A new name has come to the fore for the vacant seat on the three-member NCUA Board. That is former North Carolina State Sen. and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Patrick Ballantine. Republican Ballantine, who lost the gubernatorial race last year to Democrat Mike Easley, has the support of the North Carolina CU League, which has the ear of Senate Banking Committee member Elizabeth Dole.
But there's still no sign when the White House might nominate a candidate for the NCUA seat, which has been vacant since Dennis Dollar departed in April 2004. It's almost certain that the seat will go to a Republican to tip the scale on the current board, which now consists of Republican Chair JoAnn Johnson and Democrat Debbie Matz.
