Posted on 03/10/2004 7:29:44 PM PST by JohnnyZ
RALEIGH - Robert Brawley, a former longtime legislator and Iredell County insurance agent, announced Tuesday he would seek the Republican nomination for state insurance commissioner.
Brawley, 60, was a House member from 1981 to 1998, rising to become a co-chairman of the chamber's Finance Committee and budget negotiator.
Brawley said he believes he can do a better job than the five-term commissioner, Democrat Jim Long, in part by negotiating for car insurance rates directly with automobile insurers, instead of through the N.C. Rate Bureau, and by improving department inefficiencies.
"The Department of Insurance affects every man, woman and child in North Carolina," he said. "It also affects every business that is trying to survive. It's time for a change and a better choice."
Long hasn't yet made a formal announcement about seeking another four-year term.
Unfortunately Jim Long has the industry in his pocket. They're not about to oppose an incumbent. He also has a rate refund in the courts that will be settled before the election, so he can sent out checks to all NC policyholders.
A 2003 financial audit of the Department of Insurance exposed the same weaknesses as an audit from 1995, Brawley pointed out. After almost ten years nothing has been done to correct the Department's flaws.
The 2003 financial audit notes significant weakness in internal controls and significant instances of noncompliance.
Brawley added that the last performance audit was conducted 20 years ago, saying he will immediately call for a performance audit due to the numerous complaints of uneven enforcement of rules and regulations.
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