Longtime NC legislator to take a new job, leaving Democrats to find another candidate
Longtime state Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield, a Wilson Democrat, will soon be leaving the House. Gov. Roy Cooper has nominated her to serve on the Board of Review, which handles appeals of unemployment benefit decisions at the Division of Employment Security.
The House and Senate voted nearly unanimously to confirm the appointment on Wednesday, and House members from both parties praised Farmer-Butterfield for her 17 years serving in the House.
“I’ve always appreciated legislators who are more concerned about solving the problems before them instead of some rigid ideology,” said Rep. Josh Dobson, a Republican from Nebo. “That type of thoughtfulness and that approach to governing is exactly what is needed on the Board of Review.”
Farmer-Butterfield had filed for re-election, so the Wilson County Democratic Party will need to pick someone to finish her term and replace her in November’s election.
Her House district is rated “leans Democratic” by the group N.C. Free Enterprise Foundation, which tracks legislative races. Republican Mick Rankin is also running for the seat.
Replaces a McCrory appointee
The legislature acted on Farmer-Butterfield’s appointment quickly after Cooper announced it, but lawmakers didn’t take action earlier this session on Cooper’s last pick for Board of Review.
The governor’s office announced on May 19 that he nominated Oxford attorney and former judge Carolyn Thompson of Oxford to fill the seat designated as a representative of employers.
Because the legislature didn’t confirm Thompson before a legal deadline, Cooper was required by state law to nominate someone else. Farmer-Butterfield will replace Fred Steen, Gov. Pat McCrory’s former legislative liaison and a former House representative, who McCrory appointed in 2016.
Board of Review members receive an annual salary of $130,230. Farmer-Butterfield currently works at the nonprofit Arc of North Carolina overseeing legal guardianship programs. During her Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Ralph Hise, a Spruce Pine Republican, asked if she plans to keep that job while taking on her new role.
She said she hasn’t decided yet. “I think they are checking to see if I can still do both,” she said.
Farmer-Butterfield told senators that she plans to provide “fair treatment” to both unemployed workers and employers during Board of Review cases.
“We are in the midst of some of the worst unemployment numbers of our lives,” she said. “Our citizens don’t need stalls or delays on their appeals. They need answers, and answers quickly.”
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This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 8:10 PM.