Feb. 20, 2006
Farewell to a True Tar Heel Leader
By Chris Heagarty
RALEIGH – State Senator Hamilton Horton passed away on the last day of January and with him a unique North Carolinian became a part of our history.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sen. Horton, or Ham as his friends called him, back in 1994 before he began his second tenure in the state legislature. His first tour of duty began in 1969 and ended in the early 1970's.
I use the expression “tour of duty” with some sensitivity to those serving in the armed forces. But there's no other way to capture how Ham viewed his public service. It was his duty to serve and to fight the good fight, even against long odds, to do what he thought was right for the people of the state and his district.
Is this an exaggeration? It is easy to understand why some readers might be cynical. Many citizens have become jaded and skeptical of all politicians. Many voters, if they still vote, often feel they are picking the lesser of two evils. Few people today view their elected representatives as serving their interests, and that's a real shame.
Despite the present headlines of scandal, there are true leaders out there. Not simply politicians or candidates seeking to serve their own ambitions, but real leaders who take on a cause and dedicate a large part of their lives trying to make things better. Ham was one such leader.
If we reflect back on the public service of Sen. Horton, maybe it will help us set a higher standard for those who would court our vote this year.
Ham's oratorical skills in the General Assembly were matched only by those of Asheville's Herbert Hyde. Ham brought an appreciation for history and tradition to the legislature, while at the same time working for important reforms that might rattle the establishment he seemed to represent.
To those that knew Ham, he was a “conservative” in the classical sense. Whether one agreed with them or not, his political beliefs were manifestly founded on firmly held values and principles. Though it would be impossible to neatly categorize his philosophy into the traditional political pigeonholes, I suspect Ham would most comfortably be compared to President Theodore Roosevelt.
When asked what Ham's greatest motivation in public life was, his family members answer readily that it was his concern for the average North Carolinian who was getting stomped on by the goliaths of industry. Though he was an unlikely populist, with his trademark bow ties and seersucker suits, relatives say he was most proud of his work to reform politics and protect the environment.
Ham strived to create what he thought would be a more fair system of politics and elections. He supported legislation that toughened lobbying regulations and that helped reduce special interest influence over judicial elections.
And he led the Herculean task of reforming the redistricting process, the political means by which legislators re-divide the state and draw new congressional and legislative districts. Redistricting has become a form of incumbent protection whereby voters no longer choose elected officials, but elected officials choose their voters. Or at least, they decide which voters will live in their districts.
Cynics may have scoffed at the idea that lawmakers would ever give up this tremendous power, but Ham was convinced that, regardless of the party in the majority, reform of this process was necessary to preserve the integrity of our elections.
Others may have feared the impacts of such reform on civil rights laws, but Ham was dedicated to making sure that Voting Rights Act protections were secured. He partnered with members of the other party, such as state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, in this effort.
Ham's other great priority in his public service was the work of protecting the state's environment. He felt it was of utmost importance to conserve and protect our natural legacy.
Though Ham Horton has passed from this earth, it would be a fitting tribute to call upon the conscience and reflection of Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina to care less about offending moneyed interests and to do more for the people in these critical areas of public policy.
Ham's political courage to stand up to political leaders of both parties in supporting reform legislation should provide a model for all who aspire to win public office this election year.
As voters, let's hold them to Ham's standard.
Chris Heagarty is the executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, a Raleigh-based nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing the quality of North Carolina's election system.
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