Leading from the Left

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Check out the "Dirty Dozen"

The May 6th primary is just around the corner. And while most of the attention has been focused on top-of-the-ticket races—president, governor, and US Senate—all 170 of our state legislative seats are up for grabs this year.

The doings of our legislature are often overlooked by voters, even the most engaged voters, which is a shame because these men and women make decisions that really impact our lives. For better or worse, the North Carolina legislature does as much to shape our every day lives as Congress….maybe more so. Funding for schools, roads and transportation, public health, and environmental protections.

Just in time for the upcoming primary, the Conservation Council of North Carolina has released its 2007 Legislative Scorecard. The scorecard ranks state legislators based on votes they cast in last year’s long session of the General Assembly. To help shine a light on legislators who have failed to protect the health and welfare of the citizens of North Carolina, the Conservation Council named a “Dirty Dozen” list of State House members. These twelve consistently sided with polluters over people. Additionally, CCNC named “The Filthy Five,” a list of 5 State Senators who also had abysmal rankings.

Unsurprisingly, our local delegation had excellent rankings. The standout, was State Senator Ellie Kinnaird who was one of only 5 legislators who received perfect 100% scores. Congratulations, Ellie!

Click here to take a sneak peak at the complete 2007 Environmental Scorecard on the Conservation Council website and use the results to help you decide whom to vote for this year.

And why not also make a contribution to Conservation Council to support the great work we're doing over at the General Assembly to protect the environment. Click here to make an online contribution.