Gov. Mike Easley has nominated Bryan Beatty to the N.C. Utilities Commission.

Beatty has served as secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety under Easley since 2001, overseeing the State Highway Patrol, the Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement and the Emergency Management Division, among other agencies.

"Bryan Beatty's dedication and integrity is unmatched in government," Easley said in a statement. "No matter what job he has held, he has always put the best interests of the state of North Carolina and her people first. I know he will continue to do so as a member of this commission."

Beatty had been angling to continue as secretary or in another position under Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, but recently announced that he would instead leave for a new post.

The Utilities Commission regulates the rates and services of the state's public utilities, including telephone, electric, natural gas, wastewater, buses and ferryboats.

The governor appoints all seven members to eight-year terms, but they must be confirmed by the legislature. Other members appointed by Easley are Howard Lee, Bill Culpepper, Lorinzo Little Joyner, Sam Ervin IV, Robert Owens, and Chairman Edward Finley.

The appointment will fill one of two openings on the board.

Ervin will leave the board to join the N.C. Court of Appeals on Dec. 31. Jim Kerr left the board on Aug. 31.

Jim Black paid his rent out of campaign funds.

After last week's discussion of the former House speaker's condo in Bishops Ridge, an alert reader pointed out that Black used campaign funds for it.

That's unusual, but not illegal. Still, it's interesting to note that Black paid $1,200 a month to his landlord, according to a campaign finance report from December of 2006.

That's about how much an apartment or condo goes for in the Bishops Ridge area, which means that Black's roommate, then Rep. Bill Culpepper, either paid him directly or lived there free.

Critics of Black have long said that he used real estate deals to grant favors. This arrangement certainly raises questions, if nothing else. 

Bishops Ridge has long been popular among Raleigh politicos.

Disgraced former House Speaker Jim Black roomed with then Rep. Bill Culpepper in this condominium. His aide, Meredith Norris, owns one across the street. Lobbyist Don Beason worked out of another condo.

They're not the only ones. In fact, the complex might as well be the Melrose Place of Raleigh politics.

Top lobbyist Roger Bone also has an address on Brighthurst Drive, as does Sen. John Kerr.

There's nothing necessarily nefarious about that. The complex is close to Wade Avenue — convenient to driving to the airport or out of town — and to Glenwood Avenue — good for going to Jones Street, heading downtown or just getting some pizza.

In addition, there's a nice park nearby and the condos date to the mid 1980s, making them nice, but also affordable for an out-of-town legislator.

Update: Reliable sources in Bishops Ridge say that Sen. James Forrester and former Secretary of Revenue Norris Tolson also live there.

The head of the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation said a recent controversy over its scholarship program may be due to "racial targeting in Raleigh."

In a letter to The News & Observer received this week, Rep. Alma Adams questioned why campaign finance reformer Joe Sinsheimer, "a white Democrat," is "viciously" attacking "black Democrat legislators" by filing complaints with the State Board of Elections against Reps. Mary McAllister of Fayetteville and Thomas Wright of Wilmington and criticizing the foundation.

"His scrutiny appears racially directed," the Greensboro Democrat wrote.

Sinsheimer ran a Web site dedicated to exposing wrongdoing by former House Speaker Jim Black, who is white. He noted that he has also been outspoken in his criticism about Democratic Reps. Jim Harrell and Nelson Cole and state Utilities Commissioner Bill Culpepper, all of whom are white.

"Good government needs to be colorblind," he told Dome. "If I find people that I believe have violated the law, I'm going to continue to file complaints whether they are white legislators or African-American legislators."