A bill would allow mayors to officiate at weddings.

Senate Bill 992 was sponsored by freshman Democratic Sen. Don Davis, the former mayor of Snow Hill, N.C.

The Senate had little debate on the issue, though Sen. Jim Forrester said that he had hoped to add an amendment that would have put a constitutional ban on gay marriage up for a statewide referendum.

Forrester filed a separate bill on the gay-marriage ban that Senate leadership essentially killed by leaving it in committee.

"If we don't get it in the constitution, I'm afraid it's going to happen to us just like Vermont," he said.

The bill passed 35-9 and now heads to the House.

Several other bills this session have also sought to expand who can perform weddings. One already signed into law by Gov. Beverly Perdue, allows Superior Court judges to officiate.

Another bill stuck in a House committee would have allowed any judge, while a third would allow retired judges. A Senate bill to allow any judge passed and is now before a House committee.

Sen. Jim Forrester doesn't use Facebook.

The Gaston County Republican was not aware that the popular online social networking site had several groups for and against his bill to ban gay marriage.

But he had suspected that people were coordinating their responses, since he has gotten clusters of e-mails with similar wording from opponents of the bill at times over the past few months.

"They come in waves," he told Dome. "It looks like somebody in a gay or lesbian group has contacted their members. The ones that are for the bill tend to come in separately."

Forrester does not even have a campaign Web site, but he applauded the efforts of North Carolinians to use the Internet to organize — even against his bill.

"This is a democracy," he said. "People are allowed to speak out for and against things they don't like. That's the way it should be."

Advocates of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage are taking another swing at it.

Legislators, religious and conservative leaders Tuesday hailed the introduction of a bill in the Senate and one expected in the House that amends the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Proponents emphasized that North Carolina remains the only southern state without such an amendment. Similar legislation has been introduced in previous years, but Democratic leaders did not permit a vote.

North Carolina has a law against gay marriage, but one liberal judge can knock it down, supporters of the proposed amendment said. They warned of unhealthy family environments, teaching children that homosexuality is correct, forcing changes in inheritance law and ending marriage as God intended.

"Moms and Dads are not interchangable," said Sen. Jim Forrester, a Gaston County Republican and chief sponsor of the Senate bill.

Opponents said gay couples deserve the same rights as heterosexuals and highlighted how many children are successfully raised by single parents, grandparents and other family constructs that do not include both a mother and father.

Gay couples "have the same values you and I do. They want to love somebody and be loved," said Ana McKee, of Durham, who has a 23-year-old gay son and is active in PFLAG, Parents and Family of Lesbians and Gays.

Sen. Jim Forrester
Gaston County Republican
Ten Terms

What two things would you cut in the state budget? He said the legislature should look at cutting some of the benefits for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.

He said some of the benefits exceed those of other health insurance plans.

He also said there was also savings to be found in the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Are there any taxes you would be in favor of increasing? No. 

— Rob Christensen

Republican delegates elected retired Salisbury doctor Ada Fisher to the Republican National Committee on Saturday.

Fisher, 60, could be the first black Republican elected to the committee from North Carolina, Jim Morrill reports.

She ran unsuccessfully in 2004 and 2006 for the 12th Congressional District and for the U.S. Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2002.

Her election follows the election last weekend of South Carolina Republican Glenn McCall. Fisher and McCall will be two of three Republicans on the Republican National Committee when it reconvenes.

Fisher upset establishment candidate Mary Frances Forrester, the wife of Sen. Jim Forrester.

"We're going to have a look that reflects the party and the people," Fisher said.

Fred Smith has received $14,500 from other politician's campaign funds since 2007.

According to his mid-year and year-end campaign finance reports, the Republican gubernatorial candidate received donations from 13 campaigns.

The top contributors were state Rep. Mitch Gillespie, who gave $4,000; Rep. Leo Daughtry, who gave $3,000; and former Senate candidate Todd Siebels, who gave $2,000.

He also received $1,000 each from Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson and Sen. Jim Forrester, $750 each from Sens. Richard Stevens of Cary and Jerry Tillman of Randolph County, and $500 each from Reps. James H. Langdon, Carolyn Justus of Henderson County and Mark Hilton of Catawba County.

He also received donations from Rep. Phillip Frye of Mitchell County, former Rep. Russell Capps of Wake County and Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman.