Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand

RALEIGH – Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand is stepping down from his position with the General Assembly to serve as the head of the state parole board.

Gov. Bev Perdue announced her appointment Wednesday afternoon, and said the Democratic state senator would take over his new role as the head of the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission by early next year.

Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, Rand confirmed that he would step down from his powerful position with the state Senate to take the job. The 70-year-old has served more than 11 terms as a representative of Bladen and Cumberland counties.

Rand said the appointment will allow him to get involved with the criminal justice system from a new perspective and make sure the people of North Carolina are protected by a properly working system.

"It's a new direction for me," Rand told News 14 Carolina Wednesday afternoon.

In an interview with News 14 Carolina Wednesday afternoon, Perdue said the state parole system has faced some major challenges over the past two years. She cited the murders of UNC Chapel Hill student Eve Carson and Duke student Abhijit Mahato as examples. Suspects in both cases were on parole at the time of the crime.

She also said she was "taken aback" by a recent state Supreme Court decision that could lead to the release of nearly 30 violent convicted criminals.

That's why she turned to Rand, who she said knows the state's system "as well as anybody in America."

"I really wanted somebody that I knew was a tough nut to crack, somebody who was bold and who would take a controversial stand," Perdue said. "Tony Rand doesn't just do what's right – he does what's unpopular sometimes because it's the right thing."

But the governor said she recognizes Rand's decision to leave the General Assembly wasn't an easy one.

"When we talked about him leaving the Senate, it was a hard conversation to have," Perdue said. "Even today as he's made a decision and announced his retirement, it's one that I think is hard to believe, but it's fabulous for North Carolina."

In a statement Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger praised Rand's long career with the General Assembly and said even though he often disagreed with Rand, "he was always someone who kept his word." He also speculated that Rand's departure might be attributable to tension between the majority leader and his fellow Democrats.

"Given the dramatic leftward drift of the State Senate Democratic Caucus, Senator Rand increasingly found his views at odds with his more liberal Democratic colleagues and that may have led to this decision," Berger said in the statement.

Rand's Democratic allies also praised his service. Senate President Pro Tem Barc Basnight said that although he was sad to see Rand go, he was glad to see him continue his service.

"His knowledge and interest in improving public safety and his sense of fairness make him perfect for this job. I can think of no one better to take on the challenging and critically important task of implementing the probation and parole reforms he helped write," Basnight said in a statement.

The parole board is responsible for releasing eligible inmates and establishing requirements for their supervision.

Rand will replace Charles Mann, who is retiring.