Pete Kaliner Breaks Down Amendments Drawing Gubernatorial Ire

Pete Kaliner is a conservative radio host for WWNC 570 AM in western North Carolina that describes himself as a ‘lower case L’ libertarian. He has penned a piece breaking down the two constitutional amendments that have elicited a united front of opposition from five former governors.

The amendments transfer authorities from the executive to the legislative. To former governors that represents a crisis. To voters it represents a choice.

From Pete Kaliner via iheart.com:

I’m old enough to remember when Pat McCrory was called too conservative to lead our state. The Republican former governor was also accused of caving to the Republican legislature – even as he sued that body over who gets to make appointments to many of the state’s 500+ boards and commissions.

McCrory won.

So, it’s not a surprise he joined the four previous living governors to oppose the proposal to change the way the state appoints members of the judiciary and the Board of Elections.

But Democrats were able to put their hatred of former Governor Pat McCrory aside yesterday (don’t worry, it’s not a truce – just a temporary ceasefire) to celebrate his call for voters to reject two constitutional amendments on the November ballot.

Let’s take a look at both questions.

Remaking the Elections Board (and every other board, too?)

Here is a question you’ll see on the ballot to remake the Elections Board:

[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST

Constitutional amendment to establish a bipartisan Board of Ethics and Elections to administer ethics and election laws, to clarify the appointment authority of the Legislative and the Judicial Branches, and to prohibit legislators from serving on boards and commissions exercising executive or judicial authority.

The governors and Democrats say this will limit Executive Branch power — and that is true.

But that doesn’t automatically make it a bad idea. After all, the legislative branch is the one closest to the people, and that’s where most power should naturally reside. To borrow a favorite chant of the left: “This is what democracy looks like.” One all-powerful executive is not what the nation – or the state – was designed to promote or protect.

It doesn’t automatically make is a great idea, either. While Republicans control the legislative branch right now, they will not always do so. It is wise to contemplate how the law will be used when your opponents get to wield the power.

So, let’s look at the proposed amendment and what it outlines.

The Bipartisan State Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement shall be located within the Executive Branch for administrative purposes only but shall exercise all of its powers independently of the Executive Branch.

The Board of Ethics and Elections would be walled off from executive branch influence. I fail to see how this is a bad idea.

The next part outlines how the members of the Board will be appointed.

It will have 8 members – each serving a 4-year term.

Of the total membership, no more than four members may be registered with the same political affiliation, if defined by general law.”

The idea here is that the Board will be evenly split – with 4 Republicans and 4 Democrats.

All of the appointments will come nominations submitted by the General Assembly:

Appointments shall be made as follows:

(a) Four members by the General Assembly, upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, from nominees submitted to the President Pro Tempore by the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate, as prescribed by general law. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall not recommend more than two nominees from each leader.

(b) Four members by the General Assembly, upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, from nominees submitted to the Speaker of the House by the majority leader and minority leader of the House of Representatives, as prescribed by general law. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall not recommend more than two nominees from each leader.

All of this is defensible as a potentially better way to construct the Board of Elections – rather than the old system – where the Governor built all of the state’s elections boards with majorities from his/her own party.

However, the General Assembly just recently overhauled the way the Board of Elections is built. In 2017 the State Board of Elections, State Ethics Commission and the Lobbying Compliance Division of the Secretary of State’s Office were all merged together. The agency is overseen by a nine-member board – four Democrats, four Republicans and a member not affiliated with either of those parties.

So, why is this new change necessary?

I suspect because the current model was only temporary.

Look at this language that pops up in the law – but won’t be on the ballot:

The legislative powers of the State government shall control the powers, duties, responsibilities, appointments, and terms of office of any board or commission prescribed by general law. The executive powers of the State government shall be used to faithfully execute the general laws prescribing the board or commission.

This is the language that the former governors are concerned about.

Had this been part of the constitution in 2017, Gov. McCrory might not have prevailed in his lawsuit against the legislature.

From the Carolina Journal:

In the lawsuit, the state Supreme Court ruled the governor had to have effective control of a majority of the appointees of a board or commission which primarily performs executive branch functions.

So, the question is – do you want the legislature or the governor to be in charge of appointing ALL boards and commissions in the state.

Which is really a question about your views on legislative vs. executive power.

Continue reading…

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