NC’s new governor: Why Stein and other top leaders may have fewer chances to talk to each other
Greetings and welcome to the governor edition of our Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein ran his first Council of State meeting on Tuesday, shifting two chairs up to the head of the conference table in the Department of Transportation Building, where the group of 10 statewide elected officials gather monthly. Or at least they have been, while Stein was attorney general.
Now that he’s governor, Stein is moving Council of State meetings to only six times per year instead of the usual monthly 12 meetings.
I attended Tuesday’s meeting, where new Labor Commissioner Luke Farley objected to the change.
Former Gov. Roy Cooper tended to cancel a few meetings a year, but six is still much less than the previous administration. I asked Stein after the meeting about Farley’s request, and Stein said he would talk to him about it. We’ll see if the meetings resume.
Top elected officials in North Carolina, unlike some states, meet as a Council of State to make some decisions, including those involving state property.
On Tuesday, State Auditor Dave Boliek questioned one of the property matters, about payments to Raleigh-Durham International Airport by the Department of Transportation. He said the documents about it on the agenda weren’t clear, and he didn’t want to vote for it. After a DOT staffer explained more about it, giving a clearer explanation of why a payment was backdated, Boliek gave his support.
“Let me say I appreciate the information, but I do have to say that the way this was written up is really convoluted. And it ought to be written so at least an average lawyer can understand it,” he said.
After being satisfied with his answer, Boliek and Stein had a brief exchange about ensuring clarity on the agenda items going forward.
The meetings aren’t just about property matters, as they end with a roundtable of updates, which for me as a reporter is often where the news is. It is a chance for each of them to briefly update each other, and the public, about what they are doing. All of their salaries, and billions of dollars spent by the state agencies they run, are funded by taxpayers.
When it was Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey’s turn to speak, he said what those who were in the room for the former State Treasurer Dale Folwell era were already thinking: Now Boliek is the councilor who asks all the questions, as did Folwell before.
Farley’s move, too, is reminiscent of Folwell. It was Folwell who objected, on several occasions, to remote Council of State meetings during the coronavirus pandemic, which Cooper continued even after other government groups returned to in-person meetings. Folwell, a Republican, also began airing the meetings on Facebook Live, making him arguably the most transparent elected official in the state, because he was the only one doing it. Folwell once received the Open Government Coalition’s Sunshine Award for his work to make government more transparent.
Council of State members’ votes are needed on some major decisions made by the governor, which was a stress point during Cooper’s handling of COVID-19.
Three members of the Council of State kept their seats: Causey, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. The new members are Farley, Boliek, Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Treasurer Brad Briner. Hunt previously served in the state House and Senate, and Jackson also served in the state Senate, as well as one term in Congress.
Inaugural Ball food donated, new event planned
The Junior League of Raleigh, which hosts the Inaugural Ball, canceled it in January because of the weather. The Junior League and Empire Eats donated food to several local schools, a Junior League spokesperson said, including 10 elementary, middle and high schools.
The Junior League rescheduled two inaugural events for April, and tickets are still available to purchase.
Details:
▪ A cocktail reception for the 10 statewide elected officials on the Council of State will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 4 at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. Tickets cost $175 and include beer, wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres.
▪ The Inaugural Ball for Stein will be held from 9 p.m. to midnight April 5 at Marbles Kids Museum. It is black tie and includes dancing, food and beer and wine. Tickets cost $250.
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This story was originally published February 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "NC’s new governor: Why Stein and other top leaders may have fewer chances to talk to each other."
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