newsobserver.com projects - Rand's specter halted Easley audit - Comments

Re: Rand's specter halted Easley audit

Kingixolib — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:57:39 -0400

Career politicians breed corruption and lies. Vote them out or they die in office.

Option one....you win
Option two....you lose

Re: Rand's specter halted Easley audit

PoliticalJunkie — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:39:39 -0400

Great point Paul.

You ought to file one if nobody else has.

Re: Rand's specter halted Easley audit

PaulTerrell — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:15:59 -0400

I guess anyone can file a ethics complaint against Rand. I am surprised someone in the Republican Party has not.

Re: Rand's specter halted Easley audit

bellaparola — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:33:21 -0400

How is it not a conflict of interest for Rand to be lawyering against an outfit whose budget he basically controls? Is there any real protection in the state ethics laws and enforcement of them?

Re: Rand's specter halted Easley audit

Isaac136 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:56:31 -0400

Same old same old. One would have hoped that Beth Wood brought a fresh perspective to the job, but the same ole boys are calling the same ole shots. At least Les Merritt wasn't part of the machine.

Somebody should request woods email

PoliticalJunkie — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:20:53 -0400

There is a lot more to this cover up.

Re: Rand's specter halted Easley audit

cdtew — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:18:31 -0400

Tony Rand and Marc Basnight should be tarred and feathered. When will this state get sick of their corruption?

If you move to this state, and don't know anything about its politics, know this: voting Democrat will ensure the continuation of corruption. Either vote Republican or vote for nothing at all.

Rand's specter halted Easley audit

bniolet — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:53:52 -0400

It appears that the influence of state Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, helped keep secret an audit dealing with former first lady Mary Easley's salary at N.C. State University.

The salary audit has never been released by new state auditor Beth Wood, a Democrat. In an interview, she said the investigative audit raised questions about whether the first lady's $170,000 per year salary at NCSU was justified — but said NCSU officials made detailed counter arguments that would have led to a "he said/she said" audit.

But it turns out that Rand's involvement in an earlier audit — one that dealt with questionable overseas travel by Mary Easley — also played a role, J. Andrew Curliss reports. The Easleys had hired Rand, who is a lawyer and the powerful majority leader in the state Senate, to represent them. The move generated lots of talk because, for one, Rand has power over the state auditor's budget.

More after the jump.