Fred Smith spent $1.5 million in 2007.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate's biggest expense was $532,992 to a company run by his chief of staff, Jonathan Hill, for staff salaries and grassroots organizing.

Smith also spent $359,915 to SouthData, a Mount Airy-based printing company that published Smith's autobiography, "A Little Extra Effort," and mailed copies to thousands of North Carolinians.

Hill said that the book was one part of a statewide effort to build name recognition. The other part was a series of barbecues held in all 100 counties.

"We have a long-term plan and we're running that plan," said Hill. "It was to have a conservation with the people across the whole state."

As previously reported, Smith spent more than $90,000 on barbecue alone. He also spent $13,745 on facility rental for the events.

He also paid country singer Lee Greenwood $100,000, spent $176,374 to the producers of his TV ads, paid political consultant Karen Rotterman $45,000 and spent $12,538 on a half-page ad in the Charlotte Observer.

Fred Smith says he didn't pay $100,000 just for a song.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate paid country singer Lee Greenwood to write a song, perform at barbecues and do other work for his campaign, according to a campaign finance report.

Campaign manager Jonathan Hill said that the money also went for things that Greenwood has not yet done, and he criticized a recent video by state Democrats lampooning the song.

"It's typical of the Democratic reaction that they jump to a conclusion when they don't have the facts," he said. "We've got a long campaign to go, and those expenses are related to the entire campaign, not just a song."

Smith would not specify what else Greenwood will do for the campaign, but he said it will be good.

"We've got lots of plans, and they'll see it when it comes out," he said. 

Fred Smith spent $90,670 on barbecue in 2007, according to campaign finance reports filed today.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate has been touring the state in a motorhome, holding old-fashioned pig pickin's to meet with voters.

Campaign manager Jonathan Hill said that his staffers have tasted some of the state's very best, including Alston Bridges in Shelby, Bullock's in Durham and Hursey's Barbecue in Burlington.

They also went to Hill's personal favorite, Parker's Barbecue in Wilson.

Hill, who grew up in Dunn, used to go to Wilson to eat with his brother, who was attending Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College). His mother would always make him wash his hands before eating, and he found that the food was always ready when he came back.

"Every time I go to Parker's, I order and go wash my hands," Hill said. "When I come back, the barbecue'll be there, piping hot."

Hat Tip: Paulette Stiles 

Bill Graham's Republican rivals disagree with his campaign consultant.

Consultant Mark Stephens was quoted by CQPolitics.com as saying that he's the only "outsider" in the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

But the chief of staff for state Sen. Fred Smith noted that he has had a long career as an Army lawyer, a developer and a businessman.

"Fred Smith went into politics after he worked for years as a successful businessman," said Jonathan Hill.

And former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr said that Graham's campaign was trying to turn attention away from his lack of political experience and his career as a trial lawyer.

"Since Bill has not held any public office or ever run for public office, and thus has no experience in government service, it's not surprising that they would try and turn that into a positive," Orr said.

Sen. Fred Smith was paid for two weeks he was absent.

According to state records, the Clayton Republican missed 17 days this past session, but was paid for all but three of them. At $104 per day, Smith earned $1,456 on days he was not in the legislature.

His campaign's chief of staff, Jonathan Hill, said the payments were a clerical error. He said that Smith, a millionaire businessman, has had a policy since taking office in 2003 of not receiving his per diem on days he is absent.

"Any time he was not there, we wanted him not to be reimbursed," he said.

Joe Goettee, the legislature's payroll administrator, said its policy is to automatically cut lawmakers a check unless they ask not to be paid for a specific day. His records showed Smith waived his per diem on June 28, June 29 and July 5.

Hill said Smith would repay any money received for days he is absent. He said the Republican gubernatorial candidate has given the money away to charities and political causes in his district.

Previously: Smith missed votes on 17 days of the session.

Hat Tip: Alert Dome blog readers

Sen. Fred Smith says he's worked hard.

In response to criticism of his absences this past session, the Republican gubernatorial candidate noted that he's voted 90 percent of the time since taking office in 2002, casting 3,740 votes.

"An 'absentee' senator? Hardly," read a statement from Smith chief of staff Jonathan Hill. "The fact is that liberal Democrats will do 'whatever it takes' to manipulate the legislative process in order to advance their agenda of higher taxes, more spending, and bigger government."

He noted that Democratic leaders in the state Senate have sent Smith's bills to committee to die and "shut down debate" on constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and restrict annual budget growth.

As a result, Hill said, "Fred Smith said 'enough is enough'" and missed session to attend fundraisers, host barbecues around the state and build a grassroots network for his gubernatorial campaign.

Still, he said Smith kept in touch with Republican leaders and did not miss any days where his vote would have made a difference.

Fred Smith doesn't have a campaign manager, per se.

Jonathan Hill, who is heading up the senator's campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, prefers to be called his "chief of staff."

"We're not a typical campaign, and Fred Smith is not a typical candidate," he explains.

Hill has worked for Smith off and on for the past four years, helping manage his corporate and political offices, which are both set up along business lines. But he does have political experience.

A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, where he majored in political science, Hill served in the Navy for three years and worked in banking and insurance.

In 1982, he became involved with Sen. Jesse Helms, helping raise money for his 1984 Senate campaign. In 1990, he was finance director for Helms' campaign. In 1992, he was finance director for Sen. Lauch Faircloth's campaign, and he later served as chief of staff in his Washington, D.C., office.

For several years around the turn of the century, Hill worked for Citizens for a Sound Economy, a group that worked for lower taxes and opposed the state lottery.

Hill, 60, lives in Raleigh.

Fred Smith has taken the "recreation" out of "recreational vehicle."

The state senator, who is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, has hit the road in an RV to visit all 100 counties. But it's all work and no play.

The interior of the 34-foot RV from 1992 has been turned into an office for as many as six campaign staffers. A desk has replaced the bed in the back, with more office space in the kitchenette.

Staffers use laptops with cell phone cards to check e-mail, work out schedules and plan the visits.

Smith bought the RV himself and put his logo on it, though the campaign hired its driver. A spokesman would not say how much it cost, though a used RV of that size typically sells for $15,000 to $20,000.

"If you're going to travel across the state, it just makes sense," said Smith's chief of staff, Jonathan Hill, who notes that former Sen. Jesse Helms used one as well.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the value of the RV.

Three of the five gubernatorial campaigns do not have managers.

Former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, who is running for the Republican nomination, recently bragged that he is saving $12,000 a month by not having a campaign manager.

Salisbury Attorney Bill Graham, also running in the Republican primary, has not hired a campaign manager either, but he is in talks with several candidates for the job. For now, political consultants Mark Stephens and Aaron Lay are running his operation.

Republican Sen. Fred Smith, however, has hired Jonathan Hill as his campaign manager.

On the Democratic side, state Treasurer Richard Moore has hired Jay Reiff, a veteran of Gov. Mike Easley's and S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges' gubernatorial campaigns. 

His rival for the nomination, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, has chosen David Kochman to be her deputy campaign manager. But for now, this deputy has no sheriff, as it were.

Sen. Fred Smith did not fill out a teachers' survey.

The candidate for the Republican nomination for governor met with the N.C. Association of Educators Saturday, but he refused to fill out its 23-question survey beforehand.

"He felt it was much more important to sit down and discuss the issues than it was to sit down and write a paragraph," said chief of staff Jonathan Hill.

He said the campaign knew that the teachers group would endorse Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, but felt it was important for Smith to explain his vision for education in person. He said Smith also criticized its questions.

"He was really disappointed afterwards," said Hill. "None of them were about improving the education of children. They were all about bureaucracy, pay raises and teachers."

On at least one issue, Smith's positions should be well known. As a state senator, Smith has sponsored unsuccessful legislation to raise the cap on charter schools.