Life of the party: For Republican lawmakers, it’s, again, majority rules
by Sarah Michels, Carolina Public Press January 29, 2025
As lawmakers head into a legislative session where Republicans are one seat shy of a veto-proof supermajority, the job is simple. For Democrats, hold the line. For the GOP, convince just one person to cross it.
Overriding a governor’s veto requires three-fifths of each chamber. That’s 72 votes.
That’s why many eyes will be on the state House where Democrats have 49 seats and Republicans hold 71. That’s where it will be a numbers game.
No flipping
House Republicans are loyal, according to their voting records during the 2023-24 legislative session. Many rarely, if ever, broke from the party.
Meanwhile, the Democratic front was not so impenetrable. In the same session, 10 representatives voted with the Republican majority over 70% of the time. State Rep. Michael Wray was the top flipper, but lost in a primary last year. Two have since resigned. That now leaves seven in this session who may side with the GOP.
They are, in order from most likely to vote with the Republican majority to least likely, based on their 2023-24 voting record: Reps. Shelly Willingham (representing Bertie, Edgecombe and Martin counties); Carla Cunningham (Mecklenburg County); Garland Pierce (Hoke and Scotland counties); Cecil Brockman (Guilford County); Nasif Majeed (Mecklenburg County); Terry Brown Jr. (Mecklenburg County); and B. Ray Jeffers (Durham and Person counties).
These Democrats will face intense pressure from both sides of the aisle, according to High Point University political science professor Martin Kifer.
“It is such a crucial thing for the governor to have a veto that can stick as a negotiating point,” he said. “By the same token, there’ll be pressure on some Democrats who may be in tougher seats or have more of a record of working with Republicans to move over because being in the majority, and especially supermajority, can have benefits for them.”
Those benefits could include specific funding toward a lawmaker’s district, Kifer said. Or support for a program to help their constituents.
Having the ear of the majority can be powerful, and if lawmakers play their cards right, a ticket to reelection.
Lawmaker’s legacy
Former representative Tim Moore was the longest serving House Speaker in state history.
Moore has since moved on to the U.S. Congress. Now, Destin Hall, a 37-year-old politician who has never served in the minority party, will take over.
Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, doubts that the policy preferences of the Republican caucus will shift under Hall, but thinks stylistic and protocol changes may have an impact.
“Moore’s power was so entrenched that there was no question leading into the session, not only who was formally in charge, but who was in charge behind the scenes, too,” Cooper said.
He wonders if Hall will be able to consolidate power in the same manner. The state House is historically harder to control than the Senate simply due to the greater number of lawmakers to wrangle.
Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer said he expects Hall to use Moore’s old playbook from the last time Republicans found themselves just shy of a supermajority.
That was in 2023. Moore tried to cut deals with small blocks of Democratic lawmakers, offering incentives in exchange for votes to override vetoes on certain pieces of legislation, Bitzer said.
Lawmakers who made the switch
After former representative Tricia Cotham switched her party affiliation to Republican in November 2023, it became easier for the GOP to block the vetoes of former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
With her addition, Republicans gained a supermajority in both chambers.
At the time of her switch, Cotham said the modern day Democratic Party had become “unrecognizable” to her, and she felt stifled by attempts to control her votes and “villainize” her for “free thought.” Last legislative session, she voted with the Republican majority 96% of the time.
Tensions are again high after one Democratic lawmaker, state Rep. Cecil Brockman of Guilford County, abstained from last session’s vote to override Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 382. While publicized as a Helene relief bill, SB 382 mostly dealt with shifting power away from incoming Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.
Brockman caught flack from his party for missing the vote, which gave the Republican majority more wiggle room to override the veto 72-46.
In an open letter posted to social media, Brockman said he had been sick and was told the vote would likely be unanimous.
He also did not hold back in his criticism of the state Democratic party, who tried to primary him out of his seat based on his voting record.
“If I do not bend my knee to the establishment, I will continue to be portrayed as a villain. They’d rather convince my community that I am a villain to be scapegoated instead of acknowledging the reality that things are rarely black and white,” Brockman wrote.
He issued a clear warning to Democrats, reminiscent of Cotham’s 2023 switch.
“For those in our party who desire to keep my name in their mouths, let me make it plain and clear for you: Over these next two years, you need me. I do not need you,” Brockman said.
Western Carolina’s Cooper said it was easier for Cotham to switch parties and maintain her electoral success. The same is probably not true for Brockman.
“I think given the nature of his district, it’s a very Democratic district, it’s hard to imagine it ever being something else,” Cooper said. “I think he would be unlikely to formally switch because that would effectively be the end of his political career, whereas Cotham was able to switch and be drawn into a district that was at least competitive.”
Nonetheless, his voting record may still reflect his discontent with his party.
Lawmakers need to show up
Attendance records just got way more important.
Under the state constitution, the three-fifths threshold to override a veto is dependent on how many lawmakers show up. If the full, 120-member state House is present, it takes 72 votes to override a veto.
“If certain members aren’t present … that’s always an opportunity to sneak through a potential override,” Bitzer explained.
Still, according to Cooper, there’s some benefit to “taking a walk” and being absent rather than voting against your party. While both are on a lawmaker’s permanent voting record, one may be more excusable.
“People do have dentist appointments, and people do have doctor’s appointments and people’s kids get sick, people’s tires go out,” Cooper said. “There’s a lot of ways to explain later why you didn’t show up for something. If you cast a vote against it, then that one’s written in stone.”
When will Helene-damaged Broadmoor Golf Course be ready for play? FernLeaf Charter School back in business in previously flooded location? • Asheville Watchdog
The Broadmoor Golf Course near Asheville Regional Airport, owned by the airport and leased to DreamCatcher Hotels, suffered over $10 million in flood damage from Tropical Storm Helene. DreamCatcher is rebuilding the course, clubhouse, and maintenance buildings using insurance and company funds, aiming to reopen in spring 2026. Meanwhile, FernLeaf Community Charter School in Fletcher, flooded by Helene, reopened its elementary Creek Campus after nearly a year with new modular buildings. Despite challenges, including ongoing construction and flooding risks, the school rebuilt on its original site with community support and flood insurance, celebrating resilience and continued education.
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
Question: The Broadmoor Golf Course near the airport suffered catastrophic damage during the floods of Helene. Only the driving range has been able to operate. But now there is great activity that looks like the course is being rebuilt. I think the property belongs to the airport, and it is contracted out for management. Who is paying for this work, and when might the course be ready again for play?
My answer: I do miss playing this course, mainly because it’s not often I get a chance to hit a wayward shot onto an interstate, in this case I-26. Usually my drives are confined to the woods or a simple two-lane road.
Real answer: In short, a lot is going on at Broadmoor, which is located off Airport Road about a mile from Asheville Regional. The airport does own the property, but it leases the golf course to a company, DreamCatcher Hotels, which operates the golf course and plans to build a hotel on the property.
Zeke Cooper, president and CEO of DreamCatcher, told me his company has a 50-year lease, and it is committed to site improvements.
“As always planned, we are developing a hotel on the property, which we plan to start site work on later this year,” Cooper said via email.
Tropical Storm Helene inundated the Broadmoor Golf Links course, causing over $10 million in damage. // Photo provided by DreamCatcher Hotels
Helene, which struck our area Sept. 27, inundated the golf course and clubhouse. The French Broad River is close by, and the property is, as the name implies, relatively flat.
“The golf course lost over 1,000 trees and had 12-18 inches of silt covering 60-70 percent of the course,” Cooper said. “The first step was to remove all of the tree debris and remove the silt.”
The company finished that in April, and golf course reconstruction started shortly thereafter.
“The clubhouse had two feet of water on the first floor, with the basement completely submerged,” Cooper said. “The maintenance and irrigation buildings were submerged, resulting in total losses of the buildings and all equipment within them. It was a mess!”
Fortunately, they did have flood insurance. Cooper said total damage exceeded $10 million.
“So a lot of the work is being paid for with insurance funds, as well as our own money,” Cooper said. “We do not have an opening date yet, but expect to reopen in spring of 2026.”
For the golfers out there, Cooper gave a detailed breakdown of all the work they’re doing:
On the golf course: Stripping all greens surfaces, adding in new greens mix and reseeding with bent grass. All greens are completed and currently growing in. The 11th green was completely destroyed, as well as some tee boxes. Those have been rebuilt and are growing in.
All of the fairways and tees have been stripped of silt, regraded and tilled. All of these areas are currently growing in with Bermuda grass.
All of the bunkers were stripped, regraded and rebuilt with new drainage and sand. Sod was used around every greens complex and all bunkers, with the work completed about a month ago.
Tropical Storm Helene left behind 12 to 18 inches of silt on the Broadmoor Golf Links course in the Fletcher area. Workers had it removed by April, and the company that operates the course is rebuilding. // Photo provided by DreamCatcher Hotels
The irrigation electrical system was destroyed, and has now been replaced. New irrigation pumps have been operational the last couple of months. Workers also had to clean out and replace drainage systems, along with lots of bank restabilization.
Driving range: “We were able to open the driving range in a temporary capacity while work was being undertaken on the course,” Cooper said. “We closed the range on Aug. 11, in order to fix damage from the flood. It is currently under construction and we hope to reopen it in the next three to four months. No timetable, yet, as it’s weather dependent this late in the season.”
Clubhouse, maintenance buildings: The company gutted, cleaned and rebuilt the clubhouse. “We are close to hopefully reopening the clubhouse and restaurant in the next two months,” Cooper said. “We are working on finalizing some construction items for a full Certificate of Occupancy, as well as waiting on furniture, fixtures and equipment.”
The maintenance and irrigation buildings are completed and in use, Cooper added.
Question: What is going on with the FernLeaf Community Charter School in Fletcher? I’ve seen they’re putting back in mobile classrooms in the area that flooded, and it looks like it’s close to reopening. I thought they moved all the students to their location further south that sits on top of a hill?
My answer: I suspect all of the new mobile classrooms are actually barges. Pretty ingenious, really.
Real answer: Back in April I wrote about FernLleaf, the flooding at its location off Howard Gap Road in Fletcher, and the school’s plans to rebuild. Helene’s floodwaters filled the buildings with up to six feet of water and swept some of them off their foundations, Nicole Rule, communications, marketing and events coordinator for the school, said then.
On Monday she had some happy news about FernLeaf’s “second act.”
FernLeaf Community Charter School, which sustained major damage at its “Creek Campus” elementary school location in Fletcher, has reopened with new modular buildings. // Photo by Nicole Rule of FernLeaf Charter School.
“On Aug. 13, FernLeaf Community Charter School in Fletcher reopened its Creek Campus — 321 days after Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic flooding swept our main buildings off their foundations and left the campus under several feet of water,” Rule said via email. “In that time, over 430 elementary students and their teachers relocated to our Wilderness Campus (previously home to middle and high schoolers), where they continued learning without missing a beat.”
Rule said, “Community partners, including general contractor Beverly Grant and even the Carolina Panthers Charities (with a $20,000 grant), rallied to help us rebuild.
“While one building is still under construction due to this summer’s unrelenting rain, the reopening marks a milestone for our students, families, and the broader Fletcher/Asheville community,” Rule said. That building should be ready by the end of September.
Michael Luplow, FernLeaf’s executive director, said the school’s “journey has been a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve when we come together.”
“We are immensely grateful for the unwavering support of our students, families, staff, and the broader community,” Luplow said in the press release. “The re-opening of the Creek Campus is not just about a new set of buildings; it is a celebration of our collective spirit and our enduring mission to provide an innovative, inspiring education to our students.”
By the way, FernLeaf did rebuild on the same footprint, which is close to Cane Creek. But this is all approved.
“Since Fern Leaf had previously been constructed in a manner that met our current elevation requirements, they are permitted to go back in at the same elevation,” Town of Fletcher Planning Director Eric Rufa told me in April. “I have encouraged them to go higher, but current circumstances with regard to grade and ADA requirements may hinder that.”
The school did have flood insurance.
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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The content presents factual information about local community issues, such as flood damage and rebuilding efforts at a golf course and a charter school, without expressing partisan opinions or advocating for a particular political ideology. The tone is neutral and focused on reporting details relevant to the community, reflecting a balanced and nonpartisan approach.
SUMMARY: Brooke Johnson, 29, became the first woman to skateboard across the U.S., completing a nearly four-month, 3,000-mile journey from Santa Monica, California, to Virginia Beach. Motivated by a promise to her late stepfather, Roger, who suffered a spinal cord injury and encouraged her to skate across the country, Brooke fulfilled her goal while raising over $54,000 for spinal cord research. Despite emotional and physical challenges, she felt Roger’s support throughout. At the finish line, she wore a necklace containing his ashes, symbolizing their shared journey. Brooke plans to rest before deciding her next adventure. Donations continue via “Brooke Does Everything.”
Brooke Johnson traveled by skateboard from California to Virginia Beach over 118 days to raise over $50000 for spinal cord injury …
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-08-18 08:01:00
Hurricane Erin, which rapidly intensified from Category 1 to Category 5 over the weekend with winds near 160 mph, weakened slightly to Category 4 on Monday while remaining offshore. At 8 a.m., it was about 115 miles north-northeast of Grand Turk and 890 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving northwest at 13 mph. Dare County declared an emergency, ordering evacuations for Hatteras Island and the Outer Banks, where NC 12 is at risk of flooding and damage. While Erin is expected to miss U.S. landfall, North Carolina’s coast remains within its wind field amid ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene.
(The Center Square) – Erin, once a Category 5 hurricane over the weekend that more than doubled wind speed to nearly 160 mph, on Monday morning remained on a path to miss landfall of the United States though not without forcing evacuations in North Carolina.
At 8 a.m., the Category 4 hurricane was just east of the southeastern Bahamas, the National Weather Center said, about 115 miles north-northeast of the Grand Turk Islands, and about 890 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras. Erin was moving northwest at 13 mph, forecast to be going north by Wednesday morning while parallel to the Florida panhandle.
Erin had 75 mph maximum winds Friday at 11 a.m., a Category 1, and 24 hours later was near 160 mph and Category 5. It has since gone to a Category 3 before gaining more intensity.
On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 1 is 74-95 mph, Category 2 is 96-110, Category 3 is major and 111-129 mph, Category 4 is 130-156 mph, and Category 5 is greater than 157 mph. While the most-often characterization of Atlantic basin cyclones, the scale is without context on storm surge – a key factor in damage at landfall.
Dare County on Sunday declared an emergency with evacuations ordered for Hatteras Island and the Outer Banks. N.C. 12, the famed 148-mile roadway linking peninsulas and islands of the Outer Banks, is likely to go under water and parts could wash away – as often happens with hurricanes.
NC12 begins at U.S. 70 at the community of Sea Level and runs to a point just north of Corolla and south of the Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. Two ferries, Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island and Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island, are part of the route.
Nearly all of North Carolina’s 301-mile coastline is within the outer wind field projection from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center. The greatest speed, however, is 20 mph.
Erin’s rapid intensity is among the greatest on record, and particularly so for prior to Sept. 1. Hurricane force winds (74 mph) extend 60 miles from its center.
By midnight Thursday into Friday, the storm is expected to be past a point parallel to the Virginia-North Carolina border and gaining speed away from the coast.
The storm’s miss of the state is particularly welcome in light of Hurricane Helene. Recovery from that storm is in its 47th week. Helene killed 107 in the state, 236 across seven states in the South, and caused an estimated $60 billion in damage to North Carolina.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The content provided is a straightforward news report on Hurricane Erin, focusing on meteorological facts, evacuation orders, and recent hurricane impacts in North Carolina. It presents detailed information about the storm’s strength, projected path, and historical context without expressing any opinion or advocating for a particular political viewpoint. The language is neutral and factual, offering updates from official sources and avoiding ideological framing. Thus, it reports on the situation without contributing any discernible political bias or ideological stance.
