Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue has stressed she will break from Gov. Mike Easley.
Still, the newly elected Democrat hasn't entirely escaped the shadow of her two-term predecessor. Several of her appointees so far have ties to Easley.
In order of most closely tied to least:
Britt Cobb: Perdue's secretary of Administration held the same job under Easley, who also appointed him commissioner of agriculture.
Linda Wheeler Hayes: Perdue's secretary of Juvenile Justice chaired the Governor's Crime Commission for Easley and was one of his fundraisers in 2000.
Eddie Speas: Perdue's general counsel worked for Easley during the eight years he was attorney general. Easley later appointed him lottery commissioner.
Reuben Young: Perdue's secretary of Crime Control served as deputy legal counsel and chief legal counsel for Easley's two terms as governor.
Lanier Cansler: Perdue's secretary of Health and Human Services served as deputy secretary under Easley, although he was directly hired by Secretary Carmen Hooker Odom.
Gene Conti: Perdue's secretary of Transportation served as chief deputy secretary under Easley, who asked him to leave because of a conflict of interest.
In addition, Perdue transition team had ties to Easley: Don Hobart worked as legal counsel to Easley when he was attorney general, Norris Tolson was Easley's Revenue secretary, Hilda Pinnix-Ragland was appointed to the state community college board by Easley, and Howard Lee served as Easley's budget and education adviser and was appointed to two boards by Easley.
Still, many of Perdue's key appointees have no ties to Easley, including at least half her Cabinet.
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Re: Easley ties in Perdue's Cabinet
Here we go again!!!! more corruption without interuption. Taxpayers get your pocket books out and shut your mouth. Raleigh politics, you get what you ask for sometimes and the voters spoke loud and clear on nov 4th. They had a chance for change in raleigh, but where so narrow minded the thought they couldn't vote anything except a straight democrat ticket. So, now she isn't even sworn in yet, but the same old corrupt people start to ooze to the top. No suprise here, thats what happens when andy griffth elects your governor. The voters don't check out the canidates. They vote democrat because andy said to, or obama said to, or their grandfather did, maybe they voted for bev because they hate george bush. WOW North Carolina voters really made a point this election cycle. But, the bottom line is we the people of north carolina will a pay the price for this point. Not just the folks that voted for these crooks, but everone in the state.