Pat McCrory has hired a new spokesperson.

Monday was the last day for Tom Gardner, McCrory's previous media person, said Jack Hawke, McCrory's chief strategist.

"We're going into the general election and we needed somebody with experience who had dealt with the media before," Hawke said. "Tom was a good man. I don't think he'd ever been a press person before. He did a good job for us during the period of time he was with us."

Hawke said Gardner had another job lined up.

On Thursday, Amy Auth, a former spokeswoman for Sen. Elizabeth Dole and U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, will start as McCrory's new press person. Hawke said the campaign was going to send out a news release about the change, but as of Monday, he didn't have a press person to send a release.

Earler in his campaign, McCrory replaced another high ranking campaign official.

Hat Tip: David Ingram 

Republican candidate for governor Pat McCrory wants Dorothea Dix and John Umstead mental hospitals to stay open until mid-2009.

McCrory will call for the extended operation of those two state mental hospitals at a news conference this afternoon, according to his spokesman, V. Tom Gardner. Most patients are set to move out of the two hospitals this month and into the new Central Regional Hospital in Butner, Lynn Bonner reports.

But questions about the new hospital's safety, staffing shortages and lack of staff preparation have some Dix workers and legislators calling for a delay.

Gardner said McCrory thinks the next governor should have a chance to examine the situation before patients and staff move.