Perdue favors broader disclosure

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue said today that the Board of Transportation reform law that she championed in 1998 was intended to require full disclosure of fundraising activity by board appointees.

"When the law was passed we intended for it to have full disclosure," said Perdue, who officially became a Democratic candidate for governor this morning by filing the required forms at the State Board of Elections. She did not specify what full disclosure would entail, reports Dan Kane.

The News & Observer reported on Feb. 3 that two current board members—D.M. 'Mac' Campbell of Elizabethtown and Louis W. Sewell Jr. of Jacksonville—raised money for Gov. Mike Easley's 2000 campaign, but said on disclosure forms they were required to file with the state that they were not fundraisers.

Their responses on the forms came after Easley obtained an attorney general's opinion of the reform law that said fundraisers did not have to disclose their efforts unless they personally accepted contributions from individuals. That meant that typical fundraising activities such as holding receptions and soliciting people for contributions were not considered fundraising.

Perdue was asked if she was surprised that the law had led to a narrow interpretation of fundraising.

"I was interested in the different way different members have interpreted the law," she said, "so I think the key for us in North Carolina is to have one standard for everybody."

Read more after the jump. 

In the audio below, Perdue answers Dan Kane's questions while filing for office, while her campaign spokesman, David Kochman, says it's not the time. 

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The Board of Transportation seats have are plums that governors often bestow upon supporters who raise large sums of money for their political campaigns. Scandals 11 years ago, in which board members were steering transportation projects in ways that benefitted themselves or family members, led to the reform law. Perdue was a state senator at the time.

The issue re-ignited recently when board member Thomas Betts Jr. of Rocky Mount sought to raise $20,000 in contributions from country singer Randy Parton and others involved in a struggling performing arts theater in Roanoke Rapids. Betts had previously used his position on the board to steer money for road projects to benefit the theater.

Betts, a Perdue supporter, resigned from the board last month. Perdue said she had no knowledge of the Parton fundraising and did not condone it.

Perdue said she and other lawmakers were proud of the reform legislation.

"We knew it was a good starting point for DOT reform and we worked really hard to pass it through the House and the Senate," she said. "And at the end of the day it is just a starting point, and I look forward to coming back as governor and being a part of complete campaign finance reform, not just for the DOT board but for folks who do business with the treasurer's office as well."

State Treasurer Richard Moore of Granville County is also seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Moore has come under fire for campaign money he has raised from employees of firms that do business with the state's pension fund, which is managed by the treasurer’s office. Moore has criticized the transportation board reform law and said that he will not appoint any fundraisers to the board.

Perdue's remarks were her first public comments in response to the Feb. 3 article.

Her campaign manager, David Kochman, twice sought to minimize discussion on the issue.

"This is not a DOT press conference," he said. "We can have this conversation at another time."
Perdue said she would also disclose the names of other transportation board members who are fundraising for her campaign.

"We will be glad to get that information for you," she said.

Moore's campaign has said board members Campbell and Alan Thornburg of Asheville are helping the Moore campaign with fundraising.

Perdue arrived at the elections board just after 9:30 a.m. With TV news cameras rolling, she kissed her six-month-old granddaughter, Amelia "Millie" Eaves Perdue, as a dozen supporters chanted "Bev, Bev, Bev!"

If elected, Perdue would become North Carolina's first female governor.

"It's a great day for me and North Carolina," Perdue said. "As I move around the state folks are really getting engaged in the race."