to run (for the chairmanship), regardless of the state's economic situation."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.