Duke Energy

Perdue to hold economic roundtable

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:15:16 -0500

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue will hold an economic roundtable in Charlotte Tuesday.

The event will be chaired by Charlotte Bobcats owner Bob Johnson, Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, Bank of America executive Cathy Bessant and UNC-Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Phil Dubois. It will be moderated by UNC-Chapel Hill professor Ferrell Guillory.

It is the first in a series of roundtables Perdue has planned.

After an overview of current local, state and national economic conditions, the group will have a roundtable discussion with Perdue.

The roundtable will take place at 10 a.m. at UNC-Charlotte's Harris Alumni Center.

McCrory not ready to talk future plans

bniolet — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:38:13 -0500

A week after losing his bid for governor, seven-term Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory said he's not ready to talk about his future plans.

"I'm going to go through some real soul-searching on what my next career steps are with regard to both public sector and private sector work," he said in his office Monday, during one of a series of meetings he held with reporters. "I was hoping not to do that."

McCrory said he would not rule out running for office — including another bid for the mayor's seat — but said he would focus on city work, reports Julia Oliver of The Charlotte Observer. He also said he had "repair work" to do at home after 10 months on the campaign trail.

McCrory quit his job at Duke Energy to focus on the governor campaign, and his wife, he said, wants him to, "like everyone else, pay the mortgage." He said he wouldn't "close the door" on running for public office. But he said he wouldn't announce his decision on the mayor's race until the holiday
season.

"I think there's still a calling for me to get involved in public office," he said.

McCrory's major focus now is on Charlotte's concerns, he said. On the top of his list is retaining Charlotte's jobs, he said, noting that he had been working with Wachovia and Wells Fargo in recent days as they work out a merger likely to involve job cuts.

He also said he would initiate a re-examination of the city budget as it has been affected by a declining economy.

"I think we need to reexamine the whole budget," he said. "We already have a hiring freeze. I think we're going to have to make more difficult decisions."

McCrory said he was also looking forward to spending more time with his family. He said he has planned a vacation with his wife to celebrate their 20th anniversary and her birthday.

"I've got a lot of repair work to do, because I haven't been home for 10 months," he said.

Leslie: How much do mechanics make?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:19:48 -0400

Laura Leslie wonders about one of Pat McCrory's lines.

As noted previously, the Republican gubernatorial candidate has said at a number of debates that plumbers, information technology workers and floor installation workers make more than he does.

In a post on Hunter's Tavern, the WUNC reporter questions the numbers behind that:

Again, he argued that many mechanics and wood floor installers make more money than he does. That may be the case in some instances, but overall, I’ve been wondering whether it's true.
If Salary.com is any indication, maybe not. The site says 85% of mechanics who work in McCrory's own zip code (28209) make less than $31,000 a year. The average salary for a flooring installer in the Charlotte metro area? About $40K. Even the best-paid plumbers in 28209 only average $51K.
We don’t know what McCrory made at Duke Energy before he quit earlier this year — he hasn’t made that info public. But even without that, his part-time mayor's salary plus expenses is $39K. His house is valued at $487,000. I don’t know many mechanics, but the ones I do don't own houses worth nearly half a million dollars.

Leslie says it "may not be realistic" to argue that a mechanic, floor installer or plumber is going to out-earn a former Duke Energy executive and mayor.

McCrory's day job

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:36:30 -0400

How much does Pat McCrory make a year?

The Republican gubernatorial candidate has twice referenced his own salary at recent debates when arguing that the state's education system should focus more on technical training.

At a debate on WRAL recently, McCrory said that plumbers working on his house make more than he does. And at an education debate at the SAS Institute today, he said information technology workers made more.

After today's debate, Dome asked McCrory how much he makes.

"Right now, I'm making $39,000 a year — that's my mayor's salary," he said.

McCrory resigned his job as a recruiter for Duke Energy in Charlotte before filing to run for governor in the Republican primary. He said he and his wife are living off of savings.

He would not reveal his most recent salary at Duke.

"I'm not going to get into my salary, but let me put it this way: I'm middle class. I'm not a wealthy individual," he said, drawing a contrast with Democrat Beverly Perdue.

"You don't see myself lending my campaign any money," he said. "My opponent can lend herself a million dollars. I cannot."

Seeking the farm vote

bkrueger — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:10:41 -0400

Beverly Perdue claims membership in North Carolina’s farming community. Pat McCrory doesn’t.

On Monday, both major candidates for governor spoke to the 38th annual banquet of the N.C. Agribusiness Council and promised support for the agriculture industry, reports David Ingram.

“I’m not going to pretend I’m one of you, because I’m not and neither is my opponent,” said McCrory, a Republican and mayor of Charlotte. But, he added, he will listen to the industry if he’s governor and work with it because its workers “feed me at least three times a day.”

Perdue, a Democrat and lieutenant governor, said she represented farmers in the New Bern area while in the legislature and sat on agriculture committees.

“I actually consider myself part of the agriculture community in North Carolina,” she said. “I’m not a Johnny-come-lately to rural North Carolina, or to agriculture and agribusiness.”

Perdue dropped two names of particular importance to rural parts of the state: the late Jim Graham, a former agriculture commissioner, and Billy Ray Hall of the N.C. Rural Center.

Neither candidate has worked in agriculture. McCrory spent 29 years with Charlotte-based Duke Energy – which sponsored three tables at Monday’s banquet – while Perdue worked in education and health care administration.

Libertarian candidate Mike Munger did not attend the banquet. He is a political scientist, though he does have ties to agribusiness through his sale of timber from land in Chatham County.

Drug executive to host McCrory fundraiser

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:46:55 -0400

A GlaxoSmithKline executive is hosting a fundraiser for GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory on the Research Triangle campus of the pharmaceutical giant.

Stephen Stefano, the senior vice president for managed markets and neurohealth, sent out a letter urging people to attend the event at the corporate facility on Aug. 13, Rob Christensen reports.

The letter was sent to at least some vendors who do work with GlaxoSmithKline.

"As mayor, Pat has been a national leader on economic, transportation and public safety issues," Stefano writes. "As a former Duke Energy executive, he understands the importance of the business climate to a vibrant North Carolina."

Update: McCrory spokeswoman Amy Auth said that the letter is incorrect, and the fundraiser will be held at another location -- not on the GSK campus.

"It was sent prematurely and contained an error," she said.

She said that the letter was sent to a broad range of Triangle residents, not just vendors.

Who's given to Dole's PAC?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:12:21 -0400

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's political action committee has received $848,615 in the last three years.

The Leadership Circle PAC is separate from Dole's campaign committee, so it can receive bigger contributions from donors. As a recent report and database from NPR's Marketplace shows, leadership PACs like it are booming.

Many of Dole's contributors are familiar faces.

Between December of 2004 and December of 2007, her leadership PAC received $20,000 from lieutenant governor candidate Robert Pittenger and his wife, Suzanne; $16,750 from former gubernatorial candidate Bill Graham and his wife, Shari; and $10,000 from SAS co-founder Jim Goodnight.

Other donations came from Raleigh lawyer Kieran Shanahan, CaptiveAire owner Bob Luddy, her husband Bob, Luther Hodges Jr., billionaire resort builder Kirk Kerkorian, Raleigh developer John Kane, and former Dole running mate Jack Kemp.

The Leadership Circle PAC also received money from other PACs, including the Progress Energy PAC, Wachovia Employees Good Government Fund, the N.C. Farm Bureau, and PACs for R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard Tobacco Co., Duke Energy and Federal Express.

Dalton raised $1.5m by end of June

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:05:39 -0400

Walter Dalton received $1.5 million in contributions by the end of June.

The Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor received $255,305 in contributions during the second quarter of the year, according to his most recent campaign finance report.

Major donors included Crandall Bowles, Greensboro executive Joseph Bryan Jr., Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, Franklin Street Partners executive Robert Eubanks, Capstrat CEO Ken Eudy and developer Mack Pearsall.

He also received contributions from political action committees such as the Bank of America PAC, the Baxter Healthcare PAC, the N.C. Home Builders Association, DominionPAC, the N.C. Restaurant Association, the N.C. Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Wal-Mart's PAC and the N.C. Trucking Association.

He also spent $637,602 in the second quarter, leaving him with $177,357 in cash on hand.

McCrory raised $78k from Duke employees

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:40:06 -0400

Pat McCrory is doing well by his former employer.

The Republican gubernatorial nominee has raised $74,015 from executives and employees of Duke Energy so far this campaign season — roughly 3 percent of his total contributions.

Top donors include President Ellen Ruff and executives David Hauser, Keith Trent and James Turner, who have given $8,000; Cincinnati-based executive Marc Manly and Charlotte executive Christopher Rolfe, who gave $6,000; and vice presidents J. Kinney and Joseph Harwood, who gave $4,000.

Ruff was also one of the headliners at McCrory's first major fundraiser in February.

In all, McCrory has received donations from 30 different Duke employees, including residents of Raleigh, Charlotte, Concord and Davidson, as well as some from Alexandria, Va.; Lake Wylie, S.C.; and Washington, D.C.

Not all are executives. Peter Loper of Charlotte, who gave $1,000, lists his occupation as physician, while William Patterson of Charlotte, who gave $565, is listed as an employee. Duke's lobbyist, Brian Vanderbloemen, and chief communications officer, Cathy Roche, are also among the donors.

In addition, McCrory received $4,000 from the Duke Energy PAC.

He resigned from the electric utility, where he had worked since 1978, after announcing his campaign for governor in mid-January.

NCMF 2007 taxes

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:50:59 -0400

NCMF 2007 taxes

Federal tax forms filed by the N.C. Military Foundation in 2007.
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