By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
Staff Writer
Gov. Bev Perdue characterized former Gov. Mike Easley’s apparently growing troubles as “a major distraction” Saturday, adding that she hopes “justice is done very quickly” so the state can move forward.
Perdue responded to questions about Easley’s issues in a Daily News interview, following her remarks to the Eastern NC Civic Group, which held a banquet at St. John Empowerment Center in Beaufort County.
The Associated Press recently reported that two real-estate developers linked to Easley are sparking questions as part of a federal investigation.
The feds also have subpoenaed “six current or former” state environmental officials in connection with the investigation, according to AP.
The State Board of Elections has ordered that the former governor’s campaign pay $100,000 “in fines and expenses,” and also has asked the state to find out if Easley or his organization violated any laws, according to AP.
Asked if Easley is to blame for casting a shadow over the governor’s office, Perdue replied, “I don’t know who’s to blame. It is what it is. I can’t go back and rewrite history. But again, I’m very concerned about the length of this distraction. It is pervasive, and the sooner it’s over the better for all of us.”
In a recent letter to Perdue, political watchdog Joe Sinsheimer asked the governor to, among other things, look into the permitting process for a proposed Titan Cement plant in New Hanover County.
“The Attorney General’s investigation should focus on actions taken by the Easley Administration to exempt Titan from the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) as well as the state (Senate’s) abrupt decision to kill legislation on this matter this year without a vote,” Sinsheimer wrote.
Sinsheimer also called for “a 90-day freeze on the environmental permitting process” for Titan.
“The people of North Carolina, especially those living in southeast North Carolina near the proposed plant, have to know with 100 (percent) certainty that the Titan case has been handled fairly,” he wrote. “Given recent events, that can’t be said right now.”
The letter was posted online by the (Raleigh) News &Observer.
In the interview, Perdue, who served as lieutenant governor under Easley, never mentioned the former governor by name, focusing instead on the economy.
She said she respects Sinsheimer, and indicated that she is responding to his concerns.
“No, it casts a shadow over North Carolina, not over me any more than it does over any person in the state,” Perdue said of these issues. “It’s a distraction. It’s a major distraction for North Carolina at a time we all need to be focused on education and jobs and recovery.”
She added, “And so I hope that justice is done very quickly, very efficiently, and we can go on working on the things that are really important, which is the future — jobs and the economy.”
The governor said she has asked the office of Attorney General Roy Cooper to look into the Titan matter.
“I have asked the attorney general’s office, the SBI, to see if there was any kind of — I don’t know the word, I’m not a lawyer — if there was anything that wasn’t aboveboard in the decision making, and I believe they will,” she commented.
Asked what her responsibility is regarding these concerns, Perdue said, “My responsibility is actually to follow the law, and that’s what I have done every step of the way. And the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have done exactly what the law tells them to do.”
Perdue also answered a query about her poll numbers, which have been low but have risen a bit recently, according to WRAL-TV’s Web site.
“I’ve made tough decisions,” Perdue said, “tough, hard decisions to stabilize North Carolina in the worst financial time since the Great Depression. And they were decisions that weren’t easy for me.”
She added, “Things have had to be cut, investments have had to be tapered, things that people really care about. And I understand why people are unhappy. I’m unhappy with some of the decisions, but they had to be made.”
Earlier, in her remarks to the civic group, Perdue referred to her efforts to help cover the state’s $4.6 billion revenue shortfall.
With the economy worsening across the state, the budget hole ballooned from $3 billion near the beginning of the year when she was sworn in, the governor told the crowd.
“And unlike Washington, I don’t have a printing press,” Perdue told the Daily News. “The state of North Carolina has a balanced budget. I think … the times are hard for many people.”
People are beginning to understand that we “perhaps have hit the bottom” of economic hard times, she added.
For more coverage of Saturday’s banquet, see future editions.