‘One of the last Democratic power brokers:’ Former NC Sen. Tony Rand dies
Former North Carolina Sen. Tony Rand, a longtime power in North Carolina’s General Assembly, died of complications from cancer Friday morning. He was 80.
Rand, a Democrat from Fayetteville, served 11 terms in the Senate, including as Senate majority leader. Republican wins in 2010 and afterward have since relegated Democrats to the minority. He was known for his wit and collegiality as well as his ability to get things done.
“Tony Rand was one of the last Democratic power brokers,” said Rob Christensen, The News & Observer’s longtime political columnist, who continues to write about North Carolina political history. “He was a cigar-smoking, wise-cracking, old-school political operative.”
Rand died at his mountain home in Blowing Rock. One son, Ripley Rand, a former judge and U.S. attorney, said his father “laid down to take a nap (Thursday) and never woke up.”
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who served with Rand in the Senate, said in a statement: “My good friend, former State Senator Tony Rand was the muscle who moved good ideas into great laws. He fought tirelessly for public schools and the UNC system. Behind his brilliant wit and encyclopedic knowledge of North Carolina was a man who deeply loved his family, his state and his Tar Heels.”
Republican Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger called Rand “one of the most effective and influential political figures in North Carolina over the past 30 years.”
“Those of us who served with him know that he revered the institution of the Senate even after he left its ranks,” Berger said in a statement. “The Senate’s tradition of collegiality — fostered by Tony — continues today and will remain part of his enduring legacy.”
Rand often regaled lawmakers on both sides of the aisle with his wit and story-telling ability.
“If he called me up and said, ‘Let’s play golf,’ I’d drive five hours in a heartbeat,” said former Republican Sen. Tom Apodaca of Hendersonville. “He was so much fun. We would laugh. We would tell jokes. We would try to outdo each other’s stories.
Former Gov. Jim Hunt said Rand “never took politics too seriously.
“He was ready to crack a good joke and make fun of all politicians — including me — when it was appropriate,” Hunt told the Observer.
UNC graduate, represented Fayetteville
Rand was born in Garner. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1961 and the UNC law school in 1964. He went on to practice law in Fayetteville.
A one-time chair of the Cumberland County Democratic Party, he was appointed to the Senate in 1981. He served until 1988, when he ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. He returned to the Senate in 1995 and served until his retirement in 2009.
He later chaired the state’s Parole and Post-Release Supervision Commission and the N.C. Lottery Commission and was an assistant vice president at Fayetteville Technical Community College.
When he returned to the Senate in 1995, Rand picked up where he left off, rising to majority leader under then Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight.
“Tony was one of the most powerful senators in North Carolina history and used his incredible intellect and influence to help the weak and the oppressed and always appreciated the little people who enrich our lives so much,” former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley said in a statement.
“He was our go to guy for education, progressive ideas as well as business, criminal law and judicial legislation. His wit and wisdom allowed him to launch a charm offensive on any issue and build consensus. But if he felt you were hurting those in need he could become a vicious foe.”
Hunt called Rand “one of the great legislative leaders in history for education.”
“Throughout his legislative career he was a powerful supporter for improving our schools and raising teacher pay,” Hunt said.
Ferrel Guillory, director of the Program on Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill, said Rand had a reputation of being an aggressive and often partisan lawmaker.
“But it was a reputation that didn’t understand the fullness of his ability and savvy in the legislative process,” he said.
As a lawmaker, he championed education, economic development and his alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill. But, Ripley Rand said, it was the institution itself that he liked, from the sergeants-at-arms to the cafeteria workers to his colleagues.
“He liked the relationships,” Ripley Rand said. “He liked the workplace. He really enjoyed the people there.”
“Few people understood legislative politics better than Rand,” Christensen said. “He knew where all the bodies were buried on Jones Street. And he knew every parliamentary trick in the book.”
Apodaca, who like Rand chaired the Senate’s Rules Committee, said Rand taught him a lot of parliamentary maneuvers.
“One trick I learned from him was a substitute amendment,” Apodaca said. “If (there) was something you didn’t want to take a vote on you would introduce another amendment. It could be something as small as changing a date on a bill. Because it would block out the previous amendment.”
Apodaca also said Rand bore loyal allegiance to the institution of the Senate.
“He said, ‘Your enemy is not Democrat or Republican — your enemy is the House,’” Apodaca said. “Truer words were never spoken.”
Arrangements are being made by Colvin Funeral Home of Fayetteville. The family said information on a memorial service will be announced later.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 11:41 AM with the headline "‘One of the last Democratic power brokers:’ Former NC Sen. Tony Rand dies."
