After pleading guilty last summer to prostitution-related charges, longtime North Carolina politician Coy Privette said he would resign from the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners and leave the county once he sold his house.

Privette will close on his house Monday, he said Friday.

But when it comes to his seat on the county board, he's not going anywhere.

"I'll be renting," Privette said. "I've already got it [lined up]. It's squared away."

Privette's decision to serve as a commissioner until his term ends after the 2010 election frustrates efforts of some Cabarrus County Republican leaders, who wanted Privette to resign last fall so they could appoint his replacement.

It also raises the specter of residency law. If someone questions whether Privette is actually living in Cabarrus County or in a retirement condo elsewhere, officials may have to determine whether he qualifies to serve as a commissioner.

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