North Carolina Cabinet and Council of State

In the government of the state of North Carolina, the Cabinet (analogous to the United States Cabinet) consists of heads of executive departments who are not elected by the people. All are appointed by Governor Mike Easley (D). The current North Carolina Cabinet (as of August 2007) members are:

• Secretary of Administration Britt Cobb
• Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain
• Secretary of Correction Theodis Beck
• Secretary of Crime Control & Public Safety Bryan E. Beatty
• Secretary of Cultural Resources Lisbeth C. Evans
• Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources William G. Ross
• Secretary of Health and Human Services Dempsey Benton [1]
• Secretary of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention George Sweat
• Secretary of Revenue Reginald Hinton [2]
• Secretary of Transportation Lyndo Tippett

• In addition, the President of the state Community College System, currently Martin Lancaster, is sometimes considered a member of the Governor's Cabinet. The President, however, is appointed not by the Governor, but by the state Board of Community Colleges.

Council of State

The following may be colloquially (and erroneously) called 'Cabinet members,' but as elected officials, they are actually members of the Council of State:

• Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue (D)
• Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (D)
• Attorney General Roy A. Cooper III (D)
• Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler (R)
• Commissioner of Insurance James E. Long (D)
• Commissioner of Labor Cherie K. Berry (R)
• Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson (D)
• State Treasurer Richard H. Moore (D)
• State Auditor Les Merritt (R)

North Carolina retains a Jacksonian-era system of divided executive power. In addition to the Governor, the nine executive officers above are elected statewide by the voters. Collectively, these nine (or ten, including the Governor) are known as the Council of State. The term harks back to the colonial-era Governor's Council, which was essentially the upper house of the legislature, and then to a Council of State in the early years of statehood, which was appointed by the legislature and which curtailed the governor's power.

Today, the Council of State meets periodically, with the Governor as chair, to allow for coordination and exchange of information across executive branch agencies and to vote on certain decisions, especially regarding the sale of state property or borrowing money. In 2007, a state judge referred to an old state law that requires the Council to approve changes to capital punishment procedures.

References

• News & Observer: Council of State in Strange Territory
• News & Observer: Council of State approves new execution procedure
• News & Observer FAQ

See also

• North Carolina Council of State election, 2004
• North Carolina Council of State election, 2008

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