Mar 08, 2007
Hackney's new rules spread out the power
Editorial - Greensboro News & Record

Getting rid of a corrupt leader was step No. 1 in the N.C. House of Representatives' clean-up campaign. Step No. 2 is making sure future leaders can't pick up where Jim Black left off. 
 
New Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange, is doing some of the right things. Going further will require a strong push from rank-and-file legislators and the public they're supposed to serve. 
 
To this point, Hackney deserves far more praise than criticism. New House rules approved Tuesday strip away power from the speaker's office that Black had accumulated over eight years and used to run the chamber his way, sometimes for the benefit of special interests that funded his million-dollar campaign coffers. Hackney is willing to give more power to those to whom power rightfully belongs -- the people of North Carolina through their elected representatives. 
 
Hackney won't have Black's ability to stack committees with temporary members, loyalists dispatched to committee meetings to support or kill legislation at the speaker's direction. He won't be able to tuck "special provisions" into bills and push them to passage in the blink of an eye, before most legislators know they're there. And he won't be able to deny members the right to read and speak on proposed bills and amendments. 
 
Hackney will have a lot of leeway under a rule that gives the speaker "general direction of the hall." Black often acted as if that gave him total license to control debate and the fate of all legislation. Now, the speaker's decisions can be overruled by a vote of two-thirds of House members. A push by Rep. John Blust, R-Guilford, and others to reduce the threshold to a simple majority was rejected. It was a good proposal. The speaker shouldn't be a dictator acting in opposition to the will of the majority. 
 
Hackney isn't as likely as Black to abuse his authority, but he could give more assurances. House rules should limit the speaker to serving two terms. He still has the sole power to appoint committee members and chairmen. Over time, the speaker could build an entrenched cabal of lieutenants making all key decisions year after year and collecting Black-like campaign contributions. It's far better to rotate top positions every four years. There are enough qualified leaders in the House to take turns in key jobs. 
 
Black apparently intended to remain speaker for a very long time but finally was halted by legal troubles. It shouldn't take state and federal prosecutors to rein in a politician's abuse of power. Hackney and other legislative leaders should change the rules enough to make sure it isn't possible to give rise to another Jim Black in Raleigh. Average lawmakers and the people they represent should demand it.