Capitol Press Corps, John Locke Foundation Make June an Interesting Month for Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin

June has been quite the month.

Personally, I may have transcended to a new level in state politics: For the first time I was the subject of one of the annual press skits performed by the North Carolina Capitol Press Corps ... and was the beneficiary of positive press and analysis by both the Heartland Institute and John Hood of the John Locke Foundation, a somewhat rare feat for a Democrat.

In the skit, one Capitol press reporter portrayed me as a wrestler tangling with fellow political grappler Marc Basnight played by another journalist, with yet a third member of the Fourth Estate serving as the ringside announcer. The premise is that the State of North Carolina is in desperate need of money for the budget hole, and decided that a "main event" between the Dare County Senator and me, as a result of a recent coastal insurance brouhaha, would raise ample funds to help the State's budget.

As for the unexpected praise from both Heartland and Hood's Carolina Journal, it, too, was a result of my focus during the first 18 months of my term on reforming the State's "Beach Plan" coastal insurance problem. John Hood, creatively entitling his column "Good Win for Insurance Reform", cites Eli Lehrer of Heartland who, in turn, writes:

"North Carolina has showed marked improvement over the three years we've calculated this report card. ... [T]here have been real changes thanks, in large part, to insurance commissioner Wayne Goodwin.

North Carolina's state legislature, with the leadership of newly elected Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, enacted major reforms to the state's troubled wind-damage insurance pool. ... its fiscal risks to the state and its insurance industry have been significantly lessened."

And that tops what I learned in May: that a New York Times bestseller references me by name for work I'd done in the legislature.

What would have truly made June a triple-threat? Appearing in a newspaper editorial cartoon! (Or having Ric Flair play me in a sequel to the wrestling skit.)

Goodwin Appoints New Members to FAIR, Beach Plan Boards: First African-American Female, First Native American and Lumbee Join Board

Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced his appointment of five new members to the N.C. Joint Underwriting Association and the N.C. Insurance Underwriting Association, better known as the FAIR and Beach plans, respectively.

"I’m proud to announce the new appointees to the FAIR and Beach plan boards, and to bring a new level of diversity and expertise to each board,” said Commissioner Goodwin. “I’m confident that both the new and the existing board members will serve the citizens of North Carolina well and provide new perspective.”

Goodwin was especially pleased to accomplish several firsts with these appointments: Melanie Cook of Wilmington, Executive Director of Coastal Carolina Tomorrow, is the first African-American; Lumbee Tribal Chairman Jimmy Goins of Red Springs is the first Native American. Joining them are members who are also the most geographically diverse in many years. These are Goodwin’s first appointees since election last year.

The other new appointees of the Commissioner are: UNC Law School Professor Donald Hornstein, and insurance agents Rod Evans, Richard Heckle, and Murray White, III.

Learn more about all five appointees here at this link.

The Commissioner of Insurance is responsible for naming seven public members for each 14-member board; the insurance industry names the remaining seven members on each board. Of the seven appointees by the Commissioner, State law requires that four of them be insurance agents.

The FAIR and Beach Plans provide property insurance to North Carolinians who are not able to purchase it through traditional insurance markets. The FAIR Plan provides coverage in the coastal areas and the western 82 counties, and the Beach Plan covers 18 coastal counties and barrier islands. The members of one board are alternates with the other board. The General Assembly, as was the case with many states back then, created these board 40 years ago.

During the recent legislative session the General Assembly re-named the Beach Plan and enacted wide-ranging reforms in House Bill 1305. Instead of "the Beach Plan," the organization or program is now to be known as the “Coastal Property Insurance Pool.”

The new Board members took their positions immediately after last week's annual meeting.

Welcome to Visitors Who Attended Yesterday's NC 20 Meeting in New Bern!

Welcome to everyone who attended yesterday's meeting of NC 20 at the New Bern convention center!

Many of you were directed to this site by one of the attendees of that meeting. Once you have a chance to peruse this personal blog, you will very soon note that it is in great part about political matters affecting the Eighth Congressional District of North Carolina. As many of you know, I live in Richmond County, which is the heart of a district that stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.

This same gentleman who attended the New Bern meeting and directed you to this site met with me personally, along with his colleagues on the Kure Beach town council, approximately two weeks ago in my Raleigh office. I spent almost an hour listening to his concerns and directly answering ALL of his questions despite his frequent interruptions. I believe this gentleman is attempting to play partisan politics with your insurance rates, which is highly inappropriate and contrary to the best interests of the people of North Carolina.

Meanwhile, please note that I personally directed my Assistant Commissioner of Insurance to attend the entire New Bern meeting yesterday because your opinions and issues matter greatly to me. (I couldn't attend because of a previously-scheduled meeting with representatives from Coastal Carolina Tomorrow, based in Wilmington, about potential solutions to the coastal insurance dilemma.) He is in charge of the Eastern Regional Office for the Department of Insurance. All issues that concern eastern North Carolina concern him, me, and the Department.

My focus is finding the most affordable, most fair insurance rates possible, protecting consumers, and appropriately ensuring a well-regulated, solvent, competitive market. These were promises I made during the campaign and will continue to be goals I strive for. Working together, we all will find a solution during these trying economic times.

I encourage you to contact me with your thoughts and concerns as we work cooperatively toward solutions. My office number at the Department of Insurance is (919) 733-3058 and my email address is wgoodwin@ncdoi.net.

Thank you for visiting my Wayne's World blog.