RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation’s chief operating officer confirmed that he did not sign a letter to lawmakers saying that money was needed for two toll projects as soon as possible.
“Those were digital signatures,” Jim Trogdon, the chief operating officer, told members of the Senate Rules Committee Wednesday morning.
Trogdon was responding to a question from Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, the Rules Committee chairman, as to whether he’d actually signed a letter that was sent to Sen. Stan White, D-Dare.
Trogdon told the committee that he was in Charlotte on June 14, the day the letters were changed by members of Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue’s staff. He’d been in Charlotte for an exercise as part of his role with the National Guard for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
The altered letters reflected a different view of how soon money was needed for two toll projects – the Mid-Currituck Bridge on the Outer Banks and the Garden Parkway in Gaston and Mecklenburg counties – than Trogdon had originally intended.
Trogdon said that when he got out of the exercise around noon that day, messages were in his voice mail regarding letters sent to White and Rep Bill Current, R-Gaston. Trogdon said he called Pryor Gibson, a Perdue aide, and said that there were problems with the letter. He said he drafted a letter recalling the memos when he arrived back in Raleigh around 5 p.m. that day.
Gibson is expected to speak when the committee continues its inquiry on Thursday.
Barry Smith is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.