Tony Rand To Resign From NC Senate...I'm Not Celebrating, Yet

Rand to resign


NC State Sen. Tony Rand, one of the most powerful political figures in the state, is leaving the Senate.

Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, will become chairman of the state Parole Commission, Mark Johnson reports. He will resign before the end of the year.

"There comes a time when it's time to go," Rand said.

Rand has been in the Senate since 1981. He was appointed to his seat and later became rules chairman and the majority leader.

Rand, known for his wit and gravelly drawl, was the enforcer for Senate Leader Marc Basnight and made sure that the Senate's machinery ran smoothly. On the Senate floor, he is known for delivering pointed, but often entertaining allegories: "It's all chicken but the beak," he once told Dome.

Gov. Bev Perdue released a statement announcing her appointment of Rand to the Parole Board.

"North Carolina is fortunate that Senator Rand decided to take this position. He, like me, cares first and foremost about protecting the public but also understands the importance of giving people a fair shot at a second chance," said Perdue. "I don’t believe I could find a better candidate in the state or country to lead this commission."





Group says Blue Cross gave big bucks


Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina donated $643,000 to state politicians from the 2000 election cycle through 2008, the election watchdog group Democracy North Carolina says.

No other company the size of Blue Cross has donated more to state politics, the organization said in a news release Tuesday. The political action committees of seven other companies, such as banks and utilities, have given more, but they are larger than Blue Cross and operate in multiple states, reports Dan Kane.

Sen. Tony Rand, the Democratic majority leader and chairman of a Senate committee on employees’ hospital and medical benefits, received $36,000 from Blue Cross, making him the top recipient, Democracy North Carolina said. The second highest recipient was Senate leader Marc Basnight, who received $35,000.

Blue Cross, the state’s largest health insurer, administers the health insurance plan for state employees. The health plan is supervised by a legislative body.

"This arrangement puts legislative leaders in the awkward position of monitoring themselves," Democracy North Carolina said in a news release Tuesday. "When substantial political money flows from insurers to legislators, the awkward position becomes more problematic to a skeptical public, even when legislators are doing their best to protect the public interest."

Executives from Blue Cross contributed an additional $117,000 to state politicians during the same 2000-08 period, the organization said. Blue Cross' chief executive officer, Robert J. Greczyn Jr., donated $69,000, and chief operating officer J. Bradley Wilson gave $21,933.

The top recipients of donations from the executives were Basnight, Attorney General Roy Cooper and Gov. Beverly Perdue.

Democracy North Carolina said that while the plan is in trouble, Blue Cross has a reserve fund in excess of $1.2 billion and gave its top six executives $10.5 million in salaries and bonuses in 2008.

Blue Cross spokesman Lew Borman said the company is required by law to have a reserve fund representing three to six months worth of claims and administrative expenses to make sure Blue Cross can pay its customers' medical bills. He said the $1.2 billion represents "the lower end of that requirement."

He also said that the executive compensation cited was for 2005-08, which were "three of the most successful years in our company's history in terms of customer growth, and financial stability."

As for the political contributions, Borman said it's nothing out of the ordinary for employees to voluntarily contribute so that they have a "voice in the democratic process."



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Under The Dome, Fayobserver, NCGA, Democracy Watchdog, News & Observer, Google Maps