RALEIGH On Friday morning, Mocksville Republican Sen. Andrew Brock officially resigned his seat offering his letter of resignation to Gov. Roy Cooper. The move follows his appointment to the State Board of Review. On Wednesday lawmakers tapped him to the seat after Gov. Roy Cooper missed a May 1 deadline to fill a paid position on the board. The board overseas appeal cases for state unemployment benefits. In his letter Brock said he was “grateful and honored” to have represented parts of Davie, Iredell, and Rowan Counties for fourteen years. As with many other boards and commissions, if the governor fails to nominate an individual for the post, the duty falls to the General Assembly. Just last year, former Gov. Pat McCrory nominated his legislative liaison, Fred Steen, to a post on the same board.The appointment was part of a broader bill that also included the nomination of several other current and former legislators, including Speaker Tim Moore’s senior environmental and energy advisor, former McDowell County Rep. Mitch Gillespie to the Environmental Management Commission. Gillespie is expected to remain in his role as an advisor to the House.Brock has served in the General Assembly since 2003, and rose to a powerful post within Republican leadership, chairing the Senate Finance Committee. His new position will pay upward of $124,000 a year a big bump from the $13,000 a state legislator makes for his or her service. Brock’s replacement in the Senate will fall to the three county Republican parties within his Senate district. Rowan County, having the largest voter population, will receive more weight. The replacement will be an important one, as lawmakers are expected to come back in for a special redistricting session in early August to redraw legislative maps that were thrown out by a federal three-judge panel and affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
