Wide-boat law sails through

The legislature speedily overrides the governor's veto of a bill allowing wider boats on North Carolina highways

RALEIGH -- It took less than an hour for the legislature to override a veto from Gov. Mike Easley and open the state's roads to wider boat trailers.

That historic vote also highlighted the chasm between Easley -- who has about four months left in office -- and members of his own party.

Easley said wider boat trailers are simply unsafe. Bill supporters say boaters have hauled wide trailers for years without problems. They say targeting boaters only chases sportsmen to other states while harming North Carolina's boat builders.

Debate was brief in the Senate and nonexistent in the House, as members overwhelmingly supported the first veto override in state history. The state gave the governor veto power in 1997.

After his resounding defeat, Easley showed little inclination toward mending fences.

"I have done what I thought was right to protect the safety of the public on our highways," Easley said through a spokesman. "It will be the members of the General Assembly who will have on their hands the consequences of this law. I hope and pray no one gets hurt."

Rep. Arthur Williams, the primary sponsor of the bill, said Easley's staff missed several chances to compromise. Williams, a Democrat from Washington, was the only House member to speak on the veto before members voted for override.

"I didn't want to come back up here," Williams said. "It's all about tourism and economic development."

Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, said Easley couldn't show that wide trailers are a threat.

"We can get no documentation that says anything that has occurred in the past has proven to us that it is dangerous," Basnight said. "These are responsible people that tow very expensive boats."

The session and vote Wednesday are notable because Easley was shot down by his own party as the sun was setting on his administration.

"These guys are supposed to be on the same side and on a relatively non- controversial piece of legislation, Easley becomes the first governor to have a veto overridden in North Carolina history," said Andy Taylor, the chairman of the political science department at N.C. State University.

Easley was at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Wednesday. House Speaker Joe Hackney was there, too, until he caught a red-eye flight to preside over a House session that lasted minutes.

The House voted 95-8 to override the veto. The Senate vote was 39-0.

The new law allows drivers to haul boats up to 10 feet wide under certain conditions without a permit. Wider loads require a permit.

The state still requires permits for drivers who haul other types of trailers wider than 8 feet.

"We're making an exclusion for a small group of people," said Lt. Everett Clendenin, spokesman for the Highway Patrol, which opposed the law.

"When the U.S. Department of Defense wants to transport equipment over 8 feet wide, they have to apply for a permit. When the Forest Service wants to move bulldozers and equipment to work in areas throughout the state, they have to apply for permits -- just like any agency or any business," Clendenin said.

Sen. Ed Jones, a former state trooper and the only legislator in either chamber to speak in favor of Easley's veto Wednesday, questioned whether the legislature would be back in town if the bill governed the width of trailers for hauling farm produce or trash.

"I felt like today the governor saw a mistake that we made by voting for this," Jones told the Senate.

Jones voted against an override, but his vote wasn't recorded because of a parliamentary quirk.

Crashes forecast

John M. Murphy of Washington, a boater and former member of the U.S. Coast Guard, worries that the relaxed safety rules will lead to crashes on narrow roads.

"A lot of people try to bring boats that have no business being trailered down these narrow highways to the Outer Banks," Murphy said, "and it's a disaster waiting to happen."

Jack Wood of Wake Forest, who takes his boat to the coast to compete in fishing tournaments, praised the legislature for changing the law.

"I've been doing this for 30 years and never had an accident," he said. "One reason we don't have accidents is that when you're towing something like that, you know you've got something big behind you and you're more careful going down the road."

The session cost $50,000, state officials said.

"It's a colossal waste of money for taxpayers," said Republican Sen. Tom Apodaca of Henderson County. "This was an odd piece of legislation [for the governor] to stand on, but after the past eight years I'm not surprised."

"This is the most expensive governor-initiated session of his term," said Rep. Thom Tillis, a Mecklenburg Republican.

Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat, was among the House members who backed Easley. Michaux said the legislature was creating a hazard: "We have bridges in North Carolina where two cars can't cross at the same time."

Sen. Clark Jenkins, an Edgecombe County Democrat, said Easley's staff refused to negotiate when the bill was moving through the House and Senate.

"They're the ones who kicked this dog," Jenkins said.