Barry Smith - In the Loop


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Casino compact ratification will likely be delayed

November 28th, 2011, 4:50 pm by

Ratification of the new casino compact between the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians and Gov. Bev Perdue likely won’t occur during this week’s mini-session of the General Assembly.

Staff members for the GOP leadership of both the House and Senate have told me that lawmakers feel like they need more time to study the compact, which was signed Monday morning by Perdue and Cherokee Principal Chief Michael Hicks.

The likely result would be another special session called by Perdue to consider the compact.

The 28-page compact would allow the Cherokee to expand their casino to include live games, rather than just machine games. The Cherokee would also have exclusive gaming rights west of Interstate 26 in North Carolina.

The Cherokee would initially pay the state 4 percent of all gross receipts from live table games. That amount would gradually increase to 8 percent during the last 10 years of the 30-year compact.

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Economy • Education • Gambling • General Assembly • Social Issues • State government • Taxes | Post a Comment »

Gov. Perdue says gay marriage ban amendment could hurt business climate

October 7th, 2011, 2:56 pm by

Gov. Bev Perdue

Gov. Bev Perdue issued a statement Friday saying that she opposes the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriages and civil unions that will be on the ballot in North Carolina next spring.

However, she said that she did believe that a marriage is between one man and one woman. She said she opposes the amendment, which will be on the ballot on May 8, 2011, because of its potential effect on job recruitment in the state.

Here is her statement on the amendment:

“My top priority is creating jobs. Too many people are out of work and I’ve heard from several business leaders who’ve told me that the proposed constitutional amendment will harm our state’s business climate and make it harder to grow jobs here. I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman: That’s why I voted for the law in 1996 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and that’s why I continue to support that law today. But I’m going to vote against the amendment because I cannot in good conscience look an unemployed man or woman in the eye and tell them that this amendment is more important than finding them a job. In addition, a number of legal experts have argued that this amendment, if passed, could eliminate legal protections for all unmarried couples in our state, regardless of sexual orientation. Right now, my focus, the General Assembly’s focus, and North Carolina’s focus needs to be on creating jobs.”

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Constitutional Amendments • Economy • Elections • General Assembly • Politics • Same-sex marriage • Social Issues | Post a Comment »

Loss of Project Soccer puts spin doctors in overdrive

October 6th, 2011, 5:28 pm by

I guess if I’d been working in downtown Raleigh today (Thursday) my head would have been spinning.

Politicians of all stripes tried to spin news that Continental Tire had chosen a South Carolina site over one located in Brunswick County to their advantage. The economic development effort had been dubbed “Project Soccer.”

Thursday morning, GOP Senate President Pro-tem Phil Berger of Rockingham County issued a statement critical of Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue, saying Perdue’s proposal “reeked of cronyism.”

Campaign donors to Perdue and other Democrats owned the Brunswick County property picked for the proposed plant and Perdue’s son works for the law firm that was advising the tire company.

Moments before the clock struck noon, the N.C. Democratic Party fired off an email putting the ball in Berger’s court, saying that he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

“The only thing Phil Berger cares about is advancing his own political agenda and pushing his personal vendetta against Gov. Perdue,” said David Parker, N.C. Democratic Party chairman. “Apparently Phil Berger would rather see jobs go to South Carolina than work with the governor. Perhaps he should consider running for office in South Carolina because he certainly isn’t looking out for North Carolinians.”

Not to be outdone, the N.C. Republican Party sent out a statement suggesting that Perdue’s hadn’t stood up to organized labor enough in addition to the campaign donor and her son’s connection to the site. “The troubling choice of a property owned by Perdue’s major donors proved to Continental that the governor was far more interested in pay-to-play politics than actual job creation,” said Robin Hayes, state GOP chairman.

More volleys were lobbed during the afternoon.

Berger called a press conference in which he said the ownership of the property and specifics of the financing deal were causes of concern.

Berger said that legislators needed more information on where the money was going to come from and suggested that the state stick with offering $3 million a year in incentives for 15 years rather than providing the money up front.

“These are tax dollars we’re talking about,” Berger said.

The state Democratic Party then sent out another press release, saying that if the jobs had come to North Carolina, Brunswick County’s unemployment would fall from 10.7 percent to 8.1 percent.

GOP House Speaker Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County

“We made every effort to work in concert with the governor’s office, but requests by my office for critical information were often delayed or sometimes ignored,” Tillis said.

Perdue issued a statement saying that Berger was “making reckless accusations in order to evade responsibility for his own decision.”

Perdue went on. “I didn’t have any involvement in the site selection process, and it didn’t matter to me what piece of land the company selected, as long as the 1,300 jobs came to North Carolina,” she said.

Chris Mackie, Perdue’s spokeswoman, said that Perdue administration officials did offer funding mechanisms for the project.

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Corporate Welfare • Economy • Ethics • General Assembly • Government spending • Politics • State government | Post a Comment »

Gov. Bev Perdue says she was sarcastic; GOP questions congressional elections comment

September 28th, 2011, 4:02 pm by

Gov. Bev Perdue

Reaction continues to come in a day after Gov. Bev Perdue suggested to the Cary Rotary Club that congressional elections should be suspended for two years so that members of Congress could focus on solving the nation’s problems without suffering immediate political consequences.

You can listen to audio of Perdue’s statement here.

During her talk on Tuesday, she urged Washington officials to get over their partisan bickering.

According to an audio recording on the Raleigh News & Observer’s web site, Perdue said: “I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years. Just tell them we won’t hold it against them, whatever decisions they make. Just let them help this country recover. I really hope someone can agree with me on that.”

She went on to say that politicians in Raleigh do a better job at working together across party lines, even though she admitted politics were a bit more contentious now.

For two days, reports of Perdue’s comments were listed along the top of the Drudge Report. It didn’t escape comment from conservative talk shows.

Perdue herself commented on her own comment to reporters covering her at a conference in Thomasville on Wednesday. “My point was one of sarcasm,” Perdue told the Greensboro News & Record. “We really just need to encourage our leaders who are elected to work together and solve America’s problems.” She went on to suggest that her comment was taken out of context and wondered why anyone would take her comment seriously.

Tuesday afternoon, Perdue’s press office said the governor was using hyperbole.

“Come on,” said Chris Mackey, Perdue’s press secretary. “Gov. Perdue was obviously using hyperbole to highlight what we can all agree is a serious problem: Washington politicians who focus on their own election instead of what’s best for the people they serve.”

Republicans reacted quickly to Perdue’s suggestion.

“It’s one thing for Gov. Perdue to suggest that we should suspend congressional elections as a very odd approach to getting the economy moving,” said former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory on Wednesday McCrory was Perdue’s GOP opponent in 2008 and is expected to challenge her again in 2012. “It’s an entirely different thing for the governor to get her staff to cover up her blatant mistake by saying she was just joking.”

McCrory said that it’s obvious that Perdue wasn’t joking and that she needs to admit she made a mistake and apologize for it.

On Tuesday, McCrory called into question Perdue’s “inability to work with the Legislature, regardless if controlled by Democrats or Republicans.”

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, added some levity to his response. “In light of Gov. Perdue’s support for suspending congressional elections, I want to state clearly, on the record, that I do NOT support suspending our next gubernatorial election,” Berger said.

The N.C. Republican Party questioned Perdue’s assertion that she wasn’t serious.

“Listen to the governor’s words, she wasn’t joking at all,” said Rob Lockwood, a spokesman for the state GOP. “The congressional Democrats are wildly unpopular in North Carolina, so she may have been trying to invent a solution to save their jobs and from public accountability.”

Posted in: 2012 Election • Bev Perdue • Economy • Elections • Federal government • General Assembly • Pat McCrory • Politics • State government | 2 Comments »

Update: Governor’s office says Perdue was just using hyperbole

September 27th, 2011, 4:37 pm by

Gov. Bev Perdue

Gov. Bev Perdue’s press office has responded to a report that she had suggested suspending congressional elections for two years so that Congress could focus on fixing the nation’s woes without facing immediate political consequences.

Chris Mackey, Perdue’s press secretary, said in a statement:

“Come on…Gov. Perdue was obviously using hyperbole to highlight what we can all agree is a serious problem: Washington politicians who focus on their own election instead of what’s best for the people they serve.”

Posted in: 2012 Election • Bev Perdue • Economy • Elections • Federal government • Politics • State government | Post a Comment »

Suspend congressional elections? Really, governor?

September 27th, 2011, 4:13 pm by

Gov. Bev Perdue

OK, I’ve got a query in to the governor’s office on this one. The Raleigh News & Observer’s John Frank reported that Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue is suggesting suspending congressional elections for two years so that Washington’s elected officials can presumably make decisions on solving the nation’s economic problems without worrying about immediate political consequences.

The comment came Tuesday during a discussion on economics at a meeting of the Cary Rotary Club.

The N&O quoted Perdue:

“I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won’t hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that.”

I really hope that Perdue was using hyperbole, trying to make a point that Congress should worry more about helping the nation recover from it economic doldrums.

Please, governor, clear this up.

Posted in: 2012 Election • Bev Perdue • Economy • Federal government • Politics • State government | 1 Comment »

Lawmakers could consider live Cherokee games next month

August 16th, 2011, 1:15 pm by

Live table games could soon be coming to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

The Cherokee One Feather reports that Senate President Pro-tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, says that the Senate has bipartisan support to approve an amended compact providing for the games.

Currently, only machine or video games are allowed at the casino.

“The votes are there,” Berger told the One Feather.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is in negotiations with Gov. Bev Perdue to amend its compact that allows for games on the reservation.

The General Assembly plans to reconvene Sept. 12 to consider proposed amendments to the N.C. Constitution. Lawmakers could also consider an amended gambling compact with the Cherokee at the time.

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Economy • Gambling • General Assembly • Social Issues • State government | Post a Comment »

Senate gets to work overriding vetoes

July 13th, 2011, 6:34 pm by

It doesn’t take the state Senate long to override one of Gov. Bev Perdue’s vetoes. In fact, not quite an hour had passed before the Senate convened, took care of some administrative matters, voted to override a Perdue veto not one but six times and gaveled the session to a close on Wednesday.

Senate President Pro-tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, during a press conference after the overrides, said that some of Perdue’s vetoes hit at the heart of efforts to create new jobs.

“We’ve heard at times a chorus of, ‘where’s the jobs legislation, where’s the jobs legislation,’” Berger said. “We passed jobs legislation, and the governor vetoes a number of them.”

Berger noted that a number of the votes had bipartisan support. Only one, a bill that would prohibit the state from collecting dues from the NCAE, was strictly along party lines.

The House could take up the bills later this month.

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Economy • Education • Energy • Environment • General Assembly • State government • Veto | 2 Comments »

Environmental, pro-immigration groups urge Perdue to veto bills

June 21st, 2011, 5:12 pm by

Pro-immigration and environmental groups are urging Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue to veto at least four bills sent to her in the waning days of the 2011 regular session of the General Assembly, which had Republican majorities for the first time since Reconstruction.

The NC Dream Team, which supports the proposed federal DREAM Act that would provide a path to citizenship for children who entered this country illegally with their parents, is urging Perdue to veto a bill requiring most businesses in North Carolina to get permission from the federal government to hire an employee through the E-verify system.

That bill, which would initially add county and municipal governments to those required to verify a worker’s immigration status, would be phased in for businesses in the state. Businesses with 500 or more employees would have to use E-verify by Oct. 1, 2012. Businesses with 100 or more employees would have to use it by Jan. 1, 2013, with businesses with 25 or more employees having to come on board by July 1, 2013.

Employers would also have to keep E-verify forms as long as the employee works there, plus one year. Certain seasonal, temporary employees are exempt.

The News & Observer reports that environmental groups, including the N.C. Sierra Club, the N.C. Coastal Federation, Audubon North Carolina and the N.C. League of Conservation Voters, are urging Perdue to veto three bills. One would provide for drilling for energy resources. One lessens the state’s rulemaking authority. Another allows some coastal communities to construct hardened erosion control structures at inlets.

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Economy • Environment • General Assembly • Immigration • Politics • State government • Veto | Post a Comment »

Democrats push for discharge petition on unemployment benefits

May 10th, 2011, 1:50 pm by

Democrats continue their attempt to turn the heat up on their Republican colleagues over extended unemployment benefits. The Republicans aren’t biting.

Democrats have bills in both the House and the Senate that they’re trying to get out of committee. The bills would provide the benefits to the long-term unemployed. And they’ve filed discharge petitions to try to force the bills out of committee.

All the Democratic representatives and senators have signed it. No Republicans have signed it. Democrats are in the minority in both chambers this session.

House rules call for a majority of the representatives to sign it. So far, they have 52 of the 120 members. They need 61.

Senate rules call for a two-thirds majority of the senators to sign it. So far, they have 19. They need 34.

Last month, the Republican majorities in both chambers supported a bill that would extend the benefits for 37,000 unemployed North Carolinians. However, they attached it to a bill that would provide a fallback budget in case the GOP-led General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue couldn’t reach an agreement on a state spending plan. Perdue vetoed the bill the same day it reached her desk.

To see the House discharge petition, please click here.

To see the Senate discharge petition, please click here.

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Economy • General Assembly • State government • Veto | 1 Comment »

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