Gene Conti

Dome memo: Awkward relationships

bniolet — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:16:16 -0500

GOING CHILLY: Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't appreciate having to share a campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr when she was stumping the state. Palin is scheduled to appear at Ft. Bragg next week to promote her book, which could make for an awkward moment if Burr shows to get a book signed.

POLITICAL PRENUP: Presidential candidate John Edwards offered to quit his campaign and endorse President Barack Obama in exchange for a guaranteed spot on the ticket. Hillary Clinton got the same offer. This reminds us of a time when Edwards' political value meant more than a cheap joke, such as this one.

LIGHTWEIGHT GOVERNOR: At a women's health conference, Gov. Bev Perdue shared stories about her days as a lawmaker when she would scarf a whole bag of Doritos. On a stage in front of a crowd, Perdue challenged her transportation secretary, Gene Conti, to slim down. Woe to any Perdue cabinet members who still smoke.

IN OTHER NEWS: Former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign manager appeared before a federal grand jury this week. Members of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are heavy political contributors. An African American artist unveiled a portrait of U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

The incredible shrinking governor

bniolet — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:30:18 -0500

Gov. Bev Perdue is not the woman she used to be — and she's proud of it.

The governor got personal Wednesday morning when she gave a pep talk at the opening ceremony of the State Employees Wellness Fair at the State Fairgrounds, Rob Christensen reports.

"I've always thought there is nothing better than an old-fashioned revival, where you get up and tell it all," Perdue said.

"I want you to know that in 1992 I was twice the size I am today," Perdue said. "I believe if I had the nerve to weigh [myself] I might have tipped the scales at right near 180 to 190 pounds. I'm 5'3 and a half."

"I felt crummy," she said. "But I could do something about it."

She decided to improve her health because of her two sons who depended on her as a single mother. So rather than having a bag of Doritos when she got back to New Bern after a week of serving in the legislature, she might have a half a bag. She said it was a very gradual thing.

She also stopped smoking cigarettes in 2003 after she was afraid she was experiencing a stroke. She said she wanted to be around for her boys.

Perdue happy with DOT reforms

bniolet — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:41:20 -0400

Gov. Beverly Perdue says she is happy with her transportation secretary's efforts to take politics out of road building.

Dome asked the governor, through a spokeswoman, to respond to calls from Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger to have Transportation Board member Lanny Wilson withdraw from board business.

Wilson testified during a State Board of Elections hearing that he wrote checks to the N.C. Democratic Party that he believed would be forwarded on to former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign.

Perdue did not comment on Wilson specifically, but said Transportation Secretary Gene Conti was succeeding in removing politics from the department's decisions.

"The governor continues to move toward a more transparent state government, and she commends Secretary Conti for all he has done with the DOT and its Board to take politics out of the planning and decision making processes," said Chrissy Pearson, a spokeswoman for Perdue.

Perdue shot in name of prevention

markjohnson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:13:46 -0400

Shirts stripped off, drugs, sharp implements and blood spilled -- and that was just among Gov. Beverly Perdue and her cabinet. All of this was in the name of flu prevention.

Perdue, seven of her cabinet secretaries and state schools Superintendent June Atkinson received their seasonal flu vaccinations in front of a news conference this afternoon to promote the annual shots.

Perdue emphasized flu prevention steps: frequent hand washing, coughing into sleeves and staying home when sick. She also explained that North Carolina's allotment of about 1 million vaccinations for the H1N1 flu virus are expected to be available around mid-October.

Before getting her seasonal flu shot, Perdue suggested the capital press corps be vaccinated with her administering the shots. As she and her cabinet began to get stuck, the press conference turned into something of a political celebrity burlesque show, with Transportation Secretary Gene Conti and Revenue Secretary Ken Lay taking off their shirts for their turn at the needle.

"Gene's over there undressing!" Perdue laughed. No washboard abs, though. Conti and Lay both had on undershirts.

Perdue popularity lagging in Charlotte

bniolet — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:03:45 -0400

Gov. Beverly Perdue pledged during last fall's campaign to strengthen ties between Charlotte and state government in Raleigh. Since taking office, she has made an impact in the state's largest city, just not always the impression she probably desired.

Perdue has opened a Charlotte office, the first governor to do so, that's more than a mail drop, Mark Johnson reports. Her office director routinely represents her at events in the city. She has visited Charlotte eight times in as many months. At minimum, Charlotte has seen more of Perdue than any governor in recent history.

At the same time, leaders in some parts of the city complain that her appearances have been photo opportunities instead of reaching out to important segments of the community. More widespread is the growing complaint that Perdue's promise in February to start construction on completing Interstate 485 by the end of the year is starting to ring hollow.

The economy and state revenue nosedived in the weeks after Perdue and Transportation Secretary Gene Conti promised to start work on the highway by year's end. State transportation officials most recently proposed that, in order to accelerate 485 construction, local leaders would have to agree to sacrifice another major road project – a planned improvement of Independence Boulevard.

"When I was campaigning, all I heard was '485, 485, 485.' I never heard 'Independence Boulevard,'" Perdue said in a telephone interview last week.

The DOT made me text

bniolet — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:31:57 -0400

The state Department of Transportation just announced that it will offer traffic updates on its Twitter page.

So how long before people start getting cited under the new texting while driving ban because they were checking for traffic information?

Dome can picture it now: "I'm sorry officer, the DOT made me do it."

Mindful of this potential, the department's news release trumpeting the new Twitter updates encourages travellers to check alerts before they leave home.

"The goal of this high-tech initiative is to help people 'know before you go,'" Transportation Secretary Gene Conti said in a news release.

The updates are surprisingly specific. Here's a recent post from the Triangle-area feed.

1:57 PM, US-70 W,Boiling St: Traffic is traveling at 22 MPH at: US 70 BUS W; MM 94.4; Boiling St

For those who don't use Twitter, the department has posted instructions on how to sign up for an account and use the traffic feeds.

DOT looking for stimulus money

kkiley — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:06:30 -0400

Gene Conti, secretary of the state Department of Transportation, was building bridges this week.

Conti flew to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to meet with members of the state's congressional delegation or their staffs to try to receive federal stimulus money for the Yadkin River Bridge project. The project seeks to replace a 50-year-old bridge on Interstate 85 near Salisbury.

He also participated in an event held by Duke University to recognize five alumni of the university's Sanford School of Public Policy. Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar and Delaware Sen. Ted Kaufman spoke at the event.

In total, the trip cost the state about $610, including plane tickets, hotel fare and taxi rides.

Correction: Post originally misstated Luger and Kaufman's roles in the event.

Perdue heads to D.C.

bniolet — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:45:29 -0400

Gov. Beverly Perdue will meet with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood on Wednesday to tell him how much the state needs a new bridge over the Yadkin River.

The Interstate 85 bridge, a few miles northeast of Salisbury, is an aging four-lane bridge built in the 1950s, Barb Barrett reports. It would cost an estimated $335 million to replace.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has a $1.5 billion pot of discretionary money to go to special, big-ticket items around the country. States have to apply for funding, and no state could receive more than $300 million under the program’s rules.

Perdue’s push continues work already begun by state transportation leaders. State Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti visited the White House this spring to talk with federal officials about the state’s needs.

While in Washington on Wednesday, Perdue also has meetings planned with Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan, and with most of the House delegation.

She plans to talk with them about North Carolina’s ongoing budget crisis, its needs from federal recovery efforts and how the state is spending its money so far.

Quick Hits

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:31:13 -0400

* N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti pushes federal government for more high-speed rail north and south of the Triangle.

* Liberal commentator Chris Fitzsimon says the big story of the week was spending targets set by House budget writers behind the scenes.

* Greensboro News-Record columnist Doug Clark thinks the Racial Justice Act is just an attempt to do away with the death penalty.

* The Terri Schiavo Act had its name changed in committee to the Advanced Directives on Drivers License bill.

Earmarks can displace road funds

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:17:01 -0400

Done wrong, an earmark can actually hurt North Carolina's roads.

Since 1989, a state law has required that road money be spent around the state according to a strict formula based in part on population.

That means that if an earmark comes through for a specific road, it will just end up displacing money for another road in the same area, said Gene Conti, state secretary of transportation.

"In some cases, it could displace something that is either more important in that area or a piece of a larger project that's needed," he said.

To prevent that, the state Department of Transportation prepares a list of projects that could be earmarked without problem in each Congressional district, he said.

Conti is not a big fan of earmarks, since they tie the state's hands on spending without increasing the overall pot of money. But there are a few he will seek.

More after the jump.