Forty-two of North Carolina’s 100 counties spend local tax dollars on lobbyists who ask the state legislature for money and try to convince lawmakers to vote yes or no on specific legislation.
Cumberland County is not one of these 42 counties, according to a lobbying directory the Secretary of State’s Office published July 14. The Electus Governmental Affairs lobbying firm, founded in 2024 and based in Clayton, would like to add Cumberland County to the list.
“I’ve got great relationships, not just with your delegation but across the state, and really enjoy working on issues that are bipartisan and bring together people,” firm Vice President Sam Shumate told the county Board of Commissioners on June 12.
The board has not yet discussed whether to hire a lobbyist, commissioners’ Chair Kirk deViere told CityView this month.
Cumberland County is the fifth-largest county in the state in population. Six of the state’s 10 largest counties have lobbyists, Shumate said, as do several counties that neighbor Cumberland.
Shumate outlined $126 million of requests that Cumberland County has pending with the General Assembly, including $65 million for construction of a new E.E. Smith High School and $50 million to help build a county-wide drinking water system.
“Those are massive asks, and a lot of times on appropriations of that scale, it takes a village and an all-hands-on-deck approach,” he said. “A lobbyist never replaces a legislator. It’s just an additional tool in the tool belt.”
Shumate told the commissioners he was born and raised in Cumberland County and Fayetteville, and has worked for seven years for Ted Budd, the U.S. senator and former U.S. House member. One of Electus’ clients is the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.
The commissioners took no action after listening to Shumate’s proposal. DeViere told him that if the board decides to hire a lobbying firm, it would issue a request for agencies to submit bids.
County pays $120,000 per year for D.C. lobbying
While Cumberland County has no lobbying service at the state capital, last year it hired a firm in Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress and the federal government. The county pays The Hamm Consulting Group $120,000 per year plus up to $5,000 per year for expenses, county spokesperson Diane Rice told CityView.
Hamm Consulting helps the county on issues such as economic development, environmental quality, public education and infrastructure, she said. It also helps the county find grant opportunities.
“Since engaging the Hamm Consulting Group, the County has seen tangible results, including federal funding secured with support from Congressman [David] Rouzer and successful grant awards through various federal agencies,” Rice said.
‘Unique perspective’
DeViere, the board chair, served for four years in the state Senate, where lobbyists regularly stopped by the lawmakers’ offices and buttonholed them in the halls.
He declined to offer an opinion on whether Cumberland County should hire a lobbyist, saying the full board needs to discuss the idea. “I’m interested in the opinions of my colleagues, as well as the opinion of our state delegation,” he said.
“I think my unique perspective is that I served in the Senate, and I worked with legislators hand in hand, and I was part of a team that brought back over $500 million of investments to our community,” he said.
Cumberland County had no lobbyist in Raleigh when deViere served in the General Assembly from 2019 through 2022. DeViere, a Democrat, was known for working across the political aisle with the Republican majority that controls the General Assembly. Of Cumberland County’s six lawmakers, two were Republicans and four were Democrats.
Lobbyists aren’t just about bringing in grants and other money, deViere said. They also advocate for or against proposed laws and policies.
As specified by the North Carolina Constitution, the legislature has great power over cities, towns and counties. The General Assembly decides whether they exist, sets boundaries, decides how they operate, what powers they have and what they are not allowed to do.
Other locals use lobbyists
Other Cumberland County institutions and government organizations have lobbyists at the state capital. These include:
- The City of Fayetteville, which pays CheckMate Government Solutions $60,000 per year, the city’s communications office said. (The city budgets another $137,000 for Strategics Consulting to advocate in Washington.)
- The Fayetteville Public Works Commission
- Cape Fear Valley Health System
- The NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction Foundation
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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