Legislative winners and losers

WINNERS

COUNTIES: They won't have any Medicaid bills in a few years, and they get the ability to raise a local sales tax or impose a land transfer tax.

HOUSE SPEAKER JOE HACKNEY: Kept the caucus together and got the House budget position on the transfer tax.

REP. PAUL "SKIP" STAM, HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Far fewer stories about the "raucous caucus" under Stam's leadership.

REP. MARTHA ALEXANDER, CHARLOTTE DEMOCRAT: She worked on mental health insurance bill for 15 years and got it this session. Persistence pays.

REP. PAUL LUEBKE, DURHAM DEMOCRAT: Pushed the transfer tax and won.

BUTNER: Home to a federal prison and a state psychiatric hospital, the southern Granville County community was incorporated as a town.

REP. JOHN BLUST, GREENSBORO REPUBLICAN: Longtime nemesis of former House Speaker Jim Black, Blust finally got some measure of vindication.

LOSERS

REAL ESTATE AGENTS AND HOME BUILDERS: Spent a bundle to kill the transfer tax, and failed. Now they may face referendums across the state.

CITIES: Counties don't have to share any part of the revenue they get from an increased local sales tax or transfer tax.

TRANSPORTATION ADVOCATES: Pushed hard for bond or increase in car tax with money going to roads. Didn't get anything.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVOCATES: Pushed for more money and got less for housing than last year.

DON BEASON: Ubiquitous and highly ranked lobbyist forced into a disappearing act when he was named as the "mystery lobbyist" who gave the $500,000 loan to former House Speaker Jim Black.

REP. THOMAS WRIGHT, WILMINGTON DEMOCRAT: His campaign money management practices, exposed by a State Board of Elections investigation, even had Democrats calling for his resignation.

REP. DAVID ALMOND, STANLY COUNTY REPUBLICAN: Resigned abruptly after news broke that a legislative aide had filed an unspecified personnel complaint against him.