I know it's early, but I hereby nominate former Democratic strategist Joe Sinsheimer as our state's 2008 Man of the Year. Every North Carolinian who doesn't hold a General Assembly seat owes the man a big debt of gratitude. No other private citizen has done more to clean up the corrupt cesspool that engulfs the legislature.

Just ask Rep. Thomas Wright. It was a formal Sinsheimer complaint, filed in December 2006, over the New Hanover County Democrat's handling of campaign donations that kicked off the investigations that have Wright on the brink of expulsion from the House and days away from a criminal trial.

Let's also not forget it was Sinsheimer's cheesy www.jimblackmustgo.com Web site that kept the spotlight on former House Speaker Jim Black's conduct -- or as the site put it, the "Chronicle of Sleaze." That sleaze, which included taking illegal campaign contributions, amounted to a crime for which Black is serving time in a federal penitentiary. When Sinsheimer launched the site in November 2005, he was practically the only Democrat with the guts to publicly criticize Black's bad behavior.

I phoned Sinsheimer in Vancouver, British Columbia, over the weekend, expecting he would feel vindicated. After the Wright complaint was filed, some leading Democrats considered him more self-promoter than reformer. But I heard more resignation than vindication from Sinsheimer. He was exasperated that House Speaker Joe Hackney hadn't yet set a date for a full House vote on Wright's expulsion. Yesterday, however, Hackney did so, calling a special session for 10 a.m. March 20.

Meantime, Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby is prosecuting Wright on six felony counts that allege he criminally mishandled $350,000. Assuming he's still in office after March 20, Wright must step down if he's convicted on any charge. His trial begins March 31.

Then there are the voters in Wilmington. They could give Wright the boot in a May 6 primary by electing one of his two challengers.

Sinsheimer believes the public is better served if House members discipline their own instead of relying on others to do it for them. He's right.

But he also believes that even if Wright is out of office when the General Assembly reconvenes May 13 for this year's session, the job of cleaning up North Carolina politics will be only half complete. He predicts the next corruption eruption may come from wrongdoing associated with regional economic development efforts. Stay tuned.

Beyond waiting for complaints and investigations, Sinsheimer suggests the General Assembly ban members from soliciting state money for nonprofits. That's a darn good idea, even if it's only for self-preservation.

Former U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance is doing time after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. He was accused of steering, while he was a state legislator, more than $100,000 of taxpayer funds to his law firm, church and family through a nonprofit foundation. Wright, a legislative lieutenant for the disgraced former Speaker Black, is accused of pocketing solicitations and fraudulently obtaining a loan for a nonprofit he established.

These individual actions are, in part, a result of what Sinsheimer describes as a culture of corruption in Raleigh, a culture he says will endure as long as one party dominates the legislature. As Sinsheimer sees it, the pursuit of power and money required to feed and maintain that dominance has turned well-meaning public servants into self-serving pols. Additional ethics laws and rules won't clean things up. Only the accountability provided by political competition will lead to meaningful reform.

It's hard to argue with that, but public apathy is the reason for the dearth of political competition Sinsheimer bemoans. Our elected officials can be trotted off to jail, and most North Carolinians don't seem to care. If they're not convicted, they're re-elected.

Be honest. Would anyone really be surprised if Wright were to win a primary? Even during the depths of his ethical challenges, Jim Black managed to retain his Charlotte-area House seat.

Despite our disengagement, good government still means something to Sinsheimer. He doesn't get a dime for his efforts and returns any donations. For that contribution, a public thank you is not only in order, but long overdue.

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.