THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411110613
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
The state's most powerful lawmakers discovered this week that, come election time, effectiveness and peer respect do not necessarily translate into votes.
About a third of the legislature's most effective leaders in 1993 won't be returning to the General Assembly next year, and a majority of those 1993 leaders who remain won't be among the leaders next year.
Some of the leaders did not seek re-election to the General Assembly this year and many more were defeated Tuesday, including some newcomers.
The shuffle has prompted some to predict a slowdown in the legislative process, even gridlock, and a shifting of priorities in the General Assembly when lawmakers return to Raleigh in January.
``Things are just likely to slow down and take longer . . . as more people and less experienced people are brought into the decision-making process,'' said Ran Coble, executive director of the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research, a Raleigh think tank. ``This doesn't mean it will be better or worse; it will just take longer.''
The loss of leadership also means the legislature will lose a lot of its ``institutional memory'' as leaders who helped draft laws and implement programs will no longerprovide a historical perspective on decision-making, Coble said.
``The loss of an institutional memory is serious for any institution,'' he said.
The Senate
The election decimated the leadership in the state Senate, which will lose five of the 10 most effective senators in the 1993 session, according to rankings by the research center.
Sen. George Daniel, D-Caswell - ranked second in effectiveness among senators - was defeated Tuesday, as were Dennis Winner, D-Buncombe, ranked fifth; Herbert Hyde, D-Buncombe, eighth; and Howard Lee, D-Orange, ninth.
A.P. ``Sandy'' Sands III did not seek re-election. Sands, ranked fourth, ran unsuccessfully for Congress.
The vote Tuesday also claimed Elaine F. Marshall, D-Harnett, who was first elected to the Senate in 1992. Marshall, ranked 22, and Leslie J. Winner, D-Mecklenburg, ranked 21, were the highest-ranking freshmen senators in the 17-year history of the survey.
This upheaval in the Senate leadership will likely benefit the Senate minority whip, Betsy L. Cochrane, R-Davie.
Cochrane, who has served three terms in the Senate and four terms in the House, has regularly been ranked among the Senate's most effective Republican members, reaching a peak in the rankings of 18 in 1991. Cochrane was ranked 24 in effectiveness in 1993, the only GOP member ranked in the top half of the Senate, and ranked eight spots higher than the next Republican, Robert Shaw of Guilford.
While the ranks of the House leadership were not as affected by retirement and defeat, that chamber's most effective leaders will likely be stripped of most of their power in January by the Republican majority.
The House
Of the 10 most effective lawmakers in the House, Rep. Martin Nesbitt Jr., D-Buncombe, ranked second by the Center For Public Policy Research, was defeated Tuesday. David Diamont, D-Surry, ranked sixth, did not seek re-election.
The remaining eight most effective House members are Democrats and stand to lose their posts as chairmen of powerful committees at the beginning of the 1995 session.
The highest-ranked Republican in the House, 25th-ranked David T. Flaherty Jr. of Caldwell, did not seek re-election. The next-highest-ranked GOP member in 1993 was 31st-ranked Harold J. Brubaker of Randolph, considered a strong contender for the speaker's post. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
THE CENTER'S RANKINGS
The rankings by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research are based
on surveys completed by legislators, registered lobbyists and
reporters who regularly cover the General Assembly.
They rate effectiveness on the basis of participation in committee
work, skill at guiding bills through floor debate and general
knowledge or expertise in specific fields.
They were also asked to consider respect that lawmakers command from
their peers, political power they hold and ability to sway the
opinions of fellow legislators.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION NORTH CAROLINA RESULTS ANALYSIS by CNB