N&O forum will forecast the 2019 session

In 2011, Republicans took full control of the North Carolina General Assembly and their aggressive legislating seemed powered by the pent-up frustration of decades in the minority. But for all the drama and rancor of the Republicans steamrolling legislation, there was a predictability, even monotony: cut taxes, cut regulations, cut taxes, render elections favorable to Republicans, cut taxes, and stir up a polarizing social issue.

That changed last November when Democrats riding a wave of resistance to President Trump and the General Assembly’s record overcame heavily gerrymandered districts and won enough seats to break the Republican supermajority in both chambers. Now Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes may be sustained and Republican lawmakers will have to execute a legislative exercise with which they are not familiar — compromise.

It’s not assured, or course, that Republican leaders will convert from autocrats to diplomats. Much of the Republican agenda has been accomplished since 2011. Now their game may be to block Cooper and the resurgent Democrats from getting anything through. Divided government may mean only gridlocked governance.

But a stalemate isn’t the only outcome, or even the most likely one. Politics is always generating new agendas and lawmakers would rather deal than hunker down in their partisan trenches. That makes the upcoming session intriguing. For the first time in years there may be a search for common ground and lawmakers working across the aisle.

To explore whether such a transformation is possible and what it might produce, The News & Observer’s next Community Voices forum will focus on prospects for the 2019 legislative session. Those prospects will be explored from all sides by a panel drawn from all sides. We hope you will come and hear what the panelists have to say. They are:

Rep. David Lewis, a nine-term Harnett County Republican and a leader in the Republican House caucus. Lewis is a champion of low taxes and reduced regulation, but he is also a capable politician who could use his conservative credentials to lead his party on compromises.

Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Wake County Democrat, entered the Senate after being appointed in 2016 to fill the seat Josh Stein vacated to run for attorney general. This session, Chaudhuri’s colleagues chose him to serve as the Senate’s minority whip, the second-highest ranking position in the Democratic caucus.

Lee Lilley, Gov. Cooper’s director of legislative affairs, will help guide the governor’s agenda over the legislature’s new political landscape. A former legislative director for Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Lilley joined the Cooper administration in February 2018.

Jane Pinsky, director of the NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform, offers a nonpartisan perspective on the new possibilities under divided government.

The Community Voices forum will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.

The event is free and open to the public, however you should register in advance to be sure of a ticket. Register at communityvoicesNC.eventbrite.com.

This story was originally published January 19, 2019 at 3:38 PM.