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Former Democratic candidate Ty Richardson will pay far less than his $31,000 fine for failure to file timely campaign finance records during his 2008 campaign.
The N.C. State Board of Elections agreed Tuesday to let the former state labor commissioner candidate pay $5,000, in $400 monthly installments, after a mediation settlement. The board also approved penalties against 13 other political committees for not meeting filing deadlines, letting all pay far less than the original fine.
The second-place finisher in the Democratic labor commissioner primary is asking for a runoff election.
With the formal request, Marlowe Foster will challenge John C. Brooks, the top vote-getter who is seeking a re-election to his former post. Brooks served from 1977 to 1993 as the state's labor commissioner. The three-way May primary didn't allow a candidate to receive more than 40 percent and win outright.
After months of watching his two opponents in the 13th Congressional District race throw mud at each other, Bill Randall is tossing a few mud balls of his own. In a GOP debate that aired Sunday, George Holding and Paul Coble, on the other hand, toned down their assaults on one another, and showed little difference in the substance of their political beliefs. Read more here.
Other political headlines:
--Think of Business Empire Consulting as the brash newcomer that nominated itself for the job – and won. The 28-month-old Raleigh digital marketing agency beat out 11 competitors for the plum job of designing and hosting a new website for the Democratic National Convention, which is set for Charlotte in September.
--Cheri Young, the wife of former political aide Andrew Young, will resume testifying in John Edwards’ trial Monday and might add new wrinkles to a story that veers between tragedy and farce with each disclosure.
The downballot races in the Democratic primary remain amorphous with huge numbers of undecided voters still looking for a good horse.
Marlowe Foster, a Democratic candidate for Labor Commissioner, announced more endorsements today from political groups and individuals. Foster has backing from the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the Durham People's Alliance, the Fairmont Committee on Black Affairs, 2008 Labor Commissioner candidate Mary Fant Donnan, state Reps. Deborah Ross and Grier Martin of Wake County, Former state Democratic Party chairman Jerry Meek, state Rep. Tricia Cotham of Charlotte, Transportation Secretary Gene Conti, state Sen. Doug Berger. and Morrisville Council member Steve Rao. Foster, a Pfizer lobbyist from Raleigh, faces John Brooks and Tyrone Richardson in the Democratic primary. Republican Cherie Berry is the incumbent commissioner.
Tyrone Richardson, a Democratic candidate for state Labor Commissioner, was in a Wake County courtroom today on a charge of driving while impaired.
He was charged on Dec. 29, 2011. The case was continued to next month.
Richardson would not answer questions after the hearing about this most recent charge or any of his previous charges. This is the fifth time he has been charged with driving while impaired since 1989, according to court records.
In 1989, he was convicted of a lesser charge of reckless driving to endanger. A 1991 DWI charge was dismissed. He was convicted of driving while impaired in 1994. In 1999, he was convicted of reckless driving with wanton disregard for safety and driving with an open container of alcohol after drinking.
Richardson's spokeswoman, Jennifer Jones-Rochelle, was with him in court. She said he would not discuss any of the charges, and maintained they were not related to the campaign.
"Those are two separate things," she said. "Those things will be addressed at the news conference."
A news conference has not been scheduled, but Jones-Rochelle said, "It will be soon."
Richardson, 62, lives in Middlesex. He is making his second run for Labor Commissioner. He ran in the 2008 primary, and came in third out of four candidates.
He is in a three-way primary this year with former Labor Commissioner John C. Brooks and Marlowe Foster.
A Raleigh Democrat entered the race to challenge one of the two Republicans on the Council of State.
Marlowe Foster, a 39-year-old businessman, is making a bid for Labor Commissioner, looking to challenge Republican incumbent Cherie Berry. In his announcement, he echoed the Democratic Party mantra promoting education as the top priority.
He is backed by a number of state lawmakers and prominent Democrats. Read his full announcement below.
Marlowe Foster of Raleigh says he is running for Labor Commissioner to ensure fairness and transparency in workplace safety inspections and to help create jobs.
Foster, director of U.S. public affairs for Pfizer and a registered lobbyist, announced his candidacy today. Republican Cherie Berry holds the office.
The Department of Labor can be "a strong partner with the community college system getting people trained and retrained for jobs," said Foster, 39.
He was one of nine candidates who sought appointment to former state Sen. Vernon Malone's seat, which Sen. Dan Blue won.
Under the Dome has a new feature that's not so new.
Since we started the blog, we've had a feature called Frequently Asked Questions in which we provide concise, encylopedic answers to topical questions.
Some examples: What does the state labor commissioner do? How does a primary runoff work? What is the Queen City Curse? Who is on the Council of State? What is a catfish amendment? Who has been expelled from the legislature?
Though we now have answers to more than 40 questions, we haven't promoted this feature much.
That changed today, when we added a new widget to the right-hand column. It will list the most recently modified FAQ and give a brief description of the answer.
To read the fuller answer, click "Read more," or click "View all FAQs" to browse a complete list.
Let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this new/old feature or any suggestions for other improvements to Under the Dome.
The commissioner heads the N.C. Department of Labor.
The state department is charged by statute with promoting the "health, safety, and general well-being" of more than 4 million workers across the state.
Among other things, the department is responsible for overseeing workplace safety, inspecting elevators, mines and boilers, and administering the state's wage and hour law.
The labor commissioner oversees the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, which enforces the federal worker safety laws in North Carolina; the Division of Research and Policy, which compiles labor statistics; the Division of Standards and Inspections and several administrative divisions.
The Standards and Inspections division is made up of several smaller agencies: the Apprenticeship and Training Bureau, which regulates training programs; the Bureau of Boiler Safety, which inspects boilers and pressure vessels; the Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau, which inspects elevators and amusement rides; the Mine and Quarry Bureau, which provides training; the Wage and Hour Bureau, which enforces state laws on wages and drug testing; the Employment Discrimination Bureau, which looks into complaints about retaliation, safety and pay issues.
As a statewide elected official, the labor commissioner also sits on the Council of State.
