Rep. Susi Hamilton speaks out about her decision to stay in the NC House

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — Rep. Susi Hamilton (D-18th District) says she is going to keep her seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Within the past 24 hours, issues arose about her becoming Carolina Beach Town Manager.

“This morning it was actually me who brought the statute to the attention of the legislative ethics attorney,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton is currently serving her second term in the General Assembly.

She says she asked the ethics attorney earlier this month if taking the job in Carolina Beach would be a conflict of interest, and was told it would not be, but part of North Carolina General Statute 160A precludes town managers from holding elected office.

“It’s a rather obscure law. It only applies to town managers who are managing a town of a certain size,” Hamilton said. “Unfortunately I received bad information, and it was incorrect, and it cost us to make a decision that obviously it wasn’t possible for me to do.”

Hamilton says both she and the Town of Carolina Beach acted on good faith and that she would not have moved forward without clearance from the ethics committee.

She says her main focus right now continues to be the citizens in her district.

“I have a responsibility to District 18, and I take my legislative role very seriously, so I chose to stay with the North Carolina State Legislature and represent the constituents of District 18,” Hamilton said.