The election of UNC Board of Governors officers is usually a noncontroversial, consensus-style, nonpartisan event.
Not this time, apparently. Next week, the board will choose officers for the first time since Republicans held a majority of seats on the policy-setting board for the UNC system. And it's looking like the election will be a contested one, with two candidates vying for both the chair and vice chair spots.
In the running for chairman are the current vice chairman Peter Hans of Raleigh, a senior policy adviser with a law firm, and Paul Fulton, a Winston-Salem businessman who is a former UNC-Chapel Hill business dean and trustee. Both are Republicans.
For the vice chair role, the names being floated are Frank Grainger, a Cary businessman, and James Deal Jr., a Boone attorney. Grainger is a Republican; Deal is a Democrat.
Ann Goodnight, a Cary community volunteer and businesswoman, is in line to be secretary. She is a Republican.
The election has the potential to end with an all-Republican, all-Triangle slate if the winners are Hans, Grainger and Goodnight.
Brad Wilson, former board chairman and current emeritus member, said in recent years the board has worked to have diversity in officers, from political party affiliation to geography, gender, race and alma mater. The current officers include a woman, an African-American, two Democrats, a Republican and representatives from both the Triangle and the coast.
"The board has always recognized that the officer group should be reflective of the diversity of the university," Wilson said.
Comments
Which one is the most corrupt?
June 11, 2012 - 5:30am — RedHotPokerWhich of these folks is the most democratically corrupt to 'lead' UNC in its quest to remain the most corrupted public university in America? To believe that any of these folks are republicannots is laughable...Shut down UNC RAMS club and suspend atletics for 5-10 years and let UNC learn a real lesson!
Hans a republican?
June 9, 2012 - 7:27am — mrpoonIn registration only.
and furthermore.....
June 8, 2012 - 10:14pm — AgentPiercePaul Fulton was directly involved in the hiring of, and protecting of Butch Davis.
The person should not have
June 8, 2012 - 8:19pm — swimplusofncThe person should not have ties to UNC-CH. The Board of Governors is already filled with almost 2/3 of its members with direct ties to UNC-CH, while the other 15 institutions that are part of the UNC system make up only about a 1/3. If that isn't a corrupt, biased system, I don't know what is. With all of the problems that have been going on in Chapel Hill for the last few years (or perhaps longer, just coming to light in the last few years), it is time for some real independence on this board and some representation by the other schools.