Erv Portman has become the third Wake County commissioner to seek higher office this year.

Portman announced today he's filed for the state Senate seat now held by Republican Richard Stevens, who isn't seeking another term. Portman's candidacy means he's giving up the chance to run for the seat on the commissioners that expires this year.

Portman, a Democrat, was appointed last year to fill the opening caused by Stan Norwalk's resignation.

Raleigh City Councilman James West spoke out about the changes going on in the Wake County school system on Tuesday after being tapped to take the vacancy on the Wake County Board of Commissioners,

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, the leadership of the Wake County Democratic Party tapped West to replace Harold Webb, who resigned last week. It's pro forma for the commissioners to confirm West's appointment on Monday.

"We have a world-class school system compared to other school systems throughout the country," West said in his acceptance speech. "We certainly don't want to see the school system dismantled."

Wake County Commissioner Harold Webb has resigned and he's doing so in a way designed to limit the potential fallout for Democrats at the polls this year.

Webb's resignation comes within two months of the Nov. 2 general elections. The timing of his resignation means that the Wake County Democratic Party will appoint Webb's replacement to serve through the rest of his term, which runs through 2012.

If Webb had resigned earlier, his seat would have gone on the November ballot. You've already got all three Republican commissioners and Democrat Lindy Brown seeking reelection.

UPDATE

Thomas Goldsmith is reporting that Raleigh City Councilman James West is the likely successor to Webb.

The Wake County school system is a big step closer toward relocating its main administrative offices from North Raleigh to Cary.

The county commissioners agreed Monday on the school board's plan to lease additional office space at Crossroads Corporate Park, located off Dillard Drive near Crossroads shopping center in Cary. This would result in selling the main building now on 3600 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh.

Commissioner Harold Webb was the lone no vote. He said he opposed the plan because many county residents would find Cary too far to travel to attend to school business.

UPDATE

For those who haven't read to the bottom of the post, the school board has scheduled a Thursday meeting at noon to vote on sending the office consolidation plan to the state Local Government Commission. It's supposed to be the only item on the agenda.

The Democratic majority on the Wake County board of commissioners gave their official disapproval Monday to the plans of the Republican majority on the school board to go to community-based schools.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, the board of commissioners approved in a party line vote a resolution that formally expressed “deep concern over any attempt to resegregate Wake’s public schools by either race or socioeconomic status.”

“Segregate, segregate, segregate is what you are doing!” said Democratic Commissioner Harold Webb of the new school board's elimination of the socioeconomic diversity policy.

Considering all that the Wake County school board and county commissioners have been doing recently on their own, it will be interesting to see what happens when they meet together

Today is the first joint meeting of both boards since the new majority took control on the school board and Tony Gurley was elected chairman of the board of commissioners. The main official thing on the agenda is the discussion of alternatives to the Forest Ridge High site.

But that's just one of the things to watch for today.

How many times will County Commissioners Chairman Tony Gurley gavel Commission Stan Norwalk out of order today?

Gurley, a Republican, and Norwalk, a Democrat, have been going at each other since Norwalk was elected in 2008. For instance last month, Gurley accused Norwalk of using his diabetes as a political ploy to stall for more time so that Democrat Betty Lou Ward could be elected vice chairwoman.

Gurley said he and fellow Republican Commissioner Paul Coble even came up with a special "Stan Norwalk Quarter" last year when Democrat Harold Webb was chairman.

We're getting partial poll results from Public Policy Polling.

The Democratic polling firm released survey results Thursday indicating the public isn't happy with how Republicans elected Tony Gurley to be the new chairman of the Wake County board of commissioners.

But PPP didn't release results from that same poll about questions they had asked about the Wake County school system.

We've gotten more letters this week about the Wake County Board of Commissioners' vote for chairman than we can print. Here are seven. Find more in The People's Forum on tomorrow's editorial page.

New Wake County Commissioners Chairman Tony Gurley is pledging a closer working relationship with the school board, assuming he still holds the post by the end of the day.

As noted in today's article, the commissioners will reconvene at 10 a.m. to try to break the 3-3 deadlock on vice chair. But Gurley and Wake Democratic Party Chairman Jack Nichols are expecting the Dems to try to revote on chairman if Harold Webb is able to attend.

Gurley insists that his election on Monday, made possible by Betty Lou Ward's unexcused bathroom break, lasts for the whole year. The Democrats may feel otherwise.

UPDATE

Today's meeting is on Time Warner Cable Channel 11, at least in Raleigh. Click here for the county web site for the link to watch it live online.

Harold Webb is participating by phone. Betty Lou Ward is calling for a revote on chairman. She's threatening to sue if Gurley doesn't allow a revote. Gurley has ruled her out of order, saying they can't go back because of all the actions they did after that vote Monday. County Attorney Scott Warren said he's siding with Gurley that she's out of order but would have to recuse himself in favor of outside counsel if a lawsuit is filed.

With Webb present by phone, it ended on one vote today with Ward being named vice chairwoman by a 4-3 vote over Paul Coble. According to Coble, it was the 129th vote on vice chair.