Pat Gerrick, the former chief investment officer for State Treasurer Janet Cowell, said she reversed plans to resign — and was, instead, fired — after Gerrick said Cowell refused to pay Gerrick's vacation and comp time.

Gerrick this week released a nine-page response to information provided by Cowell's office last week. Among other points, Gerrick said Cowell's staff insisted that Gerrick sign a letter releasing the treasurer's office from "any claims."

Gerrick also acknowledged that some investment managers who did business with the state contributed to Family House, a hospitality and support center for critically ill patients in Chapel Hill where Gerrick previously served on the board.

Click the link for Garrett's complete response.

Janet Cowell has named her senior staff.

The new state treasurer announced her top aides, including some faces familiar from the campaign trail and state politics.

* Special Assistant: Nick Byrne, deputy finance director for Cowell's campaign and former aide to state Sen. David Hoyle.

* Spokeswoman/Policy Advisor: Kerra Bolton, former newspaper reporter and spokeswoman for the N.C. Democratic Party.

* Chief of Staff: Ron Ottavio, retired Washovia employee and former acting president of the N.C. Free Enterprise Foundation.

* Legislative Liaison: Anthony Solari, former policy analyst for the state's Smart Start program.

* General Counsel/Senior Policy Advisor: Jay Chaudhuri, former special counsel to Attorney General Roy Cooper. 

Ron Ottavio says he has never worked for the Governor's Office, a profile of him on the Internet notwithstanding.

How the apparent mix-up happened is not clear.

Ottavio, a former Wachovia lobbyist, is the interim executive director of N.C. FREE. Earlier this week, a profile of him on the networking Web site LinkedIn said he had been working for the Office of the Governor for about a year. (See the document link below.)

Dome called Gov. Mike Easley's office to ask about it. Two spokeswomen said they hadn't heard of Ottavio and could find no record of him working there, either on staff or on contract.

Ottavio wrote in an e-mail to Dome Thursday that he had gotten a call from Easley's chief counsel Reuben Young.

"I am not sure how that got on LinkedIn," Ottavio wrote. "I have never worked for the Governor's Office — past or present. That has been corrected and did not realize I was even on LinkedIn."

Ottavio did not respond to further questions about the confusion.

John Davis is no longer listed as the executive director of N.C. FREE.

After leading the business-backed research group for 23 years, Davis is working on contract as a political consultant for the group, its Web site says. The change in leadership follows several months of turbulence at N.C. FREE, including the departure of some of its biggest dues-paying members.

N.C. FREE lists Ron Ottavio as its interim executive director. Ottavio worked for Wachovia for 33 years before retiring. He spent his last six years managing the company's lobbying efforts in 16 states, and he was a registered lobbyist in Raleigh.

Ottavio also serves on the board of N.C. FREE's sister group in Virginia. Neither Davis nor Ottavio returned messages Monday from Dome.

N.C. FREE has long been known for its analysis and handicapping of N.C. elections, particularly elections for the General Assembly. Some members of the business community use the information to help decide where to contribute money.