We Recommend For Council of State

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Most of North Carolina’s Council of State offices are obscure to most voters. Still, the offices are important. They deal with activities ranging from agriculture to insurance to educating children. Today The Pilot offers its recommendations for eight Council of State positions at stake in the Nov. 7 election.

Attorney General

We endorse Democrat Roy Cooper. a state senator from Rocky Mount, over Republican Dan Boyce, a Raleigh lawyer, in a race that offers two exceptionally qualified candidates for the post of North Carolina’s chief law-enforcement officer. The winner will succeed Mike Easley, the Democratic candidate for governor. Cooper has broader experience in law, legislation and politics than does Boyce, a skilled trial lawyer. Cooper was a principal sponsor of several criminal laws now on the books. He pledges to be a crime fighter, a champion of the consumer and a guardian of the environment.

Commissioner of Agriculture

We recommend a vote for Democrat Meg Scott Phipps over Republican Steve Troxler in the race to succeed the retiring Democrat Jim Graham, America’s greatest agriculture commissioner. Phipps, a dairy farmer and lawyer, is a member of North Carolina’s political royal family. She is the daughter of former Gov. Bob Scott and the granddaughter of former Gov. Kerr Scott. Troxler is a former member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee staff. A former state administrative law judge, Phipps has spent her life down on the farm and in the political and governmental trenches. She has the superior qualifications to regulate agriculture and be an advocate for family farmers.

Secretary of State

The secretary of state has no policy-making authority but a number of administrative duties, including the chartering of corporations and the regulation of lobbyists. We recommend Republican Harris Blake of Pinehurst over Democratic incumbent Elaine Marshall. Marshall has performed competently during her four years in the position, but Blake, a businessman, is determined to make the office more user-friendly. He pledges to employ technology for shorter turnaround time on documents and to use the office as a bully pulpit to promote rural economic development.

Commissioner of Labor

The Department of Labor is responsible for ensuring workplace safety and overseeing labor relations. In the race to succeed retiring Democratic Commissioner Harry Payne, Democrat Doug Berger, a former administrative law judge who has heard worker’s compensation cases, is better equipped by experience and temperament for this office than Republican state Rep. Cherie Berry. Berry says she would make the Department of Labor a business ally. Berger appears to be more balanced and fair to both labor and management.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Democratic incumbent Mike Ward has been at the forefront of the movement to improve North Carolina’s public schools. He deserves an opportunity to continue that momentum as the state’s chief educator, and we recommend him over Republican Michael Burrick.

State Auditor

Democratic incumbent Ralph Campbell has performed ably as the keeper of the state’s financial books. He is a clear choice over Republican Leslie Merritt.

Commissioner of Insurance

Democratic incumbent Jim Long, commissioner since 1985, is a highly competent and consumer-friendly regulator of state insurance companies. We endorse him for another term over Republican Mike Causey.

State Treasurer