Brock resigns for paid state job
Published 9:15 am Thursday, July 6, 2017
An oversight by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to fill an expected opening on the state panel ruling on unemployment insurance appeals means a senator will resign to take that post.
The annual bill containing dozens of appointments made by legislative leaders to state boards and commissions and approved Wednesday night lists Sen. Andrew Brock of Mocksville joining the Board of Review on July 1 for a four-year term.
The board sits within the N.C. Department of Commerce and the Division of Employment Security. It makes decisions on unemployment benefit claim appeals.
Brock says he’ll resign the Senate seat he’s held since 2003 to take the job, with a $124,000 salary.
Brock’s appointment was included in House Bill 256, which contained many such appointments to state boards. It passed the N.C. Senate along party lines. The bill received bipartisan support in the N.C. House.
The governor can fill the three board positions, and those choices are subject to legislative confirmation. But state law allowed Senate leader Phil Berger to fill the board opening because the Cooper administration says it failed to name an appointee in time.
Once official, Brock’s resignation would trigger a process among Republicans in three counties to fill the state senate seat. The 34th Senate District includes Davie County and parts of Rowan and Iredell counties. The section of Brock’s district in Rowan contains more voters than either Iredell or Davie. As such, Rowan would have the largest say in who fills Brock’s seat.
Votes to replace Brock would be allocated to the Republican parties in each of the three counties based on voter registration numbers.