North Carolina governor signs law to weaken successor

RALEIGH, N.C. — Outgoing Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday he’s signing legislation that strips his Democratic successor of significant governing control that McCrory himself enjoyed.

McCrory’s office issued a statement saying the signed the legislation passed last week. That’s despite McCrory expressing misgivings that it requires Gov.-elect Roy Cooper to win confirmation of his top agency heads by lawmakers.

“This is wrong and short-sighted and needs to be resolved through the leadership skills of the governor-elect working with the legislature beginning in January,” McCrory’s statement said. Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in both chambers of the state’s General Assembly.

The legislation McCrory signed also cuts the number of political appointees Cooper could hire to help run his agencies. The Democrat will be able to pick up to 425 state employees, reduced from 1,500 allowed for McCrory.

The new law also shifts many administrative powers of the state public school system from the State Board of Education — members of which are picked almost entirely by the governor — to the statewide elected superintendent of public instruction. A Republican will assume the superintendent’s job next month.

Republicans insist the legislation is simply adjusting the constitutional powers already granted to the General Assembly. Many provisions had been debated for years but had either been blocked or the Democratic viewpoint previously won.

House Democrats have said they may have all the changes thrown out on a technicality. They said the method by which Republicans called themselves in wasn’t initiated properly. The issue involves collecting signatures from House and Senate members.