Gov. Mike Easley had some notable lunch dates in 2004.

According to the governor's daily schedules from that year, Easley dined with such notables as then Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake, Red Hat CEO Matthew Szulik and former Sen. Lauch Faircloth.

With one exception, the lunches were held on Wednesdays at the Governor's Mansion. (Easley held a lunch with his top staffers on a Tuesday before the holidays.)

The schedules are for planning purposes only, so some of the lunches may have been canceled. They were obtained by Dome after a public records request.

Still, they show an interesting cross-section of North Carolina's power players in business, government and political advocacy.

After the jump, a complete list of the 2004 lunches.

Hat Tip: Andy Curliss

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David Young, a Buncombe County commissioner, is looking at running for state treasurer next year.

"I'm absolutely looking at the race," Young said. "It fits my background and personality."

Young, 47, has served 16 years as a county commissioner and is the incoming president of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners. He runs a travel agency and served on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.

Young is one of a growing number of Democrats looking at running for the seat of state Treasurer Richard Moore, who will run for governor next year.

Carranza Pryor, a lawyer for TIAA-CREF in Charlotte, is thinking about running for state treasurer next year, So is Raleigh attorney Michael Weisel, state Sen. Janet Cowell and Chris Mintz, president of Mintz Investment Companies.