THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604280059
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
Donations of $1,000 or more were made last year by 115 individuals, adding $168,000 to the campaign fund of Sen. Marc Basnight, the president pro tem, last year.
An additional 61 individuals donated between $500 and $999 for a total of $30,800, and an unlisted number of contributors gave less than $500 each, for a total of nearly $25,000.
Eighteen PACS donated a total of $18,894, giving Basnight a total of $243,966 in contributions last year.
Basnight, a Manteo Democrat who faces no opposition in the primary or general elections, raised more money than any other incumbent legislator, according to a study issued by the Durham-based Institute for Southern Studies.
For the past several months, Basnight has been traveling throughout North Carolina on behalf of Democratic candidates. Democrats hold a slim two-seat majority in the General Assembly.
Basnight also lists several current legislators on his list of contributors, who gave between $500 and $1,000 each, including Rep. W.T. ``Bill'' Culpepper III, D-Chowan; Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston; Sen. Luther Jordan Jr., D-New Hanover; state Sen. James Speed, D-Franklin; Sen. Edward Warren, D-Pitt; and Sen. Anthony E. ``Tony'' Rand, D-Cumberland.
Dare and Currituck county elected officials are also listed as contributors, including Dare County Commissioners Geneva Perry and Doug Langford and Currituck Commissioners Ernie Bowdon and Eldon Miller Jr.
Basnight spokesman Bret Kinsella said Friday that the senator had made several appearances with incumbents around the state in the past several months. In the report, Basnight listed campaign expenses of $45,355.
Off-year fund raising in North Carolina legislative races has escalated sharply, a sevenfold increase, in recent years. In 1989, 166 legislative candidates took in $294,621 in contributions. By contrast, 1995 saw $1.98 million given to 244 candidates.
Basnight said Friday that he would use the money to help Democratic candidates, and to pay expenses for running his Senate office, as allowed by law. He said he will continue to push for campaign reform.
Basnight said he has fought in the past to reduce the maximum amount that individuals and PACs could contribute to $2,000. Under state law, individuals and PACs can contribute up to $4,000. Basnight said he would also support legislation to prevent PACs and interest groups from contributing to campaigns.
``We passed two bills that would have reduced the amount of money individuals and PACs could give to candidates,'' Basnight said. ``But those bills never made it out of the House. I've been out in front on those bills, and I've kind of been out there by myself. But it's something that needs to be done.''
Some government-watchdog groups are concerned that big spending by PACs and individuals means big benefits in Raleigh. For example, three major financial institutions quadrupled their spending in 1995, and helped kill legislation worth $50 million to the banking industry, according to The Institute for Southern Studies.
NationsBank, Wachovia and First Union spent, as a group, $188,000 in political contributions in 1995, the institute reported.
``With legislators so dependent on large contributors, we worry about their accountability to ordinary voters,'' said Warren Murphy of the North Carolina Alliance for Democracy, an independent coalition of some 40 groups seeking campaign finance reform. ``Every legislative candidate needs to decide who he or she represents. We need strong leadership to champion true campaign finance reform and undercut the leverage big donors have over public policy and the public treasury.''
However, Basnight said that his work in the Senate is not affected by contributors.
``I don't look at the list of people who give me money,'' Basnight said. ``You can't buy into our system. But we should continue to work to do something to limit PACs and big contributors.
``I'm going to continue to play by the rules as they are written. But the rules need to be changed.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Sen. Marc Basnight
[Side Bar]
The leading contributors in 1995 to Sen. Marc Basnight's
re-election effort:
1. Charles Hayes, chairman, Guilford Mills, Greensboro: $4,000
2. NationsBank Corp. of NC PAC, Charlotte: $4,000
3. Jane H. Armfield, Greensboro: $4,000
4. William Armfield, executive, Unified Textiles, Greensboro:
$4,000
5. Harry Shiffman, marina owner, Manteo: $3,200
6. William Furr, occupation unknown, Denver, N.C.: $3,100
7. Samuel P. Hunter, T.A. Loving Construction, Goldsboro: $2,000
8. R.E. Barnhill Sr., Chairman, Barnhill Contracting, Tarboro:
$2,000
9. R.E. Barnhill Jr., Executive V.P. Barnhill Contracting,
Tarboro: $2,000
10. Glenn Futrell, developer, Manteo: $2,000
11. Committee for Responsible Government, Richmond, Va.: $2,000.
(The committee is the PAC for Virginia Electric and Power Co.)
Source: North Carolina Board of Elections and The Institute for
Southern Studies.
KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ELECTION CAMPAIGN FINANCING by CNB