House UNC BOG nominees similar to Senate: White GOP Males

The nominating process for new members to the UNC Board of Governors continued Thursday when the NC House of Representatives sent forth 15 names, mostly white Republican males. According to voter registration records, among the 15 candidates 12 are registered Republicans, two are registered Democratic, and one is registered as unaffiliated. Under “race," 11 are listed as white, three as black and one “undesignated,” whatever that is. Under gender, 12 are listed as male, two as female and one as “unknown,” whatever that is. 

As it turns out, the “undesignated” race nominee and “unknown” gender nominee are the same person, Raiford Trask III, a real estate developer from Wilmington currently serving on the UNC BOG. Based on his photo on the UNC BOG website, it appears Trask is a white male. If this is wrong, maybe Trask will shed some light on his “undesignated” race and “unknown” gender.

Raiford Trask III
Undesignated Race; Unknown Gender

Those nominated by the House of Representatives include:

• Republican: six current members—James Holmes, Jr.; Richard F. “Dick” Taylor; David Powers; Mary Ann Maxwell; Trask; and Hari Nath—and Christopher Derrick; Pearl Burns-Floyd; Matthew-Todd Johnson; Philip Byers; Joe Thomas Knott; and, Ed Broyhill.
• Democratic: Walter Davenport and Dr. Dwight Perry.
• Unaffiliated: John Alex Mitchell who, in primary balloting in 2010, voted with the Democratic Party,

The members of the Board of Governors whose terms run through June 2017 are similar to those nominated. There are 13 registered Republicans; one registered Democratic, and two registered unaffiliated. In the race category, there are 14 listed as “white” and two listed as “black.” And, there are 14 males and four females.

Those with terms expiring on 2017 are:

• Republican: Joan Templeton Perry; Roger Aiken; Henry R. Hinton; Rodney E. Hood; W. Marty Koitis, III; Scott Lampe; Steven B. Long; Joan G. McNeill; R. Doyle Parrish; Robert S. Rippy; Harry Leo Smith, Jr.; J. Craig Souza; and, Laura I Wiley.
• Democratic: Hannah Gage, former Chairman of the BOG who is Emeritus Member.
• Unaffiliated: W.G. Champion Mitchell, who votes with the Republicans, and Therence O. Pickett, who once voted with the Democratic Party but in the last four primaries has voted on the Republican ballot.

With the pending election of 16 new members chosen from the nominees presented by the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives, the "cleansing" of the UNC Board of Governors is nearly complete. Unless something drastic changes with the make-up of the General Assembly, the dominance of the white, Republican male on the UNC BOG will continue for years to come. Policy will be dictated more by business than by education and the reputation the UNC System has for building its mission than by reducing spending. By the way, Thomas W. Ross, the current President of the UNC System who was forced to resign earlier than he wished, is a white male, but unfortunately, he’s a staunch member of the Democratic Party.

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intenerate (verb) [in-ten-uh-reyt]: to make soft or tender; soften