PITTSBORO – All the seats of your State Senate are once again full.

“Do you solemnly swear that you will be faithful in discharging the duties of your office as a member of the Senate of the 2013 General Assembly of the state of North Carolina to the best of your knowledge and ability so help you God?” Judge Beverly Scarlett asked.

“I do,” Sen. Foushee responded.

Valerie Foushee was sworn in to Senate District 23 representing Chatham and Orange counties Wednesday afternoon in the Chatham County Judicial Building.

She says her first item of business is to support the efforts her predecessor is currently putting forth.

“I think that all of us need to get behind Fmr. Sen. Kinnaird with her voter ID/voter registration project,” Sen. Foushee says. “We know that the ballot box is always the key and so, to ensure that every eligible voter has that right, that they have that opportunity, and that they are ready and prepared when the time comes.”

Sen. Foushee replaced Ellie Kinnaird who served District 23 for 16 years. Fmr. Sen. Kinnaird said there was nothing more she could do in the Senate, especially in the short session, with the Republican super majority. She said her time would be better spent outside the legislature lobbying for items she feels strongly about like the removal of the recent election reform law.

Fmr. Sen. Kinnaird was on hand and got a standing ovation as she walked to the podium to say a few words about her successor. She says she has the upmost confidence in her replacement.

“Oh, she is going to be a great voice for Orange and Chatham counties,” Fmr. Sen. Kinnaird says. “As I said, her values are the values of the people she represents. So, they can feel confident that their voice will be heard and their values will be expressed when she goes there. She’ll work very hard for them; she’s a hard worker.”

And, while Sen. Foushee says she’s 100 percent behind Fmr. Sen. Kinnaird’s efforts to fix what many Democrats believe are attacks on voting rights, she says there are other important issues going on while the legislature is on break that can’t be overlooked.

“With so much going on with DHHS, perhaps one of the things we need to do first is reconsider the Medicaid rejection,” Sen. Foushee says.

At noon, Sen. Foushee’s resignation from the State House District 50 seat took effect.

Now, the selection committee needs to be filled as it is missing one person. Chapel Hill’s Graig Meyer resigned his seat on the committee to seek the appointment to the House. Once the committee is filled, a date will be set to choose who will take the seat in the House.

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