Consider This...

January 12, 2007

 

Things just got a lot more boring for Raleigh gossips.

The cottage industry that sprung up around speaker speculation is packing up and moving on to the next feeding frenzy with the nomination of Rep. Joe Hackney as the Democratic caucus choice for House Speaker. But for those of us interested more in policy than politics, things are only starting to get interesting.

Above all, the election of a new speaker will mean new leadership in the N.C. House. If Rep. Hackney reigns and the House follows his lead, then North Carolinians should expect a more open legislative process at the very least. Listen for actual debate, the rare kind of discussion that Rep. Hackney has always encouraged in the committees and floor debates he has run.

If all this comes to pass, North Carolina will learn why new blood in legislative leadership positions can be so vital to the health of the body.