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NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson didn't vote on state's Helene emergency declaration, records show
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who has called on Gov. Roy Cooper to deploy more resources to help people in western North Carolina, was the only Council of State member to not vote on Cooper's request to declare a state of emergency, records show.
As a deadly storm system approached the southeastern U.S. last week, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office asked top state officials to support his call for emergency help.
He needed approval from the other elected officials in North Carolina’s executive branch, a group of nine known as the Council of State, to exercise certain authorities under the N.C. Emergency Management Act. Their blessing would enable the Democratic governor to more easily mobilize rescue vehicles, order evacuations and begin other emergency actions by waiving some of the state’s transportation regulations for heavy vehicles.
Within an hour of making the request on Sept. 24 — before Helene ravaged the western part of the state — most of the council had responded with supporting votes. But come 9 a.m. the next morning, one member had yet to cast a vote: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor.
Cooper has deployed more than 700 members of the North Carolina National Guard, who have helped rescue more than 400 people and dozens of animals in western North Carolina, where flooding and mudslides have crippled road networks, left more than 1,000 people homeless and dozens dead. Guardsmen and other volunteers have delivered hundreds of pallets of water and food since the storm started. Meanwhile, dozens of shelters are housing more than 1,100 people. And President Joe Biden approved Cooper’s request for expedited federal support.
Despite not weighing in on the emergency declaration, Robinson has spent recent days needling the Democratic governor to do more.
On Sunday, he called on Cooper to send more resources and National Guard personnel to lead additional search-and-rescue teams. In a social media post on Tuesday, he added: “North Carolina must follow the lead of successful governors like [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis]. Cut the red tape. Stop waiting on federal resources and allow private industry in to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, and repair infrastructure immediately.”
Jordan Monaghan, a spokesman for the governor, said Robinson’s comments mischaracterized the scope of the relief efforts.
"An online disinformation campaign by the lieutenant governor during an unprecedented crisis is unhelpful, causes confusion in areas with limited communications and potentially puts lives at risk,” Monaghan said in a statement. “State, federal and local partners are leading a massive, coordinated response to a catastrophic storm. The governor declared a state of emergency well before this storm hit, has led public briefings from the Emergency Operations Center since last week, and continues to visit affected regions to coordinate more resources. Resources from across the state and country are deployed to help the people and communities of western North Carolina."
Robinson and Cooper have long had a frosty relationship. Robinson’s recent social media posts reflect that. That he didn’t vote to approve the emergency measure could underscore a widening disconnect between Robinson and other members of the Council of State — a chasm that has become more glaring in the wake of the storm, some political observers said.
“It’s inexcusable in a time of crisis,” former Gov. Pat McCrory said of Robinson’s lack of participation in the vote.
McCrory, a Republican, led the state in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew caused flooding in southeastern North Carolina. McCrory said he made a point to ensure the Council of State was on board with his decisions in the wake of Matthew.
Robinson’s participation in meetings for boards and commissions on which he sits has come under scrutiny on the campaign trail. McCrory said the lieutenant governor’s comments about other state leaders are unhelpful.
“This is not a time for criticism,” said McCrory, who has been a critic of Robinson prior to the storm. “This is a time for working together as a team and asking how you can help. I'm sure there are people who feel stranded out there, but right now is not the time to start throwing arrows.”
Organizing relief efforts is like drinking from a fire hose, McCrory said. People should reserve their criticism of emergency response leaders for when they’ve had a chance to review the full scope of the situation and the decisions that were made, he said.
“You don't do that while they're still in the middle of search and recovery,” McCrory said. “And they are still in search and recovery.”
‘With or without my vote’
The governor didn’t previously need permission from other executive branch leaders to take certain emergency actions, but the Republican-led state legislature changed the law following the Covid-19 pandemic. The Republican-majority Council of State can now choose to block Cooper’s actions. But the vote to approve Cooper’s Helene action was unanimous, aside from Robinson’s lack of response.
State law says that any member's failure to respond within two days counts as a "yes" vote, and Cooper’s request would have been approved even if Robinson had voted against it.
Robinson previously voted to approve some of Cooper’s emergency declaration requests, including in January ahead of severe winter weather and in August ahead of Hurricane Debby. It’s unclear why he didn’t respond to Cooper’s Helene request.
When asked Tuesday why he didn’t vote to approve the declaration, Robinson’s state office issued a statement that didn’t address last week’s vote. Krishana Polite, Robinson’s chief of staff, said he’s been traveling to some of the areas affected by the storm.
“All hands on deck means just that, including the hands of every single elected official in this state,” Polite said in a statement on Tuesday. “We need to be boots on the ground, working to rescue the citizens of this state-just as Lieutenant Governor Robinson and his team have been doing 24/7 for days now.”
Asked again Wednesday why he didn’t vote, after this article had been published, Robinson was again asked why he didn't vote for the resolution.
“I don't even need to cover why," he told reporters. "… That vote was going to pass with or without my vote. So it was absolutely inconsequential.”
https://www.wral.com/story/nc-lt-go...-emergency-declaration-records-show/21653112/
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who has called on Gov. Roy Cooper to deploy more resources to help people in western North Carolina, was the only Council of State member to not vote on Cooper's request to declare a state of emergency, records show.
As a deadly storm system approached the southeastern U.S. last week, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office asked top state officials to support his call for emergency help.
He needed approval from the other elected officials in North Carolina’s executive branch, a group of nine known as the Council of State, to exercise certain authorities under the N.C. Emergency Management Act. Their blessing would enable the Democratic governor to more easily mobilize rescue vehicles, order evacuations and begin other emergency actions by waiving some of the state’s transportation regulations for heavy vehicles.
Within an hour of making the request on Sept. 24 — before Helene ravaged the western part of the state — most of the council had responded with supporting votes. But come 9 a.m. the next morning, one member had yet to cast a vote: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor.
Cooper has deployed more than 700 members of the North Carolina National Guard, who have helped rescue more than 400 people and dozens of animals in western North Carolina, where flooding and mudslides have crippled road networks, left more than 1,000 people homeless and dozens dead. Guardsmen and other volunteers have delivered hundreds of pallets of water and food since the storm started. Meanwhile, dozens of shelters are housing more than 1,100 people. And President Joe Biden approved Cooper’s request for expedited federal support.
Despite not weighing in on the emergency declaration, Robinson has spent recent days needling the Democratic governor to do more.
On Sunday, he called on Cooper to send more resources and National Guard personnel to lead additional search-and-rescue teams. In a social media post on Tuesday, he added: “North Carolina must follow the lead of successful governors like [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis]. Cut the red tape. Stop waiting on federal resources and allow private industry in to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, and repair infrastructure immediately.”
Jordan Monaghan, a spokesman for the governor, said Robinson’s comments mischaracterized the scope of the relief efforts.
"An online disinformation campaign by the lieutenant governor during an unprecedented crisis is unhelpful, causes confusion in areas with limited communications and potentially puts lives at risk,” Monaghan said in a statement. “State, federal and local partners are leading a massive, coordinated response to a catastrophic storm. The governor declared a state of emergency well before this storm hit, has led public briefings from the Emergency Operations Center since last week, and continues to visit affected regions to coordinate more resources. Resources from across the state and country are deployed to help the people and communities of western North Carolina."
Robinson and Cooper have long had a frosty relationship. Robinson’s recent social media posts reflect that. That he didn’t vote to approve the emergency measure could underscore a widening disconnect between Robinson and other members of the Council of State — a chasm that has become more glaring in the wake of the storm, some political observers said.
“It’s inexcusable in a time of crisis,” former Gov. Pat McCrory said of Robinson’s lack of participation in the vote.
McCrory, a Republican, led the state in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew caused flooding in southeastern North Carolina. McCrory said he made a point to ensure the Council of State was on board with his decisions in the wake of Matthew.
Robinson’s participation in meetings for boards and commissions on which he sits has come under scrutiny on the campaign trail. McCrory said the lieutenant governor’s comments about other state leaders are unhelpful.
“This is not a time for criticism,” said McCrory, who has been a critic of Robinson prior to the storm. “This is a time for working together as a team and asking how you can help. I'm sure there are people who feel stranded out there, but right now is not the time to start throwing arrows.”
Organizing relief efforts is like drinking from a fire hose, McCrory said. People should reserve their criticism of emergency response leaders for when they’ve had a chance to review the full scope of the situation and the decisions that were made, he said.
“You don't do that while they're still in the middle of search and recovery,” McCrory said. “And they are still in search and recovery.”
‘With or without my vote’
The governor didn’t previously need permission from other executive branch leaders to take certain emergency actions, but the Republican-led state legislature changed the law following the Covid-19 pandemic. The Republican-majority Council of State can now choose to block Cooper’s actions. But the vote to approve Cooper’s Helene action was unanimous, aside from Robinson’s lack of response.
State law says that any member's failure to respond within two days counts as a "yes" vote, and Cooper’s request would have been approved even if Robinson had voted against it.
Robinson previously voted to approve some of Cooper’s emergency declaration requests, including in January ahead of severe winter weather and in August ahead of Hurricane Debby. It’s unclear why he didn’t respond to Cooper’s Helene request.
When asked Tuesday why he didn’t vote to approve the declaration, Robinson’s state office issued a statement that didn’t address last week’s vote. Krishana Polite, Robinson’s chief of staff, said he’s been traveling to some of the areas affected by the storm.
“All hands on deck means just that, including the hands of every single elected official in this state,” Polite said in a statement on Tuesday. “We need to be boots on the ground, working to rescue the citizens of this state-just as Lieutenant Governor Robinson and his team have been doing 24/7 for days now.”
Asked again Wednesday why he didn’t vote, after this article had been published, Robinson was again asked why he didn't vote for the resolution.
“I don't even need to cover why," he told reporters. "… That vote was going to pass with or without my vote. So it was absolutely inconsequential.”
https://www.wral.com/story/nc-lt-go...-emergency-declaration-records-show/21653112/
