Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue won her new office by promising Charlotte-funded goodies to the rest of the state at the expense of the banking town, writes columnist Tara Servatius in the latest edition of Creative Loafing magazine in Charlotte.

She writes:

The attitude in Raleigh has long been that Charlotte can afford to pay all the state's bills, plus the tab for the stuff that the state is supposed to fund in Charlotte. This same attitude was practically a campaign theme for Perdue.

Perdue, a Democrat, ran a television ad warning that her Republican opponent, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, wanted to help only his city.

The commercial aired in eastern TV markets and to some degree elsewhere in the state but not in Charlotte. Perdue made similar comments in her stump speeches.

At the same time, she appealed to Charlotte voters with pledges to open an office there and ensure a stronger relationship between that city and the state capital.

Pat McCrory does not want to be called a moderate.

In an interview with Charlotte alt-weekly Creative Loafing, the Republican gubernatorial candidate says that he does not consider himself a moderate:

McCrory says, "I don't like labels. I think that the pundits love to try and stick a person under a certain title or label, which is often inaccurate. I am a Republican, and I am convinced that people are looking for a leader -- not necessarily agreement on all the issues. I think the best compliment that I get is: 'Mayor, I don't agree with you on all the issues, but you're a good leader.' I'll take that compliment any day. I'm not going to try and appease every interest group in North Carolina. I try to do what is best and let the people evaluate my job."

He adds that as mayor he has "stepped on the toes of far right and the far left" — something he would do as governor as well.