RALEIGH -- In an institution that once was peopled by colorful characters with engaging nicknames and soaring oratorical powers, longtime state Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand's surprise decision to leave the Senate before the end of the year does several things all at once:
It makes the Senate a paler, less lively place that will go without Rand's pointed wit, flamboyant hand gestures, fierce advocacy on behalf of his alma mater and firm grasp on the rhythm and heartbeat of legislative work. As my colleague Lynn Bonner of the News & Observer once wrote of Rand, "The Senate belongs to the people of North Carolina, but the power to set its pace belongs to Sen. Tony Rand."
It opens up the possibility of considerably more power-sharing in a chamber where President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, and Rand, D-Cumberland, have run the place so long that most legislators cannot remember when things were different. Basnight is now in his 18th year as the chief lawmaker of the chamber, and Rand, who served as majority leader in the late 1980s before running for higher office, then later returning to resume his role eight years ago, have closely controlled the Senate and its business for a long time.
And it raises the likelihood that power will take a westward shift in the Senate after years of domination by Eastern N.C. political interests. State Sen. Dan Clodfelter, D-Mecklenburg, has long had an interest in the job, but an early consensus may be jelling around mountain populist Sen. Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe, a veteran who served under then-House Speaker Liston Ramsey in the 1980s before coming to the Senate via appointment in 2004.
Questions are buzzing around the Capital City about Rand's decision to step down before the end of this year and take a job as head of the state parole board in January. Why now? Is he in legal trouble related to his old ally, former Gov. Mike Easley? What's up?
Several factors are at work. While there are no signs that any legal difficulties lie in Rand's future ("No. Hell, no," he told the Fayetteville Observer the other day), it must have been discouraging to watch his longtime friend pilloried in recent State Board of Elections hearings while other authorities continue to investigate.
For another, Rand has turned 70, the same age as when his father died.
The Senate has changed over the years with new members, some of them more liberal, who no longer are satisfied with power being so closely held in so few hands.
Basnight, who has had some health issues, plans to run for at least one more term, meaning Rand would not have a crack at the president pro tem's job for another two years.
And finally, there are stories about Rand's frustrations with a more fractious Democratic caucus more than willing to buck Senate leaders on social issues.
In choosing to announce his departure now, Rand is doing something many politicians cannot find the wisdom to do: go out while still on top. He is regarded as a master of legislation - not omnipotent or free from mistakes, but as close to that as it comes.
Rand was a key figure, for instance, in getting the lottery passed in this state. For my money it was a mistake, especially the shabby way it passed at the last minute after a tie vote when several lawmakers were absent. But it was a fundamental part of Easley's plan to help pay for education, and Rand saw to it that it passed the Senate.
Rand also tried unsuccessfully to push conversion of Blue Cross and Blue Shield to a for-profit company and creation of a well-financed health care foundation.
And he caught critical fire for a budget measure that allows out-of-state students on athletic and other scholarships in the UNC system to have their tuition paid for at in-state rates. Rand's departure would mean that House Speaker Joe Hackney and other opponents of that measure would have a better chance at repeal.
Rand's hand was on just about every significant bill to boost education spending and improve public schools. He also promoted conciliatory legislation apologizing for the state's role in racial strife. But it was Rand's sense of history and knowledge of politics - and his grasp of the right story for the right moment - that made his tenure memorable.
When one legislative session years ago droned on and on through the summer, Rand rose and told his colleagues that he was reminded of what Oliver Cromwell said about the Rump Parliament, a remnant of the Long Parliament in 1648: "You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing lately . . . Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"
And they did.
