Photo Courtesy of NCGA Website.
State Sen. Bobby Hanig officially retired from the North Carolina General Assembly Monday morning, bringing his legislative service to a close and creating a vacancy that will have to be filled for the remainder of his term.
Hanig announced that his retirement would become official at 9 a.m. Monday and thanked his family, friends, supporters, fellow lawmakers and constituents for their support throughout his time in office.
“I want to take a minute to thank my family for your love, encouragement, support, patience and the many sacrifices you have made over the years,” Hanig said. “I would not have been able to do it without you.”
Hanig also thanked his colleagues in both chambers of the General Assembly, calling it an honor and privilege to serve alongside them.
“Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my constituents for allowing me the honor and privilege to serve northeast North Carolina and this great state,” Hanig said.
Reflecting on his time in the legislature, Hanig said he and his constituents had accomplished many things together over the past decade and that he would “forever cherish the opportunity.”
Although stepping away from elected office, Hanig indicated that he does not intend to step away from issues affecting the region.
“I can assure you that, even though I am stepping down from my official capacity, I will continue fighting for eastern North Carolina values, beliefs and our heritage,” Hanig said.
Hanig concluded his announcement by expressing optimism for the future of North Carolina and the country.
“I know that God will continue to bless this great state and the greatest country in the world,” he said.
Vacancy process
Hanig’s retirement creates a vacancy in Senate District 1 before the expiration of his term.
Lauren Horsch, spokeswoman for the Senate Republican Caucus, told the Roanoke Valley Reporter that the Senate District 1 Republican Party Executive Committee will be responsible for recommending Hanig’s replacement.
“It will be up to the Senate District 1 Republican Party executive committee to recommend a replacement,” Horsch said. “You will need to contact them to determine the timeline for voting on Sen. Hanig’s replacement.”
The process is established under N.C.G.S. § 163-11, which governs vacancies in the North Carolina General Assembly.
Because Senate District 1 contains multiple counties, subsection (d) of the statute provides for the party’s State Senatorial District Executive Committee to make the recommendation. The counties represented on the committee do not necessarily have equal voting strength.
State law weights the committee vote according to the population each county, or portion of a county, has within the Senate district. A committee member is entitled to cast one vote for every 300 people, or major fraction thereof, residing within the member’s county or the portion of that county contained within the district. If a county has more than one member on the committee, those members divide the county’s allotted votes equally.
Once the committee selects a replacement, its recommendation is submitted to the governor. Under N.C.G.S. § 163-11, the governor is required to appoint the person recommended by the committee within seven days of receiving the recommendation.
If the governor does not make the appointment within seven days, state law provides that the governor is presumed to have made the appointment and the Senate is required to seat the committee’s recommended replacement.
The person appointed through that process would serve the remainder of Hanig’s current term.
