[NC state] Sen. R.C. Soles won't seek another term

Raleigh News & Observer ^ | December 30, 2009 | Mark Johnson

[MitchellC]

RALEIGH -- Sen. R.C. Soles, a Tabor City Democrat, said Wednesday he will not seek re-election next year, a decision that comes three weeks after a Columbus County grand jury found probable cause to indict him for shooting a young man in the leg outside Soles' home in August.

Soles, 75, is the longest serving member of the Senate and, as chairman of the Democratic caucus, a member of the leadership. He is the latest in a string of senior Democrats stepping down that likely change the look and likely the style of how the Senate operates.

"I plan to serve out the remainder of my term with the vigor and diligence my constituents deserve and I will continue to practice law," Soles said in a prepared statement. "Public service is a noble calling and I have tried to live up to the ideals of a true leader."

Soles long was at the center of grumbling in his hometown of Tabor City about young men who were former legal clients and hung around his home or law office. In at least one case, Soles pepper sprayed one of the men and, in others, young men banged or kicked at Soles' door.

In the August incident, Soles shot 22-year-old Thomas Kyle Blackburn, who was allegedly trying to kick in Soles' front door.

Soles' lawyer, Joseph Cheshire of Raleigh, has said the shooting was self-defense. Cheshire and Soles repeatedly have said that Soles has been generous to former clients in hoping to ease them back to a law-abiding life. Soles has denied having sexual relations with any of the young men.

[MitchellC]

Another Dem retirement in the NC legislature.

[DennisR]

Good! Another corrupt Dimocrat down the drain. We want more!

[jessduntno]

“Cheshire and Soles repeatedly have said that Soles has been generous to former clients in hoping to ease them back to a law-abiding life. Soles has denied having sexual relations with any of the young men.”

HAHAHAHAHAHA...ANOTHER GERRY STUDDS...HAHAHAHAHA

[Engineer_Soldier]

It’s always funny when you see Democrats being prosecuted under the same anti-self-defense laws their own party created. LOL

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

He’s a fag plain and simple.

[parthian shot]

“Public service is a noble calling and I have tried to live up to the ideals of a true leader.”

________________________________

That is exactly why NC is where it is today! We have been led to the depths of ruin by leaders such as this.

[yongin]

Does the NC GOP have a good chance to take over the General Assemby of NC?

Also despite lackluster approval ratings, Burr looks decent for re-election.

[fieldmarshaldj]

We should take this seat, the Dems are losing their lowest-hanging fruit.

[tang-soo]

Reminds me of runup to 94 election. Could Charles Hayes be delivering more manilla folders? If you don’t know the context, use search engine to find info about PROMIS, Charles Hayes and Orlin Grabbe.

[freekitty]

He wants his pension now and his healthcare goodies.

[RegulatorCountry]

Well, honestly, I’ve never understood how the ridiculous old perv ever held on as long as he has. Even majority black Dem districts in NC have their tolerance limits.

[Oldpuppymax]

Being “...generous to former clients...” Does this sound like hush money?? Anyhow, I read that the senator was very much anti-gun, yet naturally had no difficulty owning and using one himself. Of course IMPORTANT people like democrat fags MUST protect themselves. Whatever would we do without them!?

[MitchellC]

I think there is a pretty decent chance we take both chambers.

[MitchellC]

Until the last six months, when WWAY and the Wilmington Star-News started doing all of these interviews, Soles had enough plausible deniability, and what he lacked in that he made up for in pork.

The district was actually drawn to be less Dem-friendly the last time around.

[MitchellC]

I'll post the Cliff's Notes version of the RC Soles scandals in a moment.

The Dem retirements in the NCGA are starting to add up here. Let me know if I'm missing any...

In the NC Senate...



RC Soles (8th) Juvenile delinquent benefactor, rumored homo and pedophile, has a bad phone connection when it's convenient. NCPI R+3
Julia Boseman (9th) Dope-smoking lesbian. NCPI R+3
Tony Rand (19th) Multiple investigations. NCPI D+4
David Hoyle (43rd) Democrat in the No Democrat's Land of Gaston County. NCPI R+3

And in the NC House...




Ty Harrell (41st) resigned in October amid an investigation into his campaign spending and has since been replaced by Chris Heagarty. The 41st is NCPI Neutral.

Nick Mackey (99th) is being primaried. The district is overwhelmingly Dem (NCPI D+20) but there's probably concern that the freshman Mackey, who has had about a thousand criminal and ethical charges leveled against him and is intensely unpopular outside of the black political mafia after he cheated to win the Mecklenburg sheriff's election in late 2007 (only to have the results thrown out by the NCDP) might lose in a very bad year for Dems. (Recall that Jim Black was in a similarly heavy-Dem seat in the same county and was almost knocked off in the Dem year of 2006.)

Am I missing any others?

NC *Ping*

Please FRmail MitchellC if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[nesnah]

To all you NCers out here. Had a holiday get-together at a friends house prior to Xmas. Didn’t know anyone there until I met a person who (because of their position and day-to-day connections in Raleigh) told me the following:

- Easley going down very hard (ala Jim Black) is a foregone conclusion at this point

- Better than even money bet that Edwards will join him too

- The personal-life rumors about the young, bright, conservative former city Mayor, unfortunately, are quite true

- Perdue is Basnight’s personal puppet, and she was hand-picked for that role

- Very high odds that McCrory (he will be the candidate) will defeat Perdue in 2012

- Basnight is way dirtier than the rest, just smart about not being caught

- Has met Perdue several times and the rumors of her being dumber than a bag of hammers is, indeed, an insult to bags of hammers everywhere

- There is way more to Tony Rand quitting the Senate than meets the eye right now - the future for him is going to get very dicey, as well as a few others not yet mentioned

[nesnah]

“I think there is a pretty decent chance we take both chambers.”

I will add that this person also said that there is much more than just a decent chance of this happening.

[CarolinaGOP]

What I would really like to know, will the Governor be successful in getting the final section of I-485 completed, or was that all a PR stunt?;)

[Rebelbase]

A pole smoking politician taking one in the rear!

[nesnah]

Dunno. We didn’t talk specifics.