N.C. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight told the state’s congressional delegation today that North Carolina doesn’t need any more study about a Navy outlying landing field.

The Navy, he wrote, can save its money.

“I am pleased to inform you that these studies and their significant costs are not needed. The people of northeastern North Carolina DO NOT wish to have an outlying landing field constructed in their community,” Basnight wrote in a letter to the delegation, reports Barb Barrett.

The Navy is conducting an additional study of migratory bird flights this winter near Hale Lake in Camden County, one of five locations it wants to consider for an airstrip.
The landing field would serve a squadron of F/A-18 Super Hornet jets at a Navy base in Virginia.

Basnight, who represents Camden County, asked the delegation to stop the study.

Senate Democrats elected Sen. Martin Nesbitt, a racing crew chief and self-described mountain populist from Asheville, as their new majority leader today.

Nesbitt quickly tried to quell any fears – or hopes, depending on the perspective – that he would steer the Senate down a more liberal course.

"I’m changing roles now," Nesbitt said after his unanimous election. "I’ve been a warrior…I’ll still have my opinions, and I’ll express them…but at the end of the day I’ll be about trying to help this caucus get where it wants to go."

Nesbitt’s tenure in the legislature started in 1979 and was interrupted once, when he lost his House seat in 1994 during the Republican tide that year. The GOP has hopes of riding voter discontent to a similar sweep next year, and Nesbitt said the lessons learned from 15 years ago will be invaluable as he helps Democrats prepare.

"There are very few things that I’m the most qualified for," he said, "but getting us through this election is one of them."

Nesbitt, a lawyer, also runs the racing operations for his son, Mart, who races in the USAR Pro Cup series.

Democratic senators are scheduled to meet at 11:30 this morning to elect a new majority leader, a proceeding which is expected to be a coronation of Sen. Martin Nesbitt, of Asheville.

Nesbitt goes into the meeting with the endorsement of Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight plus Nesbitt's own allies. He would replace Sen. Tony Rand, of Fayetteville, who is resigning from the Senate to chair the state parole board. The majority leader is the traffic cop who helps decide what legislation gets to the Senate floor and leads the agenda for floor sessions.

The lingering question is who Basnight will tap as chairman of the Rules Committee, a duty that Rand also held, often serving as gatekeeper for whether a bill will advance or whether an amendment survives.

Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight's endorsement of Sen. Martin Nesbitt, of Asheville, for majority leader has left Sen. Dan Clodfelter, of Charlotte (right), with few directions to go to pursue the job.

Basnight, of Manteo, wrote to his Democratic colleagues (see link below) on Friday encouraging them to support Nesbitt to replace outgoing Majority Leader Tony Rand, of Fayetteville.

"For our state to endure these difficult economic times, we need to focus all of our energies and efforts on creating jobs, improving education and health care, and giving everyone in North Carolina a chance at success," Basnight wrote. "Martin Nesbitt has fought for these important priorities throughout his decades of public service."

Several Democratic senators last week said Clodfelter was running for the majority leader's job, but the same day Basnight's letter appeared, Clodfelter refused to say whether he was a candidate.

The difficulty for him is that Nesbitt carries considerable loyalty among the more liberal wing of the Democratic caucus, while the more conservative and business-oriented side of the party remains loyal to Basnight. Those obstacles, along with Clodfelter's history of irritating colleagues with his brusque manner, leave a limited number of senators from whom Clodfelter might gain support.

The race to succeed Sen. Tony Rand as Senate majority leader is on, and Senators Martin Nesbitt, of Asheville, and Dan Clodfelter, of Charlotte, are the early entries.

The two have been making calls to their fellow Democrats in the Senate. Both hail from the more liberal side of the caucus, compared to the more conservative, business-friendly team of Rand, from Fayeteville, and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, of Manteo.

Nesbitt, (above) an Asheville lawyer, chairs the Judiciary 1 committee and is a veteran of intracaucus jockeying from his 11 terms in the House. He has focused many of his efforts on health care and mental health reform. The conservative Civitas Institute ranked him as the most liberal senator.

Clodfelter, (below) a Charlotte lawyer and former city council member, is a co-chair of the tax-writing finance committee and has long been viewed as a future candidate for president pro tem when Basnight retires.

Neither senator returned Dome's calls. Seems they might have some votes to line up.

Sens. Julia Boseman and R.C. Soles Jr. spent the most of any competitive legislative candidate to win their seats.

Boseman, a Wilmington Democrat, spent $871,500 in her race and Soles, a Columbus County Democrat, spent $839,500, according to an analysis of campaign spending by the Program on Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The list of top spenders did not include candidates who ran unopposed and therefore excludes spending by Senate Leader Marc Basnight, $1.3 million, or House Speaker Joe Hackney, $744,000.

The top spenders in the House were Randy Stewart, a Nash County Democrat ($382,000) and House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat ($354,000).

Democrats control the House and Senate and have powerful fundraising machines in place. On the Republican side in the House, top spenders were Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican ($232,000) and House Republican Leader Paul Stam, an Apex Republican ($196,000).

Among Senate Republicans, top campaign spenders were Sen. Neal Hunt, a Wake County Republican ($813,000) and Richard Gunn, an Alamance County Republican, who spent $386,000, but lost the race to Sen. Tony Foriest, a Democrat.

Sen. Marc Basnight issued a statement Monday about Sen. R.C. Soles.

Soles, a Tabor City Democrat, is under investigation for a shooting incident in which Soles apparently shot a would-be intruder. Basnight didn't comment on the allegation.

"He has been an outstanding Senator on behalf of the people of this state and as effective and dedicated as I've ever seen for the people he represents in his district," Basnight said.

Carter Wrenn likens Gov. Beverly Perdue to an "errant pin-ball."

In a post on his Talking About Politics blog, the Republican political consultant ponders why Perdue's polling numbers are so bad while President Barack Obama continues to fare okay.

Beverly Perdue was a capable State Senator serving under Marc Basnight, a solid Lieutenant Governor (still serving under Basnight), but now that she's running the show she's suddenly darting in a dozen different directions: First ordering spending cuts, then demanding tax increases, then saying it didn't matter which taxes the legislature raised, then telling legislators they'd raised the wrong ones.

She's bounced around like an errant pin-ball until her house of political cards has collapsed, and for the first time in memory the Governor of North Carolina is less popular than a visit from an IRS agent.

Wrenn says Perdue's problems create problems for Democratic lawmakers in next year's election. He says they need to either drop Perdue "like a hot potato" or find away to pump her back up.

After wrangling over hair-braiding, some spending corrections and a handful of last-minute bills, the Senate adjourned Friday afternoon about 4 p.m.

The Senate won't technically be done until Tuesday, but the chamber plans no business as the House winds down its work early next week.

"I will say to the members of the Senate, a job was done. How well, you be the judge," Senate leader Marc Basnight said as he brought the seven-month session to a close.

Basnight said he expects the Senate to take up an annexation reform bill next year as well as a plan to change the state's tax structure. Basnight said the tax reform could be dealt with in a special session this fall, although the House and Gov. Beverly Perdue would have to agree to that.

Update: Perdue was not enthusiastic about a special session. "After this session, I'm just ready for them to go home," she said today.