The North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research released its biennial legislator effectiveness rankings this week. Since the report ranks all 170 of North Carolina’s legislators, the region’s representatives were all, uh, represented.
The report ranks legislator effectiveness based on surveys given to all 120 state House members, all 50 state senators, 438 registered lobbyists, and 36 state capitol news correspondents. Of 644 total surveys, 261 recipients, or about 40 percent, responded.
Mike Stone (District 51), a second-term Republican from Sanford and friend of the Rant, rose from 73rd most effective House member in 2011 to 49th in 2011. That increase could owe to his active 2013, in which he guided at least three locals bills through the legislature over the public objections of voters, the media and even other elected officials.
Lee County’s other House representative, Democrat Robert Reives II (District 54), is not listed in the report. He was appointed in January to replace Democrat Deb McManus and has yet to serve during a session of the legislature. McManus, of Siler City, was a freshman House member who resigned in December after being arrested on tax fraud charges.
Sen. Ron Rabin, a freshman who represents Lee, Harnett and Johnston counties, ranked 39th out of 50 senators. Other rankings for area representatives include Rep. David Lewis of Harnett County, who moved from 5th most effective in 2011 to 4th in 2013, and Rep. Jamie Boles of Moore County, who moved from 54th most effective in 2011 to 26th in 2013. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, a Chapel Hill Democrat who represented Chatham County and resigned from the legislature to head-up a project aimed at helping voters get identification cards ahead of the 2014 election, moved from 48th most effective in the senate in 2011 to 46th in 2013. Her replacement, Sen. Valerie Foushee, was not in the senate report but ranked 116th most effective in the House during her first term.