Sep. 8, 2008
When Branches of Government Collide
By Damon Circosta
RALEIGH - Last month, the N.C. General Assembly made history.
For the first time ever, the legislature successfully overrode a gubernatorial veto. This may not seem like such a big deal, but this was anything but business as usual. It was a showdown between two branches of government. Our legislators had already been sent home for the year, and many of them were out of state or busy tending to their day jobs. Reconvening the legislature to override a veto is not small potatoes.
So what pressing matter required the legislature to convene? Was it the mortgage crisis, transportation funding or health care? No, the clash came over boats.
The governor had vetoed a bill that would ease restrictions on boat towing. His concern was that towing wide boats on narrow roads posed a safety hazard. The bill sponsors worried that the restrictions on boat towing would hurt tourism and commerce in a part of the state that can ill afford economic sluggishness.
But the untold story in this fight over boat towing has less to do with disagreements over policy and more to do with politics.
In eastern North Carolina, the recreational boat industry looms large. Sport fishing tournaments, boat sales and the tourism industry in general are aided tremendously by lax restrictions on the towing of boats. If the governor had been able to keep the tighter restrictions in place, the bottom line of boat builders, sport fishers and others in the tourism trade would have taken a hit. Money is at stake. And whenever there are dollars to be had, you can bet that some of those dollars will make their way into the political system.
Investigative journalists more skillful than me are hard at work unearthing possible financial connections between the boating industry and the relaxed boat-towing standards that came from the General Assembly. They will look at where the campaign donations came from and which legislators they went to. I'm not sure what they will find, but it is a sad commentary on our current state of affairs that no one will be surprised if there is a connection between campaign cash and favorable legislation.
This brings us back to the historic vote in the General Assembly last month. Our representatives were called back into session, and our legislators were pulled away from their home districts in order to have a debate about the towing of boats. While the legislation that ended up passing benefited a narrow and specific interest (the boat industry) the public good that comes from adequate safeguards on our roads is ignored.
Although it has happened in North Carolina recently, direct evidence of vote buying is relatively rare. The more common and more insidious scenario is the one where the presence of money in politics changes the conversation.
Campaign contributors often finance both sides of the aisle in an effort to gain access. These wealthy contributors don’t harbor any illusions that their money will always change minds, but what contributions do is get attention. When special interests have a stake in a bill, you can bet it gets noticed. It is their legislation that finds itself on the top of the pile, while other worthy bills struggle for attention.
Last month’s historic clash between two branches of government could have been over any number of topics. Citizens are concerned about our schools, the economy and the environment, among other vital issues. In the end, the clash came over boat trailers. And while the ability to tow bigger boats might be important to some, there are plenty of other things that are important to all.
Damon Circosta is the director of policy for the N.C. Center for Voter Education, a Raleigh-based nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving elections in North Carolina.
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