Speculation puts Wilson residents in Obama administration

The News & Observer offers an article this morning about North Carolinians who might be named to positions in a new Obama administration. Interesting speculation, but mostly just plain speculation.

A couple of speculations caught my eye. The N&O suggested former Gov. Jim Hunt, who nurtured a reputation as the "education governor" and who is genuinely passionate about education, might be Obama's choice for education secretary. Hunt barely seems to have lost any of his famed intensity since leaving public office almost eight years ago, and that intensity would translate well in Washington, where he could call senators and congressmen instead of lowly state legislators at all hours of the day and night.

But I would be very surprised if Hunt got the appointment. Hunt, 71, did not endorse Obama early in the campaign. When Obama came to Wilson's Beddingfield High School before the state primary, Hunt and his wife, Carolyn, were in the audience, and Obama recognized the former gov, but there was no endorsement. Hunt did campaign enthusiastically for Obama in the general election, and he might be credited for a piece of the narrow victory Obama won in North Carolina. Hunt organized Wilson County, which went for Obama while neighboring counties with similar demographics fell for McCain.

Obama does not owe a great debt to Hunt, but there's a bigger reason why Hunt won't be education secretary: He doesn't want it. Hunt has said repeatedly since losing the 1984 Senate election to Jesse Helms that he has no desire to move to Washington. I believe him. He has a pretty good life out on the family farm at Rock Ridge, just a few miles west of Wilson. Most of his grandchildren are nearby, and the area is still rural enough to look like it did when he grew up there in the 1950s. Why would he give that up for Washington pressure, traffic and frustrations?

The N&O speculates that U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield of Wilson could be named to the federal judiciary. Before he ran successfully for Congress, Butterfield served as a Superior Court and state Supreme Court judge. He won wide praise for his judicial temperament but lost an election to remain on the court, a victim of North Carolina's ridiculous judicial election system. Butterfield says he's happy in Congress, and he seems to be enjoying himself in Washington. But Obama could do worse in judicial appointments at any level than Butterfield. Although his law practice was adversarial as he advocated for civil rights clients, he proved himself to be a principled defender of the Constitution and the law when he sat on the bench.

In my former career, I kept a copy of an extemporaneous comment Butterfield made from the bench in response to a motion brought by the newspaper I served. Superior Court Judge Butterfield admonished the Wilson County Board of Education for handing off to its insurance company a decision about settlement of a lawsuit against the school system. The insurer had mandated that the settlement be kept secret, in violation of state law. Butterfield reminded the board that elected officials are responsible for making decisions, and they can't shirk that responsibility. The newspaper won the right to know the amount of the settlement, thanks to Judge Butterfield.