North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government.  Under the constitution, the Lieutenant Governor is first in line to succeed the governorship should that office become vacant.   In the legislature, the Lieutenant Governor is the President of the Senate, serving as its chief presiding officer, which requires directing debate of bills on the Senate floor.

The Lieutenant Governor is also a member of the Council of State.  The Lieutenant Governor serves on many boards and commissions, including the State Board of Education, the North Carolina Board of Community Colleges, and the Information Resource Management Commission. The Lieutenant Governor also makes appointments to various boards and commissions to advise the legislature and executive branches of state government on policy matters. 

In January 1993, Dennis A. Wicker became the 31^st individual to serve as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina.  A native of Sanford, Wicker represented Lee and Harnett counties in the North Carolina State House of Representatives from 1980 to 1992.  In 1989 and 1991, Wicker was elected State House Majority Leader. 

Environmental Sustainability Plan

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor has recently joined the environmental sustainability initiative and is proud to be a partner in this important effort.   “State government should be a leader and a role model in protecting our precious natural resources and managing our operations to help secure an environmentally sustainable future.  By developing environmentally sustainable practices, we can help preserve the environment that makes our state such a special place to live,” says Lieutenant Governor Wicker. 

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor is one of state government’s smallest offices, with nine employees.  As we begin the challenge to ensure that our operations are environmentally sustainable, we would like to highlight the following:

§         Recycling.  The office recycles paper, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, plastic, aluminum, and printer cartridges.

§         Buying recycled products.

§         Reducing paper use.  The office uses on-line communication as much as possible and encourages double-sided copying.

Supporting historic preservation. In addition to the office in the State Capitol Building, the Lieutenant Governor’s staff is also located in the historic Hawkins-Hartness House. The staff is committed to using this downtown historical building and maintaining the quality and future environmental sustainability of the building.

Contact:  Kristen Guillory
(919) 733-7350