RALEIGH – The Wake County School Board learned of imprisoned former House Speaker Jim Black’s offer to use some undeveloped Mecklenburg County real estate to settle a criminal corruption fine after the deal went through, said school board chair Kevin Hill.
RALEIGH — As jailed former state House Speaker Jim Black mounts a campaign for early release from federal prison, critics contend that the state justice system did favors for Black regarding the settlement of his $1 million fine in a corruption and bribery scheme.
RALEIGH — One of the goals of the Pope Center and the North Carolina History Project is to bring to campuses ideas and information that have been neglected. That happened in November when the organizations sponsored a lecture by University of Alabama history professor David Beito. He spoke at St. Augustine’s College, North Carolina Central, N.C. State, and Campbell University.
Jim Black is in prison, and his son is now in the crosshairs. But there are many other politicians and political operators who play similar games and just haven’t been caught yet.
In what may go down as the least-surprising political news story of 2007, Black confirmed that Don Beason was the lobbyist who loaned him half-a-million dollars back in 2000.
If Easley thought that walking through a pigsty with a clothespin on his nose would make everyone else smell roses, he was seriously deluded.
The Jim Black affair demonstrates the temptation to conclude that the ends justify the means. Many politicians truly believe their policy goals are so important that they must “play the game.”
Despite controversy, Jim Black retains influence within the House caucus and apparently had a major hand in convincing members not to support Dan Blue – thus, in the end, putting Joe Hackney into the speakership.
By bailing out on his attempt at reelection to the speakership, Black deprived Blue of his best selling point to reluctant House moderates and business lobbyists.
Elections and effective self-government are not synonymous. It might seem an odd time to say this, with elections in just two weeks, but the point is that other checks exist on politicians besides periodic balloting.
North Carolina voters following the politically significant Kevin Geddings trial in Raleigh can be forgiven for wondering just who is on trial.
