The Alliance for North Carolina, a Democratic group funded by the National Education Association, the Democratic Governors Association and the Service Employees International Union, is airing a TV ad attacking Republican gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory's record.
What it says: The ad shows blue-collar workers, the Eiffel Tower and piles of cash alongside pictures of McCrory. "Will Pat McCrory’s policies move North Carolina forward? Pat McCrory opposes raising the minimum wage for North Carolina workers, but McCrory supports pay raises for politicians, including himself. And Pat McCrory supports more perks for politicians. He even accepted free travel to Paris for himself and his wife. Call Pat McCrory. Tell him North Carolina needs higher wages and more jobs, not perks for politicians. Go to alliancefornorthcarolina.com and read our economic plan to keep North Carolina on the move." At one point, the text on the screen reads: "Pat McCrory Opposes Raising the State Minimum Wage Without Conditions."
The background: Seeking to boost its trans-Atlantic business, U.S. Airways added nonstop flights from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Paris in 2000.
Then-Gov. Jim Hunt used the occasion to lead an 11-day trade mission to France and Germany with 31 other state officials, including Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and his wife, Ann.
The airline paid for Hunt, a state trooper and the McCrorys to fly first-class to Paris. The mayor and his wife then paid their own way to Italy for a vacation, and the airline flew them back from Rome to Charlotte for free.
At the time, McCrory noted that the return flight from Rome was the same value as the trip over to Paris, so his vacation did not add any additional cost.
The state paid for airfare, lodging and meals for state officials who accompanied Hunt and McCrory. The Carolinas Partnership, an economic development agency in Eastern North Carolina, paid for members of the business community on the trade mission. Two state legislators on the trip paid their own way.
McCrory has made broad statements of opposition to the minimum wage as recently as May, but he has recently said that he would support an increase if coupled with tax breaks for small businesses or tied to increases in the cost of living.
The Charlotte mayor does not typically vote on the city budget, which includes pay raises, but he can veto it. If he does, it takes seven out of 11 votes from the City Council to override his veto.
In 1998, McCrory broke a tie, voting with the City Council's Republicans to overturn a pay raise for city leaders that would have boosted his own salary by several thousand dollars.
This year, the City Council narrowly approved a pay raise for members and the mayor. McCrory did not make any public statements on the raise and did not veto the budget, but his campaign staff said recently that he opposed it.
Is the ad accurate? Mostly. The narration overstates McCrory's current position on the minimum wage, although the text on the screen correctly notes he would add conditions. The ad overstates McCrory's support for pay raises for city officials. McCrory did accept free tickets to Paris.
Blog RSS feed
.
.