Sep 08 2008
Fooled Me Once on Southport Marina
Fern Shubert writing for the County Edge, a Union county publican wrote………..
Fooled Me Twice on New Bern Marina?
A lot of people in New Bern are furious at Governor Mike Easley and Lt. Governor / Governor Candidate Bev Perdue over a plan to sell boat slips at the marina at the Sheraton. To understand why, you need to know about the ethics complaint filed because of a similar deal involving the marina in Southport.
The Carolina Journal has a whole series of fascinating articles about how changes at the state- owned marina in Southport led to an ethics complaint against Easley. The ethics complaint was of course dismissed by the Governor’s friends, but most members of the public who learn the facts find the transaction fishy.
This ties directly in with Bev Perdue and the Easley connection to the State Ethics Commission.
So who are the investors in the New Bern deal and what are their ties to Perdue and Easley? And isn’t it funny that, just as in Southport, when private citizens made a stink about selling the slips, suddenly sales were out and long term leases were in. Déjà vu all over again.
Rules to remember: Conflicts of interest should be fully disclosed by public officials. People who try to hide business relationships probably have a good reason for doing so. Leopards do not change their spots. Criminals tend to be creatures of habit.
Fern Shubert is a former State Representative, State Senator, Town Manager and Candidate for Governer. She currently serves as the NC State Director of the National Right to Read Foundation.
Everyone thinking about voting Democratic in the state elections needs to think twice. The one party rule here in North Carolina has corrupted our state into a national laughing stock.
