In the last couple weeks, Gov. Bev Perdue has been hitting the ribbon cuttings and rubber chicken circuit of banquets and dinners.

Just last week there was an N.C. Bankers Association luncheon, a visit to the N.C. Rural Partners Forum, a speech at a women's conference and a groundbreaking ceremony at the Duke University cancer center. On Monday, there was a big road-building announcement in Charlotte. Today, she is scheduled to promote her JobsNow initiative at Nash Community College.

All the public events follow a shakeup with her communications director. Could this be the start of a campaign to reverse Perdue's flagging popularity? 

* WUNC reporter Laura Leslie defends N&O ombudsman taking job at state agency, arguing that he's an "excellent communicator" in a tough industry.

* Schools Superintendent June Atkinson tells Fayetteville Observer she has no plans to sue the state over her job description.

* Conservative activist Francis De Luca argues that Rev. William Barber of the state chapter of the NAACP should have to register as a lobbyist.

* The president of the state Bankers Association is pushing to rename Raleigh-Durham International Airport after the Wright Brothers.

Harry Davis thinks too much of the stimulus spending is next year.

The Appalachian State University finance professor, who is the economist for the N.C. Bankers Association, said only 30 percent of the $789 billion stimulus package signed by President Obama will be spent this year.

He said that creates several problems:

NOT STIMULATING. Money spent next year will likely be after the economy has start to recover, so it won't be stimulus, by definition.

TOO MUCH DEBT. The additional spending and ongoing federal budget deficits are pushing debt too high, leading to a risk of inflation that could hurt the recovery.

NOT ONGOING. He said the infrastructure spending is necessary, but it ought to be included in the annual budget because it is an ongoing need.

"We need to spend money on infrastructure five years from now, so we need to get this spending in the regular budget, as opposed to this one-time shot in the arm," he said.

More after the jump.

   Comments (1)

Age equals experience for John Forlines.

Forlines, founder of the Bank of Granite, announced his run for the state House of Representatives representing Caldwell County this week.

If elected, Forlines, 90, will become the oldest serving representative. He is running against Rep. Edgar Starnes, a Republican in his seventh term.

Is age an issue for his candidacy? "My age gives me a pretty big edge because I've had a lot of good experience," he told Dome.

For Forlines, age is only a number. "I don't feel that old," he said. "I feel I'm much younger."

If elected, Forlines says education is his top priority. He chaired the State Board of Community Colleges, served on Duke University's Education Board and the board of directors of Caldwell Community College.

A former chairman of the North Carolina Banker's Association, Forlines also said he wants to improve the economy and "the lives of our people."

Currently, the oldest representative is 82-year-old Dewey Hill, who is in his eighth term representing Brunswick and Columbus counties.