Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory's new radio ad criticizes Democrat Beverly Perdue for her negative ads. before hitting her in his own.

What the ad says:

Henry: Hey ... aren't you Pat McCrory?

Pat: Yeah.

Henry: I'm Henry.

Pat: Hi Henry.

Henry: Pat ... been hearing some negative stuff about you from Bev Perdue...

Pat: Yeah, I heard three of her negative ads about me just today and heck I wouldn't even vote for me after hearing them

Henry: Then why don’t you go after her?

Pat: Bev, She believes she can get elected by tearing me down. I believe in telling you what I'm going to do as a leader ... and not untruthfully attacking my opponent?

Henry: So what about that Yankee garbage?

Pat: It's pure Garbage, Henry. It's so ridiculous. No one including me wants to dump garbage in our beautiful state.

Henry: What about our roads?

Pat: Well, our roads are a mess. Bev Perdue has proposed taking road money for things like a teapot museum. This is the culture of corruption that I want to change. I'll fix our roads and build a good system interconnecting the whole state.

Henry: I heard Speaker Joe Maveretic say you couldn't believe a word Bev Perdue says ... guess he's right...

Pat: Yeah and he was a respected Democrat leader. I'd appreciate your vote for positive change.

Henry: You got it, Pat.

Pat: I'm Pat McCrory, candidate for governor and I approved and paid for this ad.

The background: McCrory proudly proclaims that he hasn't run negative ads and essentially repeats that in this ad ... moments before he attacks Perdue.

McCrory and the N.C. League of Municipalities opposed legislation restricting landfills that could import trash from other states, but their opposition was based on a tax it imposed on cities and towns not because anyone wanted to ship in garbage.

As lieutenant governor, Perdue does not help write the state budget, including in 2005, when the budget included a $400,000 appropriation for a then-proposed teapot museum in Sparta. That money was arranged by then-House Speaker Jim Black, who also received campaign contributions from museum supporters.

Former House Speaker Joe Mavretic, a Democrat, has repeatedly questioned Perdue's trustworthiness. Perdue pledged to join a bipartisan coup in 1989 to oust then-House Speaker Liston Ramsey with Mavretic. The morning of the coup, Perdue backed out. Mavretic still won the vote.

Is the ad accurate: Yes and no. There is no evidence Perdue played any role in the teapot museum money. She doesn't even vote on the budget unless there's a tie, which there wasn't. The claims about Mavretic's views and McCrory's defense of his thoughts on roads and landfills is accurate, however.

— Mark Johnson

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's latest radio ad attacks Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory on immigration, traveling trash and, as part of her continuing effort to appeal to voters in eastern and rural North Carolina, road funding.

What the ad says:

Bill: Hey Henry.

Henry: Hey Bill.

Bill: What are you doing?

Henry: Reading my mail. Got another brochure from that mayor of Charlotte, Pat McCrory.

Bill: I got that too. I’m surprised he even thinks us folks out in the country can read...

Henry: ... or have indoor plumbing

Bill: McCrory sure has been insulting to us.

Henry: I know. I read in the paper that he said Charlotte's getting ripped off, and he’d take money away from rural highways...

Bill: ...Oh, you’re kidding.

Henry: Why Bill, he even questioned whether we should pave roads in small towns and rural areas.

Bill: And you know, McCrory's the guy who wants to let New Jersey and New York ship their garbage down here to North Carolina.

Henry: Pee yew. Of course now he's trying to change the subject and look tough on immigration.

Bill: Yeah, but I saw where McCrory admitted he paid illegal immigrants to work on city projects in Charlotte.

Henry: I guess McCrory's found two country boys who can’t get fooled.

Bill: Henry, McCrory's going to find out on election day who the fool is.

Perdue: This is Bev Perdue, candidate for Governor and I sponsored this ad. Paid for by Bev Perdue Committee.

The background: McCrory has repeatedly criticized the funding formula that determines how state road dollars will be spent. He has complained that the formula does not adequately account for population in deciding which areas should get more money. McCrory has said that metropolitan areas should get more money, which would mean rural areas would get less.

The claim that McCrory questioned whether rural roads should be paved is a stretch. In 2000, at a meeting of North Carolina mayors, McCrory said that the state's policy of building paved roads to every community encourages sprawl, according to an Associated Press account.

McCrory's statement about Charlotte getting "ripped off" also refers to criticism of state funding formulas.

The garbage talk refers to the Solid Waste Management Act of 2007. Favored by environmentalists, the bill was designed to restrict new landfills in the state. It was spurred by concerns that private regional landfills would turn N.C. into one of the country's top five importers of trash. One landfill, proposed for rural northeastern North Carolina, would have buried up to 3 million tons of garbage a year and create a trash mountain 270-feet high.

McCrory cited the measure as an example of the kind of bill he would veto as governor. But he calls the ad a distortion.

That's because the bill also included new taxes on municipalities. An early version would have charged minicipalities $2.50 per ton to dump trash and debris. The N.C. League of Municipalities also opposed the bill, at least at first. It dropped its opposition after winning concessions such as getting a larger share of the proceeds to local governments and lowering the so-called tip tax to $2.

McCrory said in interviews in 2005 that he believed, but did not know, that there were illegal immigrants working for sub-contractors on city-funded construction projects, as there likely were at employers throughout the city. He said the city did not have the staff or resources to try and enforce laws that the federal government is supposed to enforce.

Is the ad accurate: No. McCrory questioned a policy of paving roads to all developments, and both Democrats and Republicans have questioned the state's road funding formula. He opposed the trash bill over the tax. It's misleading to say he wanted to import trash. On illegal immigrants, he made clear he had no firsthand knowledge that they were working on the construction sites, so at best he was admitting to speculating. He also raised the issue in the context of the need for federal enforcement.

— Mark Johnson

Beverly Perdue's latest radio ad criticizes Pat McCrory on rural issues.

The minute-long ad features two "country boys" named Bill and Henry talking about illegal immigration, transportation funding and a landfills bill.

"I'm surprised he even thinks us folks out in the country can read," says Bill.

"Or have indoor plumbing," adds Henry.

Echoing recent arguments from the Perdue campaign, the ad asserts that McCrory wants to take money away from rural highways and stop paving roads in small towns and allow New York and New Jersey to dump trash in North Carolina.

It also says that he used illegal immigrants on city projects.

As previously noted, McCrory opposed a bill that would have restricted new landfills because of a related tax increase and questioned the state's road funding formula.

After the jump, the script.

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue predicted victory today during a visit to the backyard of her opponent, Republican Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

"You can feel the momentum, you can feel the excitement," Perdue told about 80 people at an Uptown Democratic Forum luncheon.

Acknowledging state Sens. Dan Clodfelter and Charlie Dannelly in the audience, the lieutenant governor said, "Get ready, get ready, there's a new sheriff coming to Dodge."

Perdue, who appeared relaxed in front of a supportive audience, also acknowledged that the troubled economy may limit the next governor's choices.

"I wish this campaign had been about education and health care ... but it isn't," she said. "This election is about one thing — the economy. It's the economy stupid."

Asked later by a reporter how she reconciled that with ads accusing McCrory of opposing stem cell research and favoring out-of-state trash in North Carolina, Perdue said those are legitimate issues.

More after the jump.

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Democrat Beverly Perdue's campaign is running a new TV ad in her race against Republican Pat McCrory, accusing him of opposing a bill that would have allowed large landfills in North Carolina.

What the ad says: The ad shows pictures of garbage-filled barges in New York Harbor and newspaper stories about a 2007 bill. Announcer: "It's trash day in New York City. What will they do with all that garbage? If Pat McCrory becomes our governor, that won't be a problem. Because McCrory wants to let New York and New Jersey dump their garbage in North Carolina. Newspapers say we would become the garbage capital of the East Coast. It's no surprise McCrory's gotten thousands of dollars from landfill owners. Pat McCrory, don't let him dump on us."

The background: The ad refers to the Solid Waste Management Act of 2007. Favored by environmentalists, the bill was designed to restrict new landfills in the state.

It was spurred by concerns that private regional landfills would turn N.C. into one of the country's top five importers of trash. One landfill, proposed for rural northeastern North Carolina, would have buried up to 3 million tons of garbage a year and create a trash mountain 270-feet high.

McCrory cited the measure as an example of the kind of bill he would veto as governor. But he calls the ad a distortion.

That's because the bill also included new taxes on municipalities. An early version would have charged minicipalities $2.50 per ton to dump trash and debris.

The N.C. League of Municipalities also opposed the bill, at least at first.

It dropped its opposition after winning concessions such as getting a larger share of the proceeds to local governments and lowering the so-called tip tax to $2.

McCrory did receive a contribution this year from Lonnie Poole of Raleigh, chairman of Waste Industries.

Is it accurate? Technically. He did oppose the bill and it does restrict large corporate landfills in the state.

But did McCrory want to create a series of trash mountains? Doubtful. The Charlotte mayor, like the League of Municipalities, wanted to save cities from the taxes the bill carried.

— Jim Morrill

Four groups seeking to build large landfills in the state have asked for $25 million in compensation.

When barring landfills in certain areas last year, state lawmakers allowed companies with pending applications to apply for money to recoup their costs.

The costs cover expenses such as legal fees, site studies and engineering work already done. 

Waste Industries of Raleigh is seeking $13.6 million. Waste Management of the Carolinas and Riegel Ridge Partners has asked for $8.6 million. And Alligator River Recycling wants $2.4 million. 

State regulators will review the requests. (N&O)

Lawmakers passed a bill creating tougher requirements for landfills.

The House cast the final vote on the legislation today, passing it by a 65 to 47 vote. The Senate had passed the bill earlier today by a 28 to 15 vote, Dan Kane reports.

The bill would add a statewide disposal tax, increase setback requirements to protect streams, require increased financial assurances by companies wanting to build facilities, and require computer manufacturers to recycle the computers sold in the state.

Critical to the bill's passage was approval of a companion bill that allows waste companies to recoup some of their costs in attempting to win permits for landfills over the past few years.

Indications are that Gov. Mike Easley will sign the bill. 

The state Senate passed tougher landfill regulations today, along with companion legislation the House insisted upon that gives waste companies that had sought permits in recent years an opportunity to recoup some of their costs.

Both bills were passed with little discussion. The landfill bill passed 28 to 15, while the House-backed legislation passed 39 to 4, Dan Kane reports.

The House still needs to cast a final vote on the landfill legislation, and its fate is not certain. Some House members said they would support the bill on first vote late Wednesday night in order to avoid having to extend the legislative session into Friday.

The bill would add a statewide disposal tax, increase setback requirements to protect streams, require increased financial assurances by companies wanting to build facilities, and require computer manufacturers to recycle the computers sold in the state.

Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our legislature.

A quick look at what passed Wednesday:

APOLOGIES: The Senate expressed "profound regret" for the violence of the 1898 Wilmington race riots, acknowledging the findings of a commission it established to investigate. The bill now goes to the House.

NO SPEED: The House defeated a bill aimed to tightening loopholes that allow chronic speeders to escape punishment, legislation that was inspired by a recent N&O series. They may reconsider the bill today. 

LANDFILL RULES: Despite intense lobbying, both chambers approved tougher new regulation of landfills, adding a statewide disposal tax, increasing setbacks on streams and requiring better financial proof from landfill operators. 

The legislature acted on a number of issues:

GIFT CARDS: On Monday, the Senate passed a bill that requires gift card vendors to disclose the maintenance fees. Consumer advocates say the silent fees are a major complaint.

POWER PLANTS: The House overwhelmingly approved a bill to require a significant amount of energy come from renewable sources such as solar and wind, but it also made it easier to finance coal and nuclear plants. Environmentalists were conflicted.

END OF LIFE: The House passed a bill that would allow North Carolinians to write more detailed "do not resuscitate" forms and clarify existing laws. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh charged the bill would tilt towards euthanasia.

LANDFILLS: The House removed strict new environmental requirements for landfills passed in a Senate bill. A senator who worked on the legislation said that he would work to restore the new requirements in order to keep private landfills from importing garbage.