Thirty minutes till the short session is gaveled in, and the halls and courtyards are an anthill of lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists, and power brokers.  It's like the start of a new school year, but with a lot more suits.

Mayor Rock Star?

The first celebrity appearance of the session: GOP gov nominee Mayor Pat McCrory is in the building today. He stopped by the Republicans' press conference this morning to commend their legislative platform.  (More detail on that later.)

The Mayor had some very nice things to say about former rival Sen. Fred Smith, who introduced him to the GOP caucus, but he forgot to mention his ticketmate, Lt Gov nominee Sen Robert Pittenger.  Whoops. (Dome has more here.)

Get that man an office

It's not exactly typical for gubernatorial candidates to hang out at the legislature, but it sounds like the Mayor's planning to spend quite a bit of time here in the next few weeks. 

McCrory says he wants to build relationships not just with GOP lawmakers, but Dems and Independents, too. (Note: we don't have any of the latter, at least not by official affiliation.)   He also says he'll be back next week with anti-gang legislation.

Fire it up

Ten legislators, including State Senate budget co-chair Kay Hagan, bailed on this afternoon’s budget briefing in favor of a more meaningful event:  the annual House-Senate Pit Crew Challenge. Every year, teams from the two chambers suit up, complete with ball caps and kneepads, to see who can change the tires on a stock car faster. 

It’s billed as a celebration of the importance of tourism to NC’s economy. Yeah, sure, whatever.  On the ground, it's about bicameral rivalry, pure and simple.  Wake Democrat Grier Martin hit it on the head.

It gives us an opportunity to vent some of our competitive instincts and desire to pound the other house into submission through a hopefully friendly competition.

(As opposed to, say, the budget?)

I told the crew here that if they really wanted to see us goin’ for blood, come back after we’d done the budget.  Then we’d really be mad at each other.

As it turned out, the House ate the Senate’s lunch.  It wasn’t even close this year: the Senate team’s time to change all four tires was 1:22, compared to :52 for the House.

After the contest, Brunswick Republican Bonner Stiller ascribed some of the credit for the House team's win to its preponderance of Republicans.  (The House had 3 Rs and 2 Ds, the opposite of the Senate.) 

Off to the side, in the shade, the losing Senate team kept to themselves as they stripped off their royal blue coveralls.  Buncombe Democrat Martin Nesbitt was philosophical.

We got beat. That happens in racing.  Remember, in racing every weekend they start 43 cars and there’s 42 losers. That’s what I love about this sport – it’s all about competition.

Nesbitt is a true ringer – he’s the crew chief for his son’s racing team. But, as he puts it, “I’m usually tellin’ people what to do, not down there doin’ it.”

Republican Roundup

The House and Senate Republican leadership rolled out their session agenda today.  I’m sure you’ll be shocked to know it involves lower taxes, more charter schools, and a host of social issues largely guaranteed never to see action this short session, like the “marriage protection amendment” and a fetal murder bill.

Not that there weren’t a few surprises.  The GOP is backing a multi-billion dollar transportation bond as well as more money for mental health reform, albeit not through new taxes.  House Minority leader Skip Stam also said he wants more funding for programs for the developmentally disabled.

But the biggest surprise at this morning’s presser was a cameo appearance by the GOP gubernatorial candidate, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.  He says he came to Raleigh to foster alliances between legislative and (he hopes) executive Republicans. 

That’s kind of a new one for the NCGOP – “unity” isn’t really its strong suit.  Can McCrory make it happen?  He seems to think so.

Mayor Pat got a tepid welcome from Dem leaders, not surprising given his campaign tirades against Raleigh’s “culture of corruption.”  Dem Gov nominee Bev Perdue said McCrory is as welcome on Jones St. as any other citizen.  House Speaker Joe Hackney said much the same thing, adding dryly, “I ran into him twice and said hello both times.”

Basnight’s B-Day

Tuesday was Pro Tem Marc Basnight’s 61st birthday.  The card he got from the building admin folks was a picture of a big lion with the punchline, “It’s good to be king.”

Cringe-inducing or not, it’s kind of accurate this year.  His protégés are in line for no less than four statewide offices in Nov.:  Bev Perdue for Governor, Kay Hagan for US Senate, Walter Dalton for Lt Gov, and Janet Cowell for Treasurer. 

Sounds good?  Well, sort of.  Once you add in the retiring John Kerr, there’s four open Dem seats (not counting the Sen Prez) to two GOP - former gubernatorial hopeful Fred Smith and their own Lt Gov nominee, Robert Pittenger.  Personally, I don’t think the Dems are in much danger of losing control of the Senate, but they could lose the wide margin they’ve enjoyed this session – and that means less leeway on tough votes for Dems in risky districts.

Comments? Drop me a line.