Thom Tillis
Rep. Tillis had been the minority whip for the Republicans in the last General Assembly. With his party’s victory on Tuesday, he now wants the top job.
“We have been honored by the citizens of North Carolina with their confidence. As Speaker, I will do everything in my power to work with the members of the House to ensure that we meet their high expectations,” he said in a statement Friday.
He’ll be among at least four Republicans vying for the post. Minority Leader Paul Stam of Wake County and Reps. Mitch Gillespie of McDowell County and Ric Killian of Mecklenburg County also want the job.
Republicans meet later this month to nominate new leadership, though the actual House vote won’t take place until the legislature reconvenes in late January.
Rep. Tillis noted in a press release that he is a former partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and IBM Global Business Services. He said he wants to bring his organizational skills and his legislative experience together to lead the NC House.
RELATED LINKS
Nov. 4, 2010, Associated Press (via WRAL.com), “Republican legislators focus on leadership posts.”
More about Thom Tillis on his website, http://www.thomtillis.com/
Like most politicians aspiring to leadership positions, Mr. Tillis at times has demonstrated a tendency to be a bit partisan and unnecessarily stir up the base at the expense of the other party. But, I’m encouraged by his recent comments that indicate if chosen speaker he will work to find ways for both political parties to achieve some if not all of their objectives. As the saying goes, American politics is played between the 40 yard lines (much like Carolina Panthers’ football), and not too much gets accomplished if either party tries to run up the score.
With a $3 billion budget shortfall projected for next year, there will be tough decisions to make. I think Mr. Tillis’ experience in business and consulting will help the state government find ways to be more efficient and cost-effective, but that won’t alone close the budget gap. Some difficult decisions will need to be made, including how the state funds its operations.
I hope that whomever is chosen speaker will stick to the pressing economic issues we face, and drop the social issues. I was discouraged (and reminded why I gave up being a Republican 30 years ago) when I read that the agenda of one candidate for speaker included a constitutional amendment to define marriage as being only between a man and a woman. With the many challenges that face us, worrying about whether Adam can marry Steve or only marry Eve seems to be not only a waste of time, but also a continuation of some people’s insistence to deny basic rights to a sizable segment of our population. Any country that allows Brittany Spears to get a quicky marriage in Vegas and then file for annulment 53 hours later, or celebrates the multiple (is it 7,8, or 9 times??) marriages of Larry King and Elizabeth Taylor needs to extend an equal opportunity to everyone to get married. More seriously, it needs to extend an equal opportunity to enjoy marriage and the rights that come with it. Constitutions are meant to provide liberties and protect people from an oppressive and intrusive government. I hope the Republicans in Raleigh will remember that.