Opinion Roundup: Judge rejects GOP victory claim, voter ID lawsuit, term limits and more

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: How the south Charlotte burbs went blue in 2018, judge rejects Mark Harris' bid to be declared 9th District winner, Republican lawmakers ask voter ID lawsuit be dismissed, reporting from the cheap seats, mental health providers struggle with disparities in the system and more.

REAL ELECTION FRAUD?

MATTHEW BURNS: Judge rejects Mark Harris' bid to be declared 9th District winner (WRAL-TV reports) -- A judge denied Republican Mark Harris' effort to be declared the winner of the 9th Congressional District election, saying the incoming State Board of Elections doesn't have to certify the results of the election until an investigation into alleged absentee ballot fraud is completed.

EMERY DALESIO: Judge rejects GOP victory claim in disputed N.C. race (AP reports) -- A judge ruled that there weren't grounds for him to step in and declare victory for the Republican in the country's last undecided congressional race amid an investigation into whether his lead was boosted by illegal vote-collection tactics.

VALERIE BAUERLEIN: Judge Declines to Certify Winner of Disputed Congressional Race (Wall Street Journal reports) -- A state judge denied Republican Mark Harris’s request to be certified the winner of a disputed Congressional race, increasing the likelihood the Charlotte-based seat will remain open for months.

AMY GARDNER Judge declines to certify 9th District congressional race as fraud investigation continues (Washington Post reports) -- A state judge has declined to certify election results in the 9th Congressional District, citing state election officials’ authority to delay certification while they continue to investigate allegations of election fraud. In a court hearing in Raleigh, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway ruled against Republican Mark Harris, who leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in unofficial results from the Nov. 6 election.

BRIAN MURPHY: Foes, then partners, foes again: Bladen politicos on opposite sides of election fight (McClatchy DC reports) -- Two of the central figures in the disputed election in N.C.'s 9th Congressional District have been feuding over campaign activity in Bladen County for nearly a decade. The 2018 elections are not the first time McCrae Dowless has faced allegations of improper actions in an election in the Eastern North Carolina county. Nor is it the first time Jens Lutz, a former Bladen County board of elections official and former county Democratic Party chairman, has leveled allegations against Dowless.

Republican lawmakers ask voter ID lawsuit be dismissed (AP reports) -- Republican legislators want a lawsuit challenging North Carolina's new voter identification rules thrown out, saying accusations that they violate several portions of the state constitution aren't true.

TRAVIS FAIN: Trump calls NC Speaker after State of the Union invitation (WRAL-TV reports) -- President Donald Trump called N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore after Moore invited the president to give the State of the Union in Raleigh.

Trump calls N.C. House speaker on speech offer (AP reports) -- The speaker of the North Carolina House says President Donald Trump called to thank him for an invite to deliver the State of the Union speech in Raleigh.

Reporting from the cheap seats (Greensboro News & Record) -- You may not know much about working conditions for reporters who cover the state legislature in Raleigh. But maybe you should.

BRIAN MURPHY: ‘This place is not functioning’ – Republicans line up behind term limits for Congress (McClatchy DC reports) -- Nothing, U.S. Rep. George Holding says, makes his congressional colleagues focus more than a deadline. So Holding wants to give them one for their jobs. Holding, a Raleigh Republican, filed a resolution last week seeking a constitutional amendment limiting the terms of representatives and senators to 12 years in each chamber.

Want term limits? That will require a convention of states (Wilson Times) — Rep. George Holding and Sen. Thom Tillis say they want to work themselves out of a job. The Republican pair sponsored legislation last week proposing a constitutional amendment that would limit lawmakers to two six-year Senate terms or six two-year terms in the House of Representatives.

Thom Tillis the moderate? Be skeptical (Charlotte Observer) — Say hello to Thom Tillis, the centrist. Remember him? He was the candidate who ran for one of NC’s U.S. Senate seats in 2014. He vowed then to be a moderate voice in polarized Washington. That sounded good to N.C. voters, who backed him over Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan. That Tillis is back — at least in words.

Cooper, Cabinet visit eastern N.C. for events (AP reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper and his administration's top lieutenants are visiting eastern N.C. to talk about Hurricane Florence recovery, the economy and other topics.

BILL HAND: Cooper says ENC is open for tourism and business (New Bern Sun Journal reports) -- In case you were holding back touring in Eastern N.C. for fear of hurricane damage, take it from Gov. Roy Cooper: “Eastern North Carolina is open for business.” The governor opened a special cabinet meeting with those words Tuesday afternoon and to emphasis that he was serious, he hauled his entire cabinet to the Tryon Palace History Center where each secretary gave reports. Earlier in the day those same cabinet members spread across the ENC area visiting work sites and organizations to check on progress and learn how each is recovering from Hurricane Florence’s visitation last September.

LINDELL JOHN KAY: Fiscal mismanagement spurs federal scrutiny (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney hired a friend with a dicey history of handling federal funding over a highly-qualified candidate, which led to scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the loss of grant money.

DEBORAH STRANGE: Federal government union to protest outside RDU Airport (WRAL reports) — A federal government union will protest the partial shutdown outside of Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, the union said it was protesting “the use of federal workers as pawns in the political fight.”

A regrettable housing error (Winston-Salem Journal) — A city staff mistake that led to the loss of some $800,000 in federal money that could have gone to help develop affordable housing in Winston-Salem is regrettable and painful. Steps need to be taken to prevent its recurrence.

MICHAEL GRAFF: Ballantyne: How the south Charlotte burbs went blue in 2018 (Carolina Public Press) — Democrats won big in 2018 in Mecklenburg County, NC’s largest, but nowhere was the victory more surprising than in the south Charlotte neighborhoods around Ballantyne. In local, state and federal races, these precincts for decades have been reliably red. In 2018, they flipped blue.

EDUCATION

SARAH KRUEGER & ALFRED CHARLES: UNC-CH trustees meet but take no action on replacement for Carol Folt (WRAL-TV reports) -- Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill met Tuesday behind closed doors but took no action with just over a week before Chancellor Carol Folt leaves her post.

JANE STANCILL: UNC trustees discuss the search for a new chancellor, as Folt wins praise from faculty (Durham-Herald Sun reports) — The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees met behind closed doors Tuesday with interim UNC system President Dr. Bill Roper, with about a week left in the tenure of campus Chancellor Carol Folt. The search is on for an interim leader to take the helm when Folt steps down. Last week, she announced her resignation and the removal of the remains of the controversial Silent Sam statue.

KEITH POSTON: Let’s make NC public schools our No. 1 priority (Durham-Herald Sun column) — The creation of a system of taxpayer-funded public schools accessible to all is one of America’s greatest achievements. Public education evolved in this country to not only serve the needs of individuals, but the public overall because our leaders understood having a well-educated citizenry was important to the protection of our democracy.

DAN KANE & BRIAN MURPHY: UNC scandal raised a call for NCAA academic reforms. Will they happen? (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- When NCAA leaders open their annual conference in Orlando on Wednesday, they will receive a set of academic integrity recommendations developed after an infractions committee chose not to punish UNC-Chapel Hill for placing hundreds of athletes in classes that had no instruction. The recommendations come from a working group the NCAA set up in June, shortly after a commission led by Condoleezza Rice told NCAA leaders they needed to close two loopholes that can allow schools to escape sanctions for academic fraud.

YEN DUONG: Mental health providers struggle with disparities in the system (NC Health News) — Patients aren’t the only ones affected by how insurers often treat medical and behavioral health issues differently—providers are also struggling to get by.

JESSICA PATRICK: Film with New Bern star earns Oscar nomination for Best Picture (WRAL-TV reports) -- Green Book, which stars a North Carolina native, was among the eight Oscar nominees for Best Picture on Tuesday.