A federal grand jury wants to hear from two state environmental officials who handled permits on the Cannonsgate land project, a development in coastal Carteret County where former Gov. Mike Easley acquired a soundfront lot in 2005.
The officials have been asked to appear today.
Questions have swirled around the permitting process since reports in The News & Observer in May showed that real estate broker McQueen Campbell, a friend of Easley, bragged in writing that political contacts helped secure the wastewater treatment plant permit in half the one year's time he said it should have taken, J. Andrew Curliss reports.
In an interview, Campbell would not say what he meant by political contacts, other than to say he knew "who to call to get all these things done."
State records show the plant permit at Cannonsgate was granted faster than most, but not to the degree Campbell was claiming. It was part of an express review available to all developers. It was granted in 64 days.
The average of similar sized plants was about 110 days.
More after the jump.
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The main state official who handled the permit, Nathaniel Thornburg, has said in an interview that he does not recall any influence on the permit. Thornburg has been summoned to the grand jury.
Jim Bushardt, another state environmental official, was also issued a subpoena and officials said he is expected to be at the courthouse today.
The Easley cabinet official in charge of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at the time, Bill Ross, said in an interview this spring that he did not recall any contacts about the development. He added that it would not have been unusual for a developer or someone from the governor's office to check up on a permit that was in the process.
The N&O reported last week that Easley and his wife, Mary, accepted a previously undisclosed $137,000 discount off their lot.
One subpoena has asked for state environmental officials to turn over all documents relating to Cannonsgate permits and licenses. Authorities also want any communications between DENR and a number of "relevant parties," most of them people close to Easley.
Correction: A previous version of this post misstated Thornburg's recollection. Dome regrets the error.
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