Dale Folwell[/caption]Dale Folwell, a prominent Forsyth County appointee in the McCrory administration, said Tuesday he is stepping down from his Commerce Department duties on Dec. 1.
Folwell has served since March 2013 as assistant secretary for the Division of Employment Security.
His main responsibility has been resolving inefficiencies in the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) benefits program, which included claim determination, employer account management and legal enforcement of employment security law.
His foremost accomplishment was guiding the repayment of the bulk of $2.8 billion in debt owed to the U.S. Labor and Treasury departments. The state borrowed to pay extended UI benefits during the 2008-10 recession.
Folwell’s announcement comes just 12 days after state officials announced a $1 billion rainy-day surplus has been built for the UI program, and six months after the final debt payment was made in May.
Although Folwell said he has no immediate plans, he cautioned that “I will not become a lobbyist and will not go into the private sector looking to do business with the state.”
Drawing from his mechanics background, Folwell said his forte in life always has been an ability “to know how to take things apart and fix them.”
“I had always had November 2015 as a date circled on my mental calendar about this decision,” Folwell said. “I had hoped and believed that the debt would be repaid and the surplus built by this time.
“I am leaving confident that no governor or legislature will have to deal with a bankrupt system again.”
Folwell said he is confident that Ted Brinn, who will serve as interim assistant secretary, and his staff “will continue to work on building the surplus and cutting down on waste, fraud and program abuse.”
Gov. Pat McCrory praised Folwell’s work as “our point man on long-overdue reeforms to the state’s unemployment insurance system. His leadership on those and other important issues has been critical to North Carolina’s economic comeback.”
Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, said Folwell “was the right person for that job.”
Before taking the Employment Security post, Folwell had served as a legislator for four terms, was House Speaker pro tem in 2011-12 and finished third in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in 2012.
Shortly after state Treasurer Janet Cowell announced last month that she would not run again for office, Folwell expressed interest in the post.
When asked Tuesday if he plans to pursue state office again, he said he will consider his options. “Stay tuned.”
