RALEIGH — Michael Walters, a Proctorville businessman, was sworn-in Tuesday as the new state senator representing Robeson and Hoke counties — and then he went straight to work.
Robeson County Superior Court Judge Frank Floyd, a longtime friend of the senator, delivered the oath of office during the brief ceremony held in the Senate chambers.
“I’m excited about representing the people of Robeson and Hoke counties and ready to help move the region forward,” Walters said. “Today, I was basically welcomed to the Senate and charged to work for the people of North Carolina.”
Walters takes over the District 13 seat from David Weinstein, a Lumberton Democrat. Weinstein, who represented Robeson and Hoke counties since 1997, gave up his Senate seat Sept. 30 after Perdue appointed him to head the Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
After the ceremony, which lasted about seven minutes and was attended by a number of senators and about 50 Robeson County residents, Senate Democrats held a caucus to elect a new majority leader to replace retiring Sen. Tony Rand of Fayetteville. The caucus was attended by 27 of the Senate’s 30 Democrats, Walters said, with Martin L. Nesbitt Jr. of Asheville being elected unanimously to serve as majority leader.
“I got my feet wet pretty quick. The water was pretty deep today,” Walters said. “That was a big decision to make.
“He (Nesbitt) is very progressive in the Democratic Party,” the new senator said. “He has vision.”
Walters said that he has not yet discussed any specific policy issues with fellow senators. During the next couple of weeks, he will be undergoing orientation and training that will acquaint him with the duties and responsibilities of his new position.
Although he has not yet been appointed to any committees, Walters said he is “comfortable” that he might be named to some of the committees he seeks. His wish list of committees includes: Environment and Natural Resources; Commerce; Agriculture; Mental Health; Education; and Higher Education.
Walters, 53, was appointed by Gov. Beverly Perdue to finish out Weinstein’s term — which ends in 2010 — after he was the unanimous choice of a three-member committee of Democrats representing Hoke and Robeson counties.
He is president of Claybourn Walters Logging Company, which is involved in agriculture, timber and real estate development.
He serves on several boards, including the Fairmont board of BB&T, the Southeastern Regional Medical Center board of trustees, and the Forestry Mutual Insurance board of directors.
This article originally appeared in The Robesonian