Tim Kent, chief executive of the N.C. Association of Realtors, will leave the organization at the end of the year.

Kent has led the association, a powerful force in state and local politics, for nine years. Kent is ranked as the 11th most effective lobbyist by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research and the group contributed $542,000 to candidates between 2007 and 2008, according to State Board of Election records. The association defeated all 24 referendums on a local real estate transfer tax.

"Tim's leadership, keen eye for talent recruitment and strategic vision have enabled this association to achieve great strides," association President Sandra L. O'Connor said in a news release.

The association has a membership of nearly 38,000 individuals with 65 local associations statewide.

A record $22 million was spent lobbying the state in 2007.

According to data compiled by the nonpartisan Democracy North Carolina, nearly 900 businesses, trade associations and nonprofits lobbied state officials in 2007, the last long session of the state legislature.

That amounts to nearly $125,000 for each of the 170 legislators.

The $19.5 million in compensation for individual lobbyists was $5 million more than reported in 2005, but executive director Bob Hall said that may be because we know more.

"That big a jump is largely due to the state's new ethics law that requires more groups to file more complete reports about more of their activities," he said.

The top lobbying groups were the N.C. Association of Realtors, which reported spending $972,384 on six lobbyists and other expenses; Land for Tomorrow, $403,092 on three lobbyists; and the N.C. Automobile Dealers Association, $287,959 on four lobbyists.

The highest-paid lobbyists were former state Sen. Steve Metcalf of Asheville, who reported $485,362 in compensation; former Secretary of State Rufus Edmisten, $396,764; and Alexander "Sandy" Sands of Womble Carlyle, $325,055.

A new Republican consulting group is setting up shop.

Chris Sinclair of Public Solutions and Alastair Macaulay of Cornerstone Strategy and Communications announced that they will merge.

The new firm, called Cornerstone Solutions, will be a full-service political consulting, strategic communications and issue management firm in North Carolina.

Sinclair said in an e-mail to Dome that they plan to fill the void left by the retirement of Tom Fetzer and Mark Stephens after the November elections.

"We're the new (Republican) kids on the block," he said.

The two consultants have a lot of experience on the hot-button issue of real estate. Both have helped the N.C. Association of Realtors successfully fend off land transfer taxes nearly two dozen times and another campaign against allowing counties to have the tax.

Alastair is the former political director for the N.C. Home Builders Association.

The firm will have an office in West Palm Beach, Fla., headed by Rick Asnani, and in Raleigh and Washington, D.C.

A Raleigh Realtor has complained to the State Board of Elections.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Raleigh Realtor Becky Harper complains about the N.C. Association of Realtors' use of required dues to oppose the transfer tax.

She notes that she is required to be a member of the association to have access to the Multiple Listing Service, which lists real estate for sale.

"I do not believe that it is right that my required fees are used to support direct political action for or against ballot initiatives," she writes.

She also notes that the dues are deductible as a business expense, but the use of them for political purposes may "jeopardize" that deduction.

Harper attached an e-mail and a letter from the association about the use of dues.

Update: Elections Director Gary Bartlett said they will look into the complaint.

"We plan to do due diligence on it," he said.  

* Don Vaughan, Paul Gibson, Melvin "Skip" Alston also mentioned as possible replacements for state Sen. Kay Hagan in legislature. (Capital Beat)

* N.C. Association of Realtors and N.C. Home Builders Association are spending at least $441,000 to finance 15 local groups fighting transfer taxes. (Char-O)

* U.S. Sen. Richard Burr has gone through a six-week crash course on veterans' issues since taking over committee spot from Sen. Larry Craig. (Politico)

* U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick and three other former Charlotte mayors urge voters not to overturn half-cent sales tax for public transit. (Char-O)

The N.C. Association of County Commissioners is training the troops.

At a day-long seminar, the association told 120 local officials from 45 counties how to fight a local ballot battle for a transfer tax.

Counties can't spend taxpayer money in support of referenda, but county commissioners can stump for them on their own dime. 

Sixteen counties, including Chatham, Johnston and possibly Orange, will ask voters to approve a new tax on the 0.4 percent tax on real estate sales.

The N.C. Association of Realtors is partnering with local groups to fight the measures. (N&O) 

Has your family hit the limit when it comes to new taxes?

That was a question in a recent poll by Brad Crone and Chris Sinclair, a Democratic and a Republican consultant who hope to sell subscriptions to their new polling service.

Alert reader bnartist questioned the question, noting that Crone had recently used it in a poll for the N.C. Association of Realtors, which opposed a local-option transfer tax.

Crone said the question came from a focus group in January.

"A guy was sitting there and he said, 'My family has hit the limit when it comes to new taxes,'" Crone recalled.

He said that he has since used the question in two statewide polls because it helps him judge "the tax factor" in people's thinking on an issue.

Also: Crone sent Dome the crosstabs on the Democratic gubernatorial race, which some readers had contested. Polling geeks, have at it!

Against the odds, a transfer tax is in the budget deal.

The N.C. Association of Realtors spent nearly $600,000 campaigining against the tax on home sales, appealing to the public through ads as well as legislators from swing districts.

But the final budget deal reached last night includes an option for counties to levy a tax of .2 percent to .6 percent of the sales price. That would be from $400 to $1,200 on a $200,000 home.

The catch: Voters must approve the new tax in a referendum.

Although some counties have gotten approval that way, Washington County has had two failed referenda on the issue, and Realtors will likely fight any local votes as hard as they did this deal.

The budget also allows counties to raise the local sales tax by a quarter-cent. Surveys show that the public prefers sales tax hikes over other taxes, perhaps because it feels more voluntary.

Realtors are borrowing a page from the anti-incentives crowd.

A survey for the N.C. Association of Realtors test-drives some arguments about corporate incentives while seeking to measure opposition to a transfer tax on home sales.

The poll of 504 likely general election voters by Telephone Strategies Group of Chicago was conducted between July 22 and 24.

One question notes that local governments gave "nearly $400 million in property tax breaks" to lure businesses to the state. A follow-up asks if voters "should not be forced to pay higher taxes" while government gives breaks to big business.

Not surprisingly, about 63 percent of respondents agreed with the statement.

The margin of error was 4.37 percent.