Ask Dome: The D.C. office

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on February 4, 2009 - 2:18pm.
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"Can you tell me the what the governor's D.C. staff's responsibilities are?" — Dome reader GrayJ

North Carolina has had an office in Washington, D.C., since 1974.

Started by Gov. Jim Holshouser, the office is intended to serve as a liaison between state and federal government on important issues.

"The (office) allows North Carolina to be well represented in Washington so as to derive the most benefit — or, in some cases, to avoid the most harm — from decisions made there that affect us," wrote Chrissy Pearson, a spokeswoman for Gov. Beverly Perdue, in an e-mail.

Those issues include education, military affairs, economic development, environment and natural resources, revenue and tax matters.

The office is staffed by state employees. Currently it is headed by Jim McCleskey, who works directly for Perdue and served in the same job under former Gov. Mike Easley. In 2008, his annual salary was $91,846.

Other staffers are assigned by the N.C. departments of Health and Human Services, Transportation and Correction, all Cabinet agencies. Those staffers cover policy and appropriations issues for their departments as well as criminal justice, homeland security and emergency management issues.

The office is located three blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

Got a question? E-mail dome@newsobserver.com or post it in the comments below.

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Re: Ask Dome: The D.C. office

Submitted by GrayJ on February 4, 2009 - 4:51pm.

I agree with burwellstark I just don't see the point of this office.

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Re: Ask Dome: The D.C. office

Submitted by burwellstark on February 4, 2009 - 4:23pm.

"The (office) allows North Carolina to be well represented in Washington so as to derive the most benefit — or, in some cases, to avoid the most harm — from decisions made there that affect us," wrote Chrissy Pears

Without trying to sound too ignorant, isn't that what the offices of the duly elected Congressmen and Congresswomen do? Then is the governor's D.C. office redundant? If so, perhaps it should be considered for elimination to assist with the budget shortfall.

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Re: Ask Dome: The D.C. office

Submitted by englewood on February 4, 2009 - 3:09pm.

In the past, the DC office has also been very helpful collaborating with federal discretionary grant applicants to insure that their application receives appropriate consideration from federal agencies and doesn't get lost in the applicant pile. I assume they still perform that function.

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