I wasn’t surprised at Marc Basnight’s announcement that he was going to resign his seat, having predicted this would occur last fall.  Notables are rightly lining up to praise one of this era’s most powerful politicians. Marc Basnight has accomplished some great things in his career and deserves honor and praise. But history will demand a more objective assessment of the Basnight era.

I first met Marc Basnight shortly after then-Senator Mel Daniels and oilman Walter Davis encouraged incoming Governor Jim Hunt to appoint Basnight to the DOT Board to represent District 1. I lived in that district and can tell you nobody ever worked harder as a DOT Board member than Marc. In fact, he worked so hard representing the district it almost bankrupted his construction business and he was forced to resign the post. I took his seat at the board table and immediately sensed animosity aimed my way. After the first meeting another board member informed me everyone was mad at Basnight because he had taken all the discretionary transportation money to use in Dare County for the state’s 400th Anniversary celebration.

Marc took that same work ethic to the NC Senate. When other legislators attended the many receptions, fine meals and outings provided by lobbyists, Marc went back to his apartment and studied. He actually read the bills being considered and was unafraid of asking questions to learn what was being proposed. Even though he never made it past high school Basnight was a quick study and rose quickly under the mentorship of Goldsboro’s Henson Barnes and Durham’s Ken Royall, the Lion of the Senate. His hard work, common sense and ambition aided him in the world of politics.

Basnight was the champion for business, especially commercial seafood interests, carrying water for many business propositions. He was unequalled in supporting UNC Chapel Hill, as well as the whole UNC System. Without his initiative there would be no Clean Water Trust Fund, no UNC Cancer Hospital, ECU Dental School or School of Pharmacy at Elizabeth City State University. There would also be no state-owned fishing pier or million dollar bike trail on the Outer Banks.

Senate power changed the Marc Basnight I previously admired so much. The bulldozer operator became a political bulldozer. He loved being the most powerful politician in Raleigh and he became masterful at playing the game and using the power. Republican and Democratic Senators alike gave him high marks for making himself accessible to them and listening to them, but he also became a master of raising money from the lobbies and special interests that wanted access to him. For several election cycles Basnight’s Senate Campaign Committee raised in excess of 1 million dollars each election cycle, money he deftly used to ensure that legislators friendly to him had sufficient resources to get re-elected. After his committee had given the maximum $4,000 to a candidate Basnight directed other Senators and the State Democratic Party to provide in-kind contributions for his hand-picked candidates, amounts sometimes totaling six figures. Critics call this is pay-to-play politics at its most basic level, since few elected due to Basnight’s help dared oppose him on significant issues.

He demonstrated many contradictions. Basnight championed the state’s open meetings laws, but insisted on making deals and budgets behind closed doors. He was the master of inserting special provisions into the state budget that often made major changes in policy or funding, such as providing in-state tuition for out-of-state athletes. These special provisions were never debated or voted on in committee or the Senate floor, but received an up or down vote only when the entire budget package was voted upon. He led the fight for the largest bond referendum in the state, the $3.1 billion University and Community College bond package but increasingly preferred to borrow large sums of money using certificates of participation instead of going to the people with voter referendums as called for in our Constitution.

For 18 years Marc Basnight held the power and made decisions affecting our state. Many of them were very good. Marc should be proud and the public can be appreciative for his service, often at the expense of his family and business interests. Let us always remember the good, but let us also recognize that this lengthy and powerful career points to changes that need making.

Our founders distrusted too few holding too much power too long. Few will dispute that Basnight stayed too long in power and held too much power. Our Founders feared too few having too much power too long and we hope future Senate leadership will recognize the people’s business is best accomplished with openness and with more people sharing power. At the least we would hope this Senate will embrace rules prohibiting the Pro Tem from serving more than 3 two-year terms and we hope campaign finance reforms will restrict leaders from selecting their members instead of the voters making those decisions.