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Monday: Slow Down
posted at 2007-07-02 22:40 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
Last week's breakdown in the budget talks combined with the coming 4th of July equals lots of empty chairs on Jones St this week. That means while the sturm und drang over the budget might continue, there probably won't be a lot of meaningful progress till the heavy hitters are all back in place.
The first casualty? The latest incarnation of the Senate's Medicaid tax-swap bill. Sources tell me that the Clodfelter-Rand proposal would cover Medicaid without raising taxes. But it was pulled from the agenda in Senate Finance today, no more than ten minutes before the meeting started. Why? Word has it the bill-drafting staff had some problems working it up. Maybe they're not used to working with imaginary numbers...
Gov-in-waiting race heats up
Boy, there's nothing like an end-of-quarter reporting deadline to get things hopping, even in a race no one pays much attention to...like, say, Lieutenant Governor. Rutherford Dem Sen Walter Dalton sent out this release, trumpeting his fundraising success. (Not surprisingly, a lot of the names on his list are fellow Senators. But hey, there are worse friends to have.)
Dalton's Dem opponent Hampton Dellinger wasn't far behind with his own release. Dellinger even throws in his own neologism - "Dorothea 365" - ostensibly meant to show he supports comprehensive mental health reform, even while advocating to make the Dix Campus into one of the largest civic parks in the Southeast. (He's leading the field among the "have your cake and eat it, too" demographic.)
And then there's Dan Besse, dark horse contender, who put out his own release this evening, applauding supporters of his "grassroots campaign" for raising $100,000. Success is relative.
So is everyone happy? Well, we haven't heard from Canton Mayor Pat Smathers yet, so it's too soon to say. But with only 480 or so shopping days left, it's never too early to claim victory, right?
Speaking of having one's cake...
State Auditor Les Merritt should be finishing up the retirement cake he got Friday from his many dear friends at the State Dems.
In case you've forgotten, Merritt hit the headlines earlier this year for using his state title to plug his sideline as an independent financial advisor. That's a major conflict under state ethics guidelines.
After much bad press, Merritt announced he'd stop doing consulting as of June 30th. NC Dem Spokeswoman Kerra Bolton put out this release to mark the occasion of the end of Merritt's second career - complete with a photo of the cake.
Takes one to know one?
Merritt didn't let his own lapse get in the way of his latest expose. UNC Pharmacy director Dr. James McAllister was removed from his position after an investigative audit proved he'd been double-billing for his own expenses and single-billing his son's, including his son's cell phone bills and a plane ticket to Vegas.
Now, I'm not saying the guy didn't deserve removal - I don't know all the facts - but how much was McAllister making that he was trying to get UNC to pay his family's cell phone bill? Or for a coach ticket to Vegas, for that matter? It's hard to believe someone in that position would risk his or her career over what would amount to pocket change.
Weekend Round-up
- Cumberland Dem Rick Glazier got the folks over at BlueNC all het up when he announced he might challenge party martyr Larry Kissell for the 8th congressional in 2008. Kissell was left at the altar in '06 by national Dem funders, only to lose by a paper-thin margin to incumbent R Robin Hayes. Not surprisingly, the national funders are now pledging undying support for Kissell in '08. Glazier doesn't seem impressed. (Um, Rick, there's a much better seat looking for a candidate. Just ask Grier Martin.)
- At Dome, the N&O's Dan Kane had a nice rundown of what's at stake in the budget talks.
- Wilmington's Mark Schreiner had this profile of the daily life of a legislative assistant.
- The story about the runaway toddler saved by his Golden Retriever. The family says "Sandy" the dog is his nanny. I'd say Sandy could use a little work on the retrieving thing. Just kidding - it's a really great story by the N&O's Michael Biesecker.
- And - my personal favorite - MSNBC morning co-anchor Mika Brzezinski takes drastic measures to show her opposition to leading a newscast with a story about Paris Hilton. Trust me, *anyone* who's ever worked as an anchor is cheering for Mika right now.
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