“Psst … Hey, Mark.” An environmental lobbyist who was nervously watching the end of the General Assembly’s three-day post-Thanksgiving session stopped by my desk to share some scuttlebutt. House Republicans were looking for a win after the Senate left and shut down any hope of passing a temporary cap on the gas tax. Aside from a bill that allowed big breweries to offer tastings and sell their wares at gift shops, the House didn’t have a lot to hang its collective hat on — much less the $100,000-plus price tag for three days in Raleigh.
My friendly neighborhood advocate for all things green told me the House GOP wanted to get that win by overrid- ing Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of S 709, a bill that would push the state toward exploring for natural gas in the ocean and on land. Without fully exploring the topic here — proponents say natural gas will bring jobs, opponents fear the environmental consequences — the rumor was that Rep. Marcus Brandon, a High Point Democrat, was going to flip his vote and help Republicans get their victory. “I told them no. ... They think that every time something is going to go down, it’s me,” Brandon said later in the day, after the House had adjourned without overriding any vetoes.
Brandon played at being taken aback by this suspicion, but he knows well why he’s a person of interest when talk of Democrats flipping votes comes around. He was the only Democrat to side with the GOP on a high-profile charter school bill this spring and voted to override the governor’s veto of a regulatory reform bill in July. Generally, Brandon is friendlier with Republicans than most House Democrats. This makes him something of a throwback in terms of legislative decorum. There was a time when legislative Democrats and Republicans got along on a personal level, even policy differences. From my perch in the cheap seats, that seems less and less the case as politics become increasingly competitive and increasingly nasty.
Brandon, a freshman, is unique as he builds a personal brand around getting along with everyone — Republican or Democrat. “Thank you for coming,” Brandon said as our conversation was interrupted by House Speaker Thom Tillis, who had just scheduled a town hall meeting in High Point for Dec. 15. “Are you going to let me come to your town hall?” Brandon asked the top legislative Republican. “You ought to,” exclaimed Tillis, who said that a couple of Democrats had come to other forums he held throughout the state. “I absolutely extend an invitation to all of us. ... I’m glad you’ll be there. I know I probably make people mad, but I probably use you as an example in courage everywhere I go,” Tillis told Brandon. “I know sometimes my support may not be a good idea,” he added with a smile. “I’m proud to have it, no matter what,” Brandon replied. “People get mad at me, too.”
Lest you think Brandon is ready to change his party affiliation, about a minute after that conversation he was very critical of the three days lawmakers spent in Raleigh during the post-Thanksgiving work period. Asked what the House accomplished, he replied simply: “Nothing … it was a waste of time.” Brandon said he was particularly happy to see the bill to cap the gas tax defeated because it would have delayed major road projects in Guilford County. He was one of only 23 Democrats who stuck with their party leadership and voted against the measure Tuesday. Nonetheless, he’s a hard lawmaker to pin down and will probably keep making folks like my lobbyist friend nervous as long as he’s up here.
Odds and ends Interested in that town hall meeting with Tillis? It will be at 5 p.m. Dec. 15 at the High Point Municipal Building, 211 S. Hamilton Street in High Point. RSVP to speaker.rsvp@ncleg.net . On the gas tax vote, the Guilford delegation was split. Along with Brandon, Democrats Alma Adams, Pricey Harrison and Maggie Jeffus voted against it on Tuesday. Republican Reps. John Blust and John Faircloth voted for it. Brandon voted for the measure in committee but changed his mind when the scope of the budget cuts needed to offset the cap became apparent.
