By M.H. Cavanaugh
Christian Action League
November 12, 2016
RALEIGH – Two additional state lawmakers announced this week that they would not seek re-election to the seats they hold.
Rep. Ken Waddell, a two term Democrat that represents Columbus and parts of Bladen and Robeson counties said on Monday that he will not seek a third term.
Waddell’s reason for not running again was stated in a Facebook post.
“The extraordinary requirements of time, money, and commitment to service will not allow me to spend the necessary time required to do the job at a level I consider a personal requirement and further my farming interests while continuing to support my family,” he said.
He added that he fully intends to complete his term of service and “will continue to address the concerns of any and all citizens in” his district.
Dr. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, said that Waddell, a retired teacher and former Mayor of Chadbourn, has been a moderate Democrat that at times voted with Republicans. He added that Waddell had served honorably as vice chair of the Transportation and Wildlife committees.
“We locked horns, however, on the Grandparents Rights legislation,” said Dr. Creech. “He was the primary sponsor of that measure, which we were pleased to see defeated in a House committee. The law would have trumped the parent’s right to raise their child as they believe appropriate and control their child’s associations. While it may have done some good, it would have done more damage in the long-run. However, I fully believe Waddell’s heart was in the right place. He wanted to protect children from bad parents who were being unjustly prevented from seeing their grandparents. But in my estimation, he and his supporters just didn’t understand the full scope of the bill’s negative impact on good parents seeking to protect their children from bad grandparents.”
Rep. Dan Bishop, a one term Republican who represents Mecklenburg County, also announced on Monday that he would not seek to return to the House in 2016.
Bishop said that his reason for not running for a second term in the House is that he wants to run for Sen. Bob Rucho’s seat. Rucho announced last week he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2016.
Bishop, who previously served as a Mecklenburg County Commissioner from 2004 – 2008, and practiced law as a business litigator in the Queen City for a quarter of a century, said:
“This is a critical Senate seat for our region and for the entire state. It must be held by a conservative committed to defending our freedoms and supporting reforms that will create greater prosperity and opportunity for all North Carolinians.”
“I went to Raleigh to fight for tax relief, sound fiscal management, regulatory reform, and common-sense improvements to our public schools. I’m eager to continue that work in the Senate,” Bishop said.
Dr. Creech said that Bishop would be missed in the House. He said that body would most certainly be enhanced if he continued to stay in that chamber. “Still, I’m certain that if elected Bishop would also do a tremendous job in the Senate. He is a man of character, sound reason, and strength. I’m very thankful to God that such people serve us in the North Carolina General Assembly,” said Dr. Creech.
Sixteen House and Senate members have said in recent weeks they will leave their seats and not return to their chambers after 2016.
This does not include Rep. Rick Glazier, a Democrat representing Cumberland County, who left his seat at the end of last session to accept a position with the NC Justice Center.