How a Senator's Fatal Car Crash Still Echoes Through a Family and #NCPOL Today

Mark Ezzell, Director of the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program, was in his early 20s when his father, Sen. Jim Ezzell, died on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh on the eve of session starting in 1991.  

That loss not only changed Mark's life forever, it also created an opening in the North Carolina Senate for a young House member named Roy Cooper.

But this story is about more than politics, it's also about perseverance and grace.   Senator Ezzell, who lived with cerebral palsy, and his wife made the intentional decision to adopt a child with a disability. At age eight, Mark was adopted from foster care and welcomed into a family that saw his potential, not his limitations. Born with spina bifida, Mark has spent his life navigating challenges from a wheelchair while building a successful career in public service, including his work today of preventing highway fatalities.  

Plus, Skye and Brian unpack another busy week: state budget negotiations continue, a moratorium on certain property tax increases heads to Governor Stein's desk, political news, a state senator has his eyes on a mayor's office, and graduation ceremonies are getting out of hand.  

The Do Politics Better podcast is sponsored by New Frame, the NC Travel Industry Association, the American Heart Association, the NC Pork Council, the NC Realtors, Heal the System NC, and the NC Healthcare Association.