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Mecklenburg Countys legislators convene in Raleigh this month without a leader. Should they:

a) Elect a Democrat because they outnumber Republicans 9 to 8.

b) Elect a Republican because, after all, Republicans control both legislative chambers.

Choosing an answer will be one of the first orders of business for county lawmakers either before the General Assembly convenes Jan. 14 or soon thereafter.

Some want to elect a Democrat, like they did two years ago with then-Sen. Malcolm Graham.

I think we should elect a Democrat, says Rep. Beverly Earle, a Democrat and the delegations senior member. If you look at the local elected bodies, theyre all Democratic controlled. So why should it make a difference that Republicans control the House and Senate?

Republicans say it might be good idea to at least acknowledge where the legislative power lies. Some say a compromise might be co-chairmanship with one leader from each party. A Democrat open to that is Sen. Joel Ford.

Im looking for leadership that can be the most effective in representing the interests of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Ford says. There are a large percentage of Democrats who would like to see a Democrat. (But) its so close that one vote could swing it.

The delegation traditionally looks after the interests of the city and county, divvying up bills and figuring out how to pass them. But last session members split along partisan lines on a lot of those issues, including the airport.

One lawmaker says just agreeing on the delegations role would be a good place to start.

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The Source: Call it the delegations dilemma