The Progressive Pulse

February 2, 2009

Jim Long – An Appreciation

Posted at 5:14 PM by Adam Searing

Commissioner Long was one of the first people I got to know in state government. As a young health advocate and lawyer, I was dropped into a high-profile fight over North Carolina Blue Cross’s attempt to convert to a for-profit company. Commissioner Long, an early proponent of protecting the public’s interest in that particular battle (and many others), seemed at first like the other NC politicians I had met so far – unapproachable, gruff, and uninterested in anyone not firmly in the power structure.

Of course, my first impression was completely wrong. Jim was serious about his job but could tell so many jokes so fast that you’d still be laughing at his first crack when he was telling the last one. When my organization gave him our “Defender of Justice” award one year, he brought the house down with humor beyond the pale and a red baseball cap with a foot-and-a-half long brim.

I really enjoyed hearing stories about Jim’s time in politics – and his family political history. Most of all though, over the years, I got to know Jim as a principled defender of the public trust. He took seriously the duties and responsibilities of public service and his oath to North Carolina and its people. He taught me that no matter how cynical you might get about politics, there are people in the business who are there for all the right reasons – and that’s a reason for hope.

There will be many profiles of Commissioner Long written, as there already have been, but I’d like to add a word from all of us at the Justice Center and say that we’ll miss the Commissioner.

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4. The problem is not diversity, the problem is not enough diversity

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