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Tuesday: Something old, something new
posted at 2007-08-14 22:17 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
Follow the crowd
Dome's Ryan Teague Beckwith reports more clients of lobbyist Don Beason appear to be stampeding for the door. As of today, the City of Hickory and Catawba County have suspended their lobbying contracts with Beason, joining BB&T, Progress Energy, and Cingular. (The Carolina Ballet is also no longer on Beason's list, though the Ballet says that's because its pro-bono contract with Beason expired.)
On the other hand, it doesn't look like Beason needs to worry about filing for unemployment anytime soon. His client list still includes Colonial Insurance, IBM, S&M Tobacco, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the NC Railroad, Sigma Corporation, and a few other folks.
Triangle taxes
The N&O's Samiha Khanna had this excellent recap of last night's Durham hearing on what sort of tax increase county commissioners ought to put on the ballot in November. From what Khanna and others reported, it sounded as if transfer tax supporters had the upper hand in Durham. Tonight, it was Johnson County's turn. The N&O reports the council approved a referendum on the matter.
The voice of Fred Thompson?
N&O cartoonist Grey Blackwell sent this response to my question last night:
[snip] "The Fred Thompson voice was performed by Jay Brady, an incredible voice talent that has worked with Rick Dees (The Weekly Top 40 countdown) for years. Believe it or not, he also did most of the other voices in the 'toon...Here's his web site: http://jaybrady.net/ [snip]."
They don't call guys like Brady "talent" for nothing. If you haven't seen Blackwell's "Law and Order" cartoon yet, take a minute to check it out. It's worth it.
Carr sentence
I asked last night whether former WXII news anchor Tolly Carr had received a preferential sentence for his DUI accident that killed a pedestrian. There's plenty of debate over that question in the Triad today. Winston-Salem Journal columnist Scott Sexton said in his column today the sentence was fair. Greensboro columnist Jeri Rowe isn't so sure.
New Poll
Dome reports Dem consultant Brad Crone is joining forces with GOP consultant Chris Sinclair for a new monthly subscription-only poll, called by the distinctive name of "The North Carolina Poll." The first results are here.
To me, the most interesting questions were those on roads. An overwhelming 82 percent of respondents said the state isn't doing enough to maintain its roads and bridges. And more than half - 58% - said the state should consider raising taxes for highway construction and upkeep.
For the record, poll respondents almost never sanction tax increases for anything, except occasionally education, so that's a pretty surprising result. It's even more interesting given that Dem leaders in both chambers are thinking about a special session to address that very issue.
Heagarty out
NC Center for Voter Education director Chris Heagarty is leaving. According to today's announcement, Heagarty is heading off to law school.
No word yet on who'll take over the non-profit's helm...but as a reporter, I can say Chris will be missed. There aren't many spokesfolks out there who'll drop everything at a moment's notice to walk seven blocks to give you a soundbite for a story. And he's a master of lucid explanations of arcane election reform jargon. Best of luck, Chris!
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