newsobserver.com projects - Attorney General '08 - Comments

Re: Cooper raised $2.8m in AG run

j1c2kp — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:46:41 -0500

things that make you go hmmmmmm. Smithfield Foods had an agreement with the AG's office initially under Easley, then Cooper inherited the agreement. Now I understand why nothing has been done about hog pollution and demanding the elimination of the holes in the ground full of you know what.

Re: Cooper still fighting 2000 lawsuit

FFC1304 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:29:27 -0400

STICK WITH IT, Boyces! Recover your damages!

Hope Crumley will Get ElectriCities and Jesse Tilton records

electrify — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:58 -0400

I agree. I hope Mr. Crumley will persue Jesse Tilton at ElectriCities. There is a rate committee meeting June 27 at 10 am in Rocky Mount and people need to attend. ElectriCities acts like their meetings are secret. The CEO has demanded calendars "be hidden." And there are reports he has asked for, in the past, money for himself and staff to give to legislators and got it in the past. More recently, people have heard he asked for a $50,000 boost to give as contributions. This would be on top of his $500,000 salary, of course.

So, now we hear, electric rates are going up due to a bad refinancing deal. And that Tilton blamed the CFO and he is now retiring.

Since there have been "secret" raises and "secret" changes in staff and "secret" settlements, this public entity needs to be investigated. How much of our money has been thrown away by this man.

When did Tilton know that the refinacing was "bad" and why did he wait so long to tell and why is it so long to this meeting. Why has there been 75% turnover in government relations, with Dan Crawforde and Ken Melton leaving suddenly a few weeks ago? These guys, like others before them, had strong credentials.

Lots of secrets. Little information. And, a Board that is not acting in the interest of the taxpayers.

Re: Crumley's records request

alman — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:52:46 -0400

I Mr. Crumley will also request some records from Jesse Tilton at ElectriCities. We have been told electric rates are going up due to a bad refinancing deal. Of course we know no details. It is all a big "secret," which is humerous for a public entity. We already know there were "secret" settlements made so the CEO could avoid embarrassment by losing some lawsuits. So, seems it would be prudent to protect the eastern NC taxpayers by assessing the relationships with bond underwriters, why the CFO Al Conyers is "suddenly" retiring on top of this issue, why 75% of the government relations team has left over the past 5 years, including two former congressional staffers who were there and left suddenly a couple of weeks ago, one after only being there a couple of months. And, why taxpayers have not been told there is an issue and why cities were suddenly told 6 months into the issue. I encourage everyone to attend the Rate Committee Meeting in Rocky Mount June 27 at 10 am (Braswell Library) so if you live in one of the 32 eastern cities, you can see where your money is going and why. We would appreciate Mr. Crumley stepping up to look into these issues.

Re: Crumley: Cooper should respond

FFC1304 — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:59:22 -0400

Sleazly and Cooper are in this to PROTECT EACH OTHER!!! THAT's the WAY it WORKS with CORRUPT democrats in RAWLEIGH!!!

Crumley should be specific

Isaac136 — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:23:45 -0400

Great, another blow-hard politician pipes up with meaningless blather. Or maybe Crumley can't be specific because he actually doesn't know what he's talking about and his interest doesn't extend much farther than attacking Roy Cooper.

As a Raleigh bureaucrat (that is, a worker bee, a person required to keep files, follow rules, ensure that the law is followed), I'm really tired of hearing politicians putting down the "bureaucrats" instead of the fat cats (in other words, each other). It isn't the bureaucrats (worker bees) who have a problem sharing public records; it's the politicians like Governor Easley.

It's the worker bees who get punished by the politicians when said politicians' personal druthers are resisted by the lowly state employees who are trying to comply with the law.

How are you going to "stop them cold in their tracks?" when the scapegoat is always the folks who are going to lose their jobs if they don't indulge the politician's wishes? You think you're going to find an EMAIL or something in which the Governor says, "Destroy that public record," and signs it "Mike?"

How, Mr. Crumley, just HOW are you going to "stop them cold in their tracks?" You can't prosecute what you can't prove, and you're never going to be able to prove that the governor or any other politician in Raleigh exerted pressure to bend the law. They make known what they want by suggestive phrasing and the worker bee either "gets it" or gets fired.