Former Gov. Mike Easley testified that he didn't know much of anything about how his campaign worked.

He didn't count the money and only called potential donors when he was forced to by his fundraisers. His campaign must now forfeit $100,000 — $60,000 to pay for flights and $40,000 as a penalty.

As of June 30, Easley's campaign had $121,984 in its account, according to campaign finance records.

Board chairman Larry Leake said its very easy for campaigns to spend all their money, which would make it difficult to collect assessments from the Board of Elections.

That's why, Leake said, the board is recommending to the General Assembly that state law be changed to make a candidate personally liable for such penalties.

"Candidates do not accept sufficient responsibility and ownership of their campaigns," Leake said.

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The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law will consider redistricting.

The think tank will examine the constitutional and practical implications of Congressional redistricting at a May 7 program.

Former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr and N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform director Jane Pinsky will use the program to advocate for a nonpartisan independent redistricting commission.

A panel will include legislative drafting director Gerry Cohen, Southern Coalition for Social Justice director Anita Earls, UNC-Chapel Hill law professor Robert Joyce, Common Cause director Bob Phillips, and attorneys Thomas Farr and Carl Thurman III.

Recent decisions by the North Carolina and U.S. supreme courts have thrown some kinks in redistricting plans.

"A truly independent redistricting commission may be just the answer to provide constitutional districts for the future," said Orr in a statement.

The program will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Raleigh Country Club. 

Beverly Perdue highlighted her proposals for open government today.

At a forum on ethics by the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate talked about issues that she made part of her platform several months ago:

* A Google-type search engine for scrutinizing all state contracts.

* Positive-only campaigns for governor partly funded by non-profit groups.

* An independent budget reform panel whose recommendations can't be amended.

* Streaming video of government meetings on the Internet.

* Tighten controls to stop officials leaving state service from immediately going to work for a business they were working with in their state job.

* Prohibit legislators from asking lobbyists to contribute to charities.

Beverly Perdue and Pat McCrory have agreed to take questions about ethics, lobbying and campaign fundraising at a forum next month sponsored by the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying Government Reform.

The forum begins 11 a.m. Sept. 16 at the Marbles Museum in downtown Raleigh. Each of the gubernatorial candidate will appear individually, give a statement and then take questions, reports Dan Kane.

Jane Pinsky, the coalition's director, said some of the issues the two candidates are likely to tackle include curbing lobbyists' roles in raising campaign money, full disclosure of major campaign fundraising, increasing the openness of government meetings and the availability of legislative documents, and preventing lawmakers from soliciting lobbyists to contribute to not-for-profits.

The closed-door budget negotiations have irked the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform enough to send a letter to legislative leaders and budget writers.

The letter gives lawmakers credit for increasing openness in recent years, but "the current session highlights the need for greater openness and transparency and for making additional improvements in the budget process," wrote Jane Pinsky, the coalition's director.

She listed several measures that would open up the legislature, such as giving lawmakers three days to review a budget — typically the densest, most far reaching bill they have to consider each year — to at least 24 hours advance notice of any committee or subcommittee meetings, Dan Kane reports.

"If the North Carolina General Assembly wants to continue to enjoy the confidence and support of our citizens, then it must open up this critical process and create a budget that truly belongs to the people of North Carolina," Pinsky wrote.

Last week, a News & Observer reporter was barred from attending a joint meeting of House and Senate budget negotiators. No explanation was given as to how the meeting was exempt from the state's public meetings law. Pinsky said that incident and other reports of closed negotiations prompted the letter.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform is surveying roughly 370 candidates for statewide and legislative office to see where they stand on several campaign finance issues, including identifying those who drive tens of thousands of dollars into election campaigns.

The nonprofit coalition plans to post the results on its Web site. So far, all but one gubernatorial candidate has responded, and about half of the legislative candidates, Dan Kane reports.

The coalition has taken a position on all five questions asked of candidates. It opposes lobbyists' soliciting campaign money for candidates and do not want lobbyists serving on their clients' political action committees.

It also says people who raise big bucks for candidates should be identified, political parties should be limited in how much they can spend on their candidates' campaigns, and elected state officials should not be soliciting money for nonprofits.

"There's just too much of a chance of a quid pro quo in all of those (situations)," said Jane Pinsky, the coalition's new director.

She estimates it will take about a week to gather up the responses and see how many candidates agree.

Jane Pinsky thinks the Select Committee etc. etc. did well.

In a post on The Progressive Pulse, the director of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform praised the committee that recently decided to recommend expelling Rep. Thomas Wright last week.

She writes that the committee chose to open its meetings to the public and discussed evidence in a "slow, careful, purposeful way."

Regardless of whether you like the Committee's decision to recommend that Rep. Wright be expelled or not, we all need to commend the committee members and staff for taking on this tough and unpleasant task and completing it in an exemplary manner. They have gone a long way towards restoring our faith in the democratic process and deserve our thanks. 

Pinsky adds that this has not always been the case in other expulsion decisions.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Governmental Ethics Reform has a new executive director, Jane Pinsky, who has a long history as a lobbyist.

Since coming to North Carolina in 1989, Pinsky has lobbied for a number of public and private organizations, ranging from AAA of the Carolinas to the N.C. Foundation for Nursing, reports Dan Kane.

Pinsky has also lobbied the federal government on behalf of the American Nurses Association and the National Women's Employment Project, and served as deputy director for NARAL, formerly known as the National Abortion Rights Action League.

The coalition was formed more than two years ago to push for more stringent lobbying, ethics and campaign finance laws.

Lawmakers have acted on many of the coalition's goals, partly in response to the scandals involving former House Speaker Jim Black, who is now serving a five-year prison sentence for public corruption.

The next ethics fight will likely be over nonprofits.

According to an article in the Winston-Salem Journal, the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform intends to ask for a ban on lawmakers soliciting donations from nonprofits.

The ban was included in an early draft of an ethics bill last year, but it was taken out.

Lobbyist Roger Bone, whose client Eli Lilly & Co. gave $6,000 to the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation in recent years, said it used to be "very, very commonplace" for legislators to ask, though requests have died down a little.

"If you're asked by a legislator, there's always pressure" to make a donation, he said.