Former state auditor Les Merritt has formed a nonprofit foundation dedicated to rooting out public corruption.

The Foundation for Ethics in Public Service opened its doors in May and exists to help expose corruption across the nation, Merritt said. Unlike his time as auditor, Merritt won't have the advantage of being able to order agencies to cooperate. He said the foundation will rely on the same tactics and methods used by investigative journalists — good tips and public records.

"We need more watchdogs you just can't get too many out there," Merritt said.

Merritt, a Republican, lost his seat last year to Democrat Beth Wood.

The foundation will rely on anonymous tips for many of its investigations. Others may come from journalists, who because of staff cuts, don't have the time to pursue stories in detail. The foundation can check things out and turn the information over to reporters, he said.

Frank Perry, a retired FBI agent and former investigations chief under Merritt will direct investigations for the foundation.

Merritt said the foundation has a funding pledge from the John William Pope Foundation, which is directed by conservative patron and former lawmaker Art Pope.

Merritt says that his organization will be nonpartisan. Merritt said he does not plan to run for auditor again.

"I honestly believe this can be more worthwhile," he said. "I don't ever plan on running agin. It's certainly not helping me get set up that way. This can be a whole lot more fun."

The N.C. Republican Party will decide on a new leader this month.

After several defeats in 2008, the race for party chair has been particularly heated, with all four candidates vowing to mobilize voters and stay true to conservative values, the Associated Press reports.

Political observers say the frontrunners are Chad Adams, former Lee County commissioner and vice president of the John Locke Foundation, and Tom Fetzer, former Raleigh mayor and longtime political consultant.

Adams has the support of former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr and much of the political machine run by Art Pope. Fetzer has the backing of a bevy of current and former state officials, most recently U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick.

Retired Navy officer Bill Randall and businessman Marcus Kindley are also running. 

In a political irony, the June 13 event will be held at the Raleigh convention center, a project famously opposed by Fetzer when he served as mayor. 

Pat McCrory will host a fundraiser in Raleigh Wednesday.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate will hold a "business casual" event at the law offices of former Raleigh City Councilman Kieran Shanahan from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The fundraiser is being hosted by Shanahan and his wife, Tina; former Councilman Tommy Craven and his wife, Nancy, and Jamie and Matt Martin. 

Other hosts include Councilman Philip Isley, developer Gregg Sandreuter, Republican donor Art Pope, attorney Tom Ellis and UNC-Chapel Hill law professor Arch Allen, according to a copy of an invitation received by Dome.

Tickets to the event range from $30 for a guest to $1,000 for a host.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is about to get some outside help.

After three attack ads from third-party groups have aired, the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity will take to the airwaves next week to defend Dole.

Spokesman Dallas Woodhouse said that the minute-long ad will air on radio stations across the state. As with the others, it will be an independent expenditure not related to the campaign and is technically an "issue ad" on energy policy.

The ad features a male and a female narrator talking about high gas prices, then noting that Dole has a plan to repeal the ban on offshore drilling.

"Senator Dole has shown real leadership on the energy issue at a time when North Carolina families need it most," the male narrator says.

The group will spend about $150,000 on the ad starting Monday.

Americans for Prosperity is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to promoting limited government and lower taxation. It receives funding in part from Raleigh businessman Art Pope and small donors.

Script after the jump.

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James Protzman says he has toned down the rhetoric of BlueNC.

The former marketing consultant told Dome that the site intentionally adopted a harsh tone in its early days — alternating criticism with praise — as a way to gain attention in a crowded media market.

"Our early strategy was attack, attack, pat on the back," he said.

A few of Protzman's targets: George W. Bush, Blackwater, Art Pope, N&O columnist Rick Martinez, U.S. Rep. Walter Jones and Robin Hayes, right-wing commenters on Dome, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and the UNC-Chapel Hill school of journalism.

Aside from markeitng, Protzman said he also blogs on issues that made him angry, spurring him to use strong language. He said that he is now trying to "dial back" on the curse words and offer more measured criticism of reporters and politicians.

"I regret every rant, "he said.  "It's easy to be angry about a lot of things. Sometimes out here in the blogosphere, blowing off steam is the only way to stay sane, but it often creates problems and I'm aware of that."

So much for the garage band.

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has hired the Keith Richards of the North Carolina Republican Party.

Jack Hawke, a veteran GOP strategist, has signed on as the lead consultant for McCrory.

When McCrory entered the race last month, he declared he was going to run a garage band campaign. But after some early stumbles he has had second thoughts.

Hawke, a 66-year old Zebulon resident, managed the last successful Republican camapign for governor—Jim Martin in 1984.

He also was chief strategist for Jim Gardner’s successful 1988 camapign for lieutenant governor, helped Virginia Foxx get elected to Congess in 2004, and was state GOP party chairman for eight years, the longest of anybody in history.

He was also one of several consultants for Richard Vinroot's unsuccessful 2000 campaign for governor.

More after the jump.

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Bob Orr spent $225,600 in 2007.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate's biggest expense was a $5,000-per-month contract with Raleigh fundraising consultant E. Whitney Jones and related expenses. In all, he paid her $59,769, according to campaign finance reports.

He also spent $10,652 on cell phones, landlines and Internet access.

Rent was another major expense. For much of the year, Orr rented a suite in the office building at 225 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. The building is owned by Variety Realty LLC, which is registered to conservative philanthropist Art Pope. 

But Orr and other tenants had to leave after Campbell University announced plans to move its law school to the building in early October. He moved to the upper floor of the Stratas & Weathers building near Raleigh's Five Points neighborhood.

His monthly rent went from $382.71 to $2,000. 

Campaign manager Dave Woolf said that rent went up because the office nearly quadrupled in size to around 2,100 square feet and now has six employees plus interns. He said the old office was temporary.

"It was virtually empty and we were just given some space to park in there," he said.

Bob Orr raised $227,873 by the end of 2007.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate raised $217,153 from large donors, including Raleigh attorney Gene Boyce, Square One Bank CEO Richard Casey and conservative philanthropist Art Pope.

He raised $3,620 from donors who gave less than $50, $1,500 from the Embarq and Coca-Cola PACs and $600 from the campaigns of state Rep. Carolyn Justus and former Wake County Commissioner Phil Jeffreys, according to a campaign finance report filed last week.

In addition, he loaned his campaign $5,000.

At the same time, Orr spent $225,660 on rent, staff salaries, gas, phone bills and fundraising letters.

That left him with $2,212 in cash on hand.

Two former Republicans lawmakers have settled a dispute left over from the GOP primary wars last year.

Former Rep. Stephen LaRoque of Kinston has apologized to former state Rep. Art Pope of Raleigh, who he had accused of buying legislators by pouring money into contested Republican primaries, Rob Christensen reports.

"In the heat of a hard fought campaign and contested election outcome, I misspoke," LaRoque said in a letter. "Art Pope has not been engaged in buying legislators or their votes. I did not mean to imply that Art Pope had done anything wrong."

After LaRoque issued the apology, Pope said he had instructed his attorney, Raleigh City Councilman Phillip Isley to drop a defamation suit.

Pope, a wealthy businessman, helped finance a direct mail campaign, that was critical of LaRoque and several other lawmakers who were tied to former House Speaker Richard Morgan.

The mailing were done by the Republican Legislative Majority of North Carolina, an advocacy group funded by Pope-led companies.

Campbell University is moving its law school to downtown Raleigh.

The Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law will move to 225 Hillsborough St., a building owned by a company held by former state legislator Art Pope, according to a letter from Jimmy Barnes of NAI Carolantic Realty to tenants.

Campbell President Jerry M. Wallace visited the building this afternoon, along with other school officials and a photographer, tenants said.

Current tenants include the N.C. Sheriff's Association, the N.C. Technology Association, the Bob Orr gubernatorial campaign and several nonprofits that Pope helps fund: the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law, the Civitas Institute and Americans for Prosperity's state chapter.

According to the letter, the sale is expected to be final by early March, and renovations will begin next summer.