Hackney “hacks off” local GOP

By Augustus Cho
Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2007

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Chatham County, NC - Republicans in Speaker of the House Joe Hackney’s district are sounding off today about Hackney’s move to kill the Defense of Marriage Amendment yesterday.

The House Rules Committee approved the Defense of Marriage Act yesterday, sending it to the House Floor. This bill, if approved by the House and Senate, would put a constitutional amendment on the North Carolina ballot that would guarantee that marriage in North Carolina could only be defined as being between one man and one woman.

After the Rules Committee sent the bill to the House floor, Speaker Joe Hackney (who represents Chatham and parts of Orange and Moore Counties) sent the bill to the Judiciary I committee. The J-I committee is chaired by Representative Deborah Ross, who is an opponent of the bill.

“This is the most progress this bill has seen in four years,” stated Martha Jenkins, chairman of the Fourth District Republican Party. “This legislation has been introduced over and over again, only to be stuck in committees in both Houses where it had never seen the light of day.”

“House Speaker Joe Hackney has harmed his position by overriding a committee vote to send the Marriage Amendment (House Bill 493) to a committee,” declared Joyce Cotten, Chairman of the Chatham County Republican Party. “ What has happened to representative government when 64 House members co-sponsor a bill and the Rules Committee votes to send it to the floor and one person can prevent a vote?” Cotten continued, “ Speaker Hackney said at the beginning of the session ‘we will control the agenda.’ One has to wonder if this is his own personal agenda. This is not representative government but an abuse of power.”

Augustus Cho, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, cited polling data that shows public approval of being able to vote on the amendment. “A vast majority of North Carolinians believe marriage should be only between one man and one woman,” he said. “We do not want to be in the position that some judge can arbitrarily decide that the current statute defining marriage is unconstitutional in any way. The best way to insure that marriage remains the building block of our society is to pass a constitutional amendment to protect the institution.”

Joyce Cotten added, “Our country was founded on representative government. Let the people speak and stop playing games with “the power of office.” Cho interjected, “No one elected Hackney to be a dictator of North Carolina. He should not abuse his position for his personal political agenda.”

Both GOP chairman are encouraging likeminded supporters to call Speaker Hackney and ask him to allow a vote to be taken either today or tomorrow on the House floor on this bill. If the bill isn’t passed before tomorrow’s crossover deadline, the General Assembly’s rules prevent it from being considered either this year or next year.