The following editorial appeared in the December 2010 issue of Carolina Journal.
RALEIGH — Immediately after former Gov. Mike Easley entered a guilty plea to a felony campaign finance violation, defense attorney Joe Cheshire portrayed the veteran politician and his family as victims. “I sure hope that the people that wrote articles and talked on television, insinuating corruption … will fairly write that the investigation of this case ended with no finding of any corruption,” he said. Cheshire also suggested that the media would have served the public better by remaining silent until the criminal investigation was concluded.
Cheshire did not dispute the information conveyed in any story. But in the spirit he offered his admonition, Carolina Journal feels it’s important to apologize if our reporting left the impression that Easley was corrupt or sought special favors in office. Specifically:
* We apologize for reporting, in March 2006, that Easley failed to notify the Council of State that an applicant to run a state marina in Southport the governor was ushering through the approval process had renovated Easley’s house.
* We apologize for reporting, in June 2006, that Easley got a sweetheart deal on a waterfront lot in the Cannonsgate development in Carteret County. We also apologize for reporting nine months later that a property tax revaluation showed the lot doubling in value. The News & Observer obtained the closing document last year and reported that Easley also received a 25-percent cash discount totaling $137,000 at closing.
* We apologize for reporting, in March 2007, that then-Attorney General Easley got a real estate bargain in 1996 for a house on Bald Head Island not long after the state settled a lawsuit protecting the island from coastal erosion, boosting home values.
* We apologize for reporting, in June 2008, that Easley was using state aircraft for trips from Raleigh to his home in Southport and other personal business.
* We apologize for reporting, in July 2008, that First Lady Mary Easley got an 88-percent raise, to $170,000 a year, for a job running a speakers’ program at N.C. State University. We apologize for bringing this to light even though Mary Easley eventually was fired, and three top officials — Provost Larry Nielsen, Chancellor James Oblinger, and Board of Trustees Chairman McQueen Campbell — resigned under pressure after media reports show that Mike Easley and Campbell quietly pushed N.C. State officials to hire her.
* We apologize for reporting, in October 2008, that for years Campbell and his father had been flying Easley for free to a number of campaign events that had not been reported in campaign disclosure filings.
* Finally, we apologize for reporting on the October 2009 State Board of Elections hearing at which Easley’s campaign committee was charged with violating campaign laws by failing to account for $87,000 in free flights from Campbell. The board issued a $100,000 fine and made a criminal referral to state prosecutors, resulting in Easley’s felony plea.
If we led readers to believe that the Easleys were not selfless public servants, focused on the best interests of the people of North Carolina, with no desire to use the perks and privileges of elected office for personal gain, please accept our heartfelt apologies.