Sunday, January 6, 2013

Government Friends Scratching Friends Back in North Carolina




Democrats once had a stranglehold on the state of North Carolina.  Their tenure was replete with corruption.  Many of them went to jail.  Others have ignominiously sleeked off into the shadows, feeding off the government teat through specious programs, and all this happening just on the peripheral vision of the public eye.

The Democratic Party’s good ole boy network is still going on to this day.

 RALEIGH, N.C. -- Top officials at North Carolina's Department of Commerce have for years been accepting cash sponsorships from some of the state's biggest businesses, including regulated utilities and firms that lobby the agency for corporate incentives.

Since 2009, more than $1.5 million - about $400,000 a year - has been donated to the Friends of North Carolina, a nonprofit corporation controlled by state Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco and his staff, according to financial documents and emails obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request.

The program has paid for cocktail parties in Hollywood and Manhattan, rounds of golf at Pinehurst, and expenses on overseas trips to Shanghai and Bangalore, all intended to help woo new employers to the state. As companies seek tax deals, governments pay high price

In the end, the money that towns across America gave General Motors did not matter.
N.C. to build state-federal online insurance markNorth Carolina and the federal government will jointly run a new one-stop shop to help people buy affordable health insurance, Gov. Beverly Perdue said Thursday. Outgoing NC governor appoints 4 new judges Outgoing Gov. Beverly Perdue announced Monday the appointments of four people as judges, including her general counsel and a Cabinet secretary. State law generally bars public officials from personally benefiting from gifts from lobbyists or other private interests, but the Friends payments appear to fall under a broad exemption. Still, ethics experts questioned whether the use of corporate sponsorships could fuel a perception that the government's friendship is for sale.

Let’s take a look at some of these “Friends.”  Practically the whole utility industry is a sponsor.  And of course, the Governor appoints the utility commissioners with confirmation from the General Assembly.  Does that not sound like a conflict of interest?  How about the law firm Womble Carlyle?  Is there any conflict here?

Some of the state's largest law firms - Womble Carlyle, Smith Moore Leatherwood, Nexsen Pruet and Smith Anderson - also are Friends sponsors.

Womble Carlyle is known for representing corporations seeking government incentives deals in North Carolina, which require approval from Perdue and Crisco.

Until his retirement this week, four-term former Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt helped lead the firm's economic development team in Raleigh. Womble also employs lawyer Garrett Perdue, the son of outgoing Gov. Beverly Perdue, to help recruit economic development prospects as clients.

Don Donadio, one of Womble's principal lawyers for economic incentives, said he sees no ethical issue with the firm's voluntary donations to Friends. The firm is a silver-level sponsor, giving $5,000 a year.

"We're actively involved in representing clients that are either looking to expand or locate a site in the state," Donadio said. "It would be probably not in our best interests not to be supportive of state organizations that are actively involved in the same process."

Wow, a former democratic governor and the son of outgoing democratic Governor Bev. Perdue works at Womble?  No conflict of interest there!  Here is Jim Hunt’s bio at Womble Carlyle:



James B. Hunt, Jr., Partner Emeritus
Raleigh

Governor Jim Hunt has been a Member of the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC since 2001 after completing the last of his four historic terms as Governor of North Carolina (1977-1985, 1993-2001). Nationally recognized for leading his state through two decades of dramatic economic change and educational reform, Governor Hunt spearheaded the transformation of its economy from traditional industry to knowledge-driven industries – biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and IT.

Of course, the State Ethics Commission doesn’t see any improprieties.

Perry Newson, the executive director of the State Ethics Commission, said he could not comment on whether the agency had ever received a complaint or been asked to provide an informal opinion on the Friends. Those are confidential, and the commission - whose members are appointed by the governor and legislature - has never issued a formal opinion on the issue.

But the exemption that Friends appears to fall under cites travel or meals occurring during "the public business of industry recruitment, promotion of international trade, or the promotion of travel and tourism."
Assistant Commerce Secretary Tim Crowley said his department has not sought an ethics review of the Friends program.

And neither does the State Commerce Department.

Crisco, who has made 16 overseas trips as commerce secretary, brushed off concerns the sponsorships may have influenced his decisions on economic recruitment or incentives. He said he has intentionally never asked how much the corporations give.

"I know Duke Energy and Womble Carlyle are Friends," he said. "I choose not to know what they pay. I have no idea. It could be $300,000. It could be $2,000. I don't know."

Citing a recent event at the Biltmore resort in Asheville that included a whitewater rafting outing, Crisco said what's important is that those who attend have a good time. That creates buzz about the state as a great place to live and do business, he said.

"I hope it is fun. I hope it's enjoyable," he said. "I hope they go back and tell 25 others, 'You should have been there. It was a blast.'

It was a blast?  I’m sure it was…I’m sure it was.



No comments: