Golden Leaf Foundation

Golden LEAF raked in audit

bniolet — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:47:16 -0500

LEAF TURNED OVER: The Golden LEAF Foundation failed to effectively oversee hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development grants and violated open meetings laws, according to the State Auditor's Office. (N&O)

OUR PLAN: Congressional Republicans are pitching their ideas for health care reform, which are unlikely to become law, to show Americans what the party has to offer and to demonize and defeat Democratic initiatives. (McClatchy)

SUIT SETTLED: Oak Island Mayor Johnie Vereen agreed Monday to pay more than $300,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles over an embezzlement scheme by one of Vereen's employees at his license plate agency. The agency is expected to sign the agreement this week. Vereen and his attorney, state Sen. R.C. Soles Jr., have already signed it. (Wilmington Star-News)

Spellchecker unchecked

markjohnson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:36:58 -0400

Dome makes its own share of blunders and in no way means to demean our distinguished colleagues at the Associated Press ("A deadline every minute.") A recent correction, however, was too humorous to refrain from sharing. It also requires no additional comment.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) In an Oct. 9 story about state and local incentives used to lure a Dell Inc. plant to North Carolina, The Associated Press misspelled the surname of the president of the Golden LEAF fund. The correct name is Dan Gerlach, not Girlish.

GOP: Here's our plan. Yours?

markjohnson — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:32:34 -0400

Republican legislative leaders outlined $633 million in cuts and savings Tuesday that they say would help balance the state budget without raising taxes, as Democrats plan.

The list includes: getting $100 million in federal money by allowing more charter schools, saving $14 million by eliminating in-state tuition for out-of-state athletic and academic scholarship winners, cutting $25 million for the state aquarium pier at Nags Head, cutting $5 million in incentives for Apple to locate a new facility in the state and taking $70 million of Golden Leaf Foundation money, which goes to help rural communities, and use it to leverage three times that much in federal matching funds.

House Republican Leader Paul Stam, of Apex, said the state's priorities in education, health care and law enforcement can be met by spending at the level imposed earlier this year by Gov. Beverly Perdue's cuts.

"We've been doing it for the last seven months," Stam said.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger, of Eden, called on Democratic leaders to release the spending side of the state budget while Democrats haggle among themselves over the tax package that goes with it.

"We might find even more savings," Berger said, if lawmakers have a chance to examine spending plans.

UPDATE: Edited to clarify that scholarships are both academic and athletic.

Document(s):
republican_plan.pdf

Perdue names BRAC members

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:14:37 -0400

Gov. Beverly Perdue named the rest of a budget-cutting panel.

The five appointees include Dan Gerlach, a former budget adviser to former Gov. Mike Easley who now runs the Golden LEAF Foundation, and Norma Houston, a former chief of staff to Senate leader Marc Basnight, the Associated Press reports.

Other new members include former Glaxo chief executive Charlie Sanders, the first chairman of the state lottery commission; IBM executive Curtis Clark; and N.C. Central department chairman Ron Penny.

Earlier this month, Perdue named former Cabinet member Norris Tolson and Hilda Pinnix-Ragland to head the committee.

The so-called Budget Reform and Accountability Commission will propose ways to cut state spending for the legislature to accept or reject.

Stam: No reason to raise sin taxes

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:02:03 -0400

Rep. Paul Stam thinks tobacco and alcohol tax hikes aren't necessary.

The Apex Republican, who is House minority leader, noted that Gov. Beverly Perdue expects to raise about $508 million with increases in both taxes next year.

Stam and other Republican leaders recently proposed $590 million in spending cuts, such as increasing class size by two students, buying software to reduce improper Medicaid payments and cutting annual funding to the Golden LEAF Foundation.

"She's not raising the taxes to provide essential services," he said. "She's apparently doing it because she thinks people who smoke and drink ought to pay more. Maybe they should — but not in the middle of a deep recession."

Stam also argued that taxes on alcohol and tobacco are regressive, since those purchases make up a larger proportion of a poor family's income.

"How many packs a day can a rich person smoke?" he said.

Republicans pitch $590m in cuts

bniolet — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:40:06 -0400

Legislative Republican leaders outlined cuts in spending Tuesday that could send more than $590 million back to the state's coffers.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger of Eden and House Republican Leader Paul Stam of Apex said the biggest savings — $300 million a year — would come from increasing class sizes in public schools by two students. That would bring the average class size to 23, they said.

Stam and Berger said there is no guarantee that smaller classes make for better schools. They repeated skepticism about Gov. Beverly Perdue's proposal to increase spending on education when the state is facing a deficit of more than $3 billion.

"It's an intuitively happy thought that your child is in a smaller class," Stam said. "It's hugely expensive."

Other proposals the leaders highlighted would purchase software to avoid improper Medicaid payments ($100 million in savings), suspend $100 million funding of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund (which Perdue has already proposed) and end the state's $80 million appropriation to the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Stam said that consolidating Gov. Jim Hunt's Smart Start and Gov. Mike Easley's More at Four early education programs could save something on the order of $10 million.

Stam said that Perdue would be welcome to put her name on the new, combined program.

"She can call it the 'Perdue Phenomenal Program,' and we can save some money," Stam said.

That name, of course, doesn't rhyme (although it is alliterative).

Truax heads to Z. Smith Reynolds

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:21:44 -0500

Hawley Truax is heading to the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

The senior policy adviser to Gov. Mike Easley will now be working for the Winston-Salem-based nonprofit, which focuses on social justice, environmental and community projects.

Former Democratic labor commissioner candidate Mary Fant Donnan also works at the foundation.

Truax was one of two Easley advisers who got in trouble in 2007 for helping a longtime Easley ally arrange a private consulting business.

With Easley's second term drawing to a close, many of his top advisers are leaving for other jobs.

Former budget adviser Dan Gerlach now heads the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Gerlach lands at Golden LEAF

janestancill — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:46:34 -0400

ROCKY MOUNT - Dan Gerlach, a top economic adviser to Gov. Mike Easley, today was named president of the Golden LEAF Foundation.

At a meeting in Rocky Mount, the foundation’s board approved hiring Gerlach, with a goal of having him take over Oct. 1, Jonathan Cox reports.

"He's the kind of person that's very energetic and very well-attuned to getting things done," said Tommy Bunn, Golden LEAF's chairman.

Foundation officials said they were attracted to Gerlach because he has experience in rural areas, understands the legislature and economic development.

Gerlach interviewed for the job today in a closed session. He was one of five final candidates, after Golden LEAF received about 300 applicants.

The Rocky Mount-based foundation, created in 1999, administers installments from the national legal settlement that states reached with the major tobacco companies. The money, ultimately totaling more than $2 billion, is designated to help tobacco-dependent and economically distressed communities.

The board began looking for a new president earlier this year when Valeria Lee announced she was stepping down.

Senate leader Marc Basnight said in June that Easley asked him to encourage Golden LEAF board members to consider Gerlach for the post.

Claims Dept: Moore's tuition ad

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:01:00 -0400

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore is airing an ad attacking rival Beverly Perdue's votes on college tuition, Ben Niolet reports. Click here to watch the ad.

What the ad says: "On college tuition, Bev Perdue's been flat-out wrong. She voted to raise tuition seven times. Perdue even sponsored a 24 percent tuition increase and said it was just 'beer and party money.' But Richard Moore doesn't think the rising cost of college is a joke. Moore's plan allows high school graduates to attend community college tuition free. It's time for a leader who will do right by families like yours. I'm Richard Moore, candidate for governor, and I sponsored this ad."

The background: As a candidate for governor, Perdue has touted her plans to make college affordable. As a legislator, she voted seven times to raise tuition. Her votes were for larger budget bills that spent billions and made policy decisions on many items, including college tuition.

Some of those budgets also allocated money to help poor students get financial aid for college.

The 24 percent increase refers to a seperate proposal in 1993 in which Perdue spoke in favor of a $200 surcharge at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University. The surcharge was designed to improve libraries, increase student aid and increase salaries for faculty who were being lured out of state by higher pay.

Perdue, then a senator, told the Associated Press that only a few people had contacted her to complain about the $200 hike. "The students have openly admitted that it's beer and party money," Perdue said, according to the AP report.

The $200 surcharge was not adopted.

Moore has proposed using funds from the Golden LEAF Foundation, a nonprofit set up to allocate tobacco settlement funds, and state money to offer free community college tuition for two years to all students who graduate high school and immediately enroll in a community college degree program.

Is the ad accurate? Yes. Whether Perdue is "flat-out wrong" is a subjective judgement. But she did vote to increase tuition, although all but one of the votes were for broad budget bills and not just college tuition.

Previously: Moore attacks Perdue on tuition increase at debate.

Moore presents economic plan

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:46:00 -0500

Richard Moore proposed an economic stimulus package.

At a press conference this morning, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate called for property tax relief for senior citizens, reducing the waiting list for day care subsidies, cutting small business taxes and tying the minimum wage to inflation.

He noted that pension plans and Social Security already provide cost of living adjustments based on inflation. He estimated that the minimum wage would go up a dollar during the next governor's four years in office.

"All you've got to do is go to projected four-dollar a gallon gas to understand why," he said.

He also pledged that the state would pay for two years of community college for all high school graduates, though not for students who drop out and get a general equivalency diploma, or G.E.D.

"I shudder to think that any high school student in North Carolina does not take the next step to continue their education," he said.

He said that the proposal would cost around $50 million and would be paid for using interest earnings from Golden LEAF Foundation.