McCrory Signs Bill Limiting Roy Cooper’s Power

CHARLOTTE, NC– “This is really about the general assembly trying to take power for itself,” said UNC Charlotte Professor, Eric Heberlig.

Heberlig says it’s not unusual for the legislature to change the number of appointments a governor has, but he says the general assembly is doing much more at the same time, which is unprecedented.

“From the executive branch from the courts, restricting voting rights, drawing districts so they can preserve their ability to do whatever they want,” said Heberlig.

Republican Representative Dan Bishop says this is nothing new. He and other lawmakers point to newly elected Democratic Governor Jim Hunt trying to fire 169 republicans in 1976 before he took office. Bishop says the general assembly is simply exercising its authority.

“Democrats engage in democracy by protest and lawsuits, instead of going to the polls and winning because they can’t do that any longer because the majority of North Carolinians don’t support them,” said Representative Dan Bishop.

But Roy Cooper did win which Senator Jeff Jackson says sparked this clear power grab.

“Their only defense has been well something like this happened in 1976 and the Democrats did it so its ok for us to do it now,” said Senator Jackson.

“Let’s all be grown up and act as citizens and have enough sense of what civics are about to understand that’s the way government works it has multiple parts and each one exercises it’s duly appointed authority,” said Bishop.

Heberlig says it’s clear the General Assembly is taking all the authority it wants.

“There’s very few powers the North Carolina governor has to exercise that would restrict the legislature they’re doing this because they can and because they think they can get away with it,” said Heberlig.