Posted by: jhs in NC Democratic Party, Ethics on
Feb 3, 2010
Via Guarino:
Doug Clark has a great column today that discusses the culture of political corruption we have both in Raleigh and here in Guilford County. He discusses the matter of Ruffin Poole, but also the recent episode involving Skip Alston.
An extended excerpt:
If North Carolina truly wants to reduce opportunities for elected officials to use their power to win public support for projects through which they personally profit, it must enact tough new conflict-of-interest laws. One suggestion: If an elected official has a financial connection to a project, then that project should be ineligible for public support of any kind.
This must be backed by strict financial disclosure reporting by elected officials, with heavy penalties for violations.
Some politicians will protest. That would require them to give up too many business interests and sacrifice income.
Posted by: jhs in NC Democratic Party, Ethics on
Feb 3, 2010
The hits keep on falling from the NC Democratic Party ethics machine:
Former Gov. Mike Easley kept a private e-mail account that he used for state business.
Posted by: jhs in Ethics, Bev Perdue on
Jan 29, 2010
SBOE Should Conduct Investigation
Raleigh – Late on Friday afternoon as North Carolina braced for a major winter storm with Governor Perdue still out of the state vacationing at a mystery location, Governor Perdue’s campaign for the third time disclosed illegal flights that she previously failed to properly report. This time, the campaign reported eight additional flights valued at $4,534. This brings the grand total of improper flights to 31 totaling a value of $25,000. “The committee already had disclosed 17 other flights from Perdue’s successful 2008 campaign for governor in August, followed by six more in December.” (“Perdue’s campaign finds 31 undisclosed flights,” Greensboro News & Record, 1/29/10)
Posted by: jhs in Ethics on
Jan 22, 2010
UPDATED: Mark Binker provides a link to the full indictment. (.pdf)
I'm sure it's a day Cameron, Josiah, Terry and Jim spent years laying the ground work for:
Posted by: jhs in state spending, Ethics on
Jan 6, 2010
Raleigh - According to new reports, new information uncovered following the resignation of the three members of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board in New Hanover County shows that the ABC Administrator in the county, Billy Williams, took home a $30,000 bonus last month and has done so for the past three years.
"That said, Williams, who manages New Hanover County's liquor stores, is actually pulling in $279,615 this year, which includes his total salary of $232,200, plus a $30,000 bonus, plus $17,415 in longevity pay that's automatically added to his salary and is not controlled by ABC board members. ... And he's not the only one benefitting from bonuses. ... His son, Bradley Williams, the assistant administrator, has received $20,000 bonuses in that same time period and he's also raked in his share of longevity pay." ("ABC administrators take home even more money, new details show," Wilmington StarNews, 1/5/10)
Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) made the following statement:
When and where can we give Don Carrington a medal?
Latest:
Posted by: jhs in NC Democratic Party, Ethics on
Dec 30, 2009
Carter Wrenn
calls NCDP Chair David Young's recent tome on Gov. Perdue's accomplishments a flim-flam, but maybe Young is just making the best he can out of the remnants of the NCDP's
ethical shipwreck:
The Governor is, Chairman Young says, singlehandedly holding government appointees to higher standards - which explains why she put Tony Rand on the Parole Commission.
She has also toughened ethics standards - which explains why she made a lobbyist head of DHHS then let him pass out $250 million in no bid contracts to his friends and former clients.
And of course, Young concludes, she is to be praised for recusing herself when one of her son's clients applied to the state for millions in subsidies - except what she did wasn't a recusal it was a flim-flam; she simply told her staff to decide her son's client's fate.
Scott Mooneyham
sums up the year that was 2009 in NC politics:
Two governors - one leaving office, the other beginning - probably couldn't imagine the troubles that they would see as 2009 began.
For the newcomer to the job, Beverly Perdue, the difficulties began as dark clouds over the state's finances.
For the old hand headed out of the Governor's Mansion, Mike Easley, the woes started as questions over his personal finances.
The scandal churning around Easley and the multibillion dollar financial hole for state government dominated the political news in 2009. The year also saw an historic smoking ban become law and legislators wrestle to ensure the solvency of state-backed insurance programs.
Perdue took office in January, becoming the first woman to hold the post in North Carolina. The celebration was short-lived.
