Jeb Bush Endorses Pat McCrory For NC Governor; Pat Challenges Dalton Over Negative Ads

JEB BUSH ENDORSES PAT MCCRORY FOR NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR

On Monday, April 30, Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Pat McCrory’s bid for North Carolina Governor at the historic Angus Barn restaurant in Raleigh

TRANSCRIPT:

Pat McCrory: I just want to let you know as I’ve not only got a chance to travel across this state, but I’ve also had the opportunity to meet a lot of Governors throughout the United States of America. There’s no doubt in my mind in observing Governor Christie, Governor Mitch Daniels and Governor Jindal and other Governors throughout the United States, it’s Governors who – I think – who are initiating policy which will help get our nation out of this very, very deep recession.

And North Carolina, of course, is feeling this recession with the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation.

But, another Governor that has actually been a mentor to many of those existing Governors and a mentor of mine is Governor Jeb Bush of Florida. And I have been watching not only his leadership as a Governor but also his leadership since being Governor.

And he clearly understands many areas – especially two. And that is how to create jobs and also how to reform education.

And I am using his advice during this past year and I actually used it as Mayor of Charlotte also in getting his input on ideas on both economic development and education. And Jeb Bush has become very much of an expert in the area of reforming education and not accepting the incredible high dropout rates that we see in states throughout the United States of America.

Both Governor Bush and I clearly understand that we must reform and change education so we can get our kids to learn the basics and then get good quality higher education or vocational education in addition to getting a job. And right now so many of our kids who are graduating aren’t getting jobs and we have over 20% of our children who are clearly not even graduating from our high schools in North Carolina. And this is clearly unacceptable.

And that’s one of the reasons I have a great partnership and I appreciate Governor Bush’s endorsement of our candidacy because we both firmly believe in reforming education. And I’m going to take many ideas that he has initiated in Florida, both as a current Governor and a former Governor and bring them to North Carolina so we can improve the outcomes of our education and our major investments in education.

So with that, I welcome Governor Bush to say a few words and then we’ll answer a few questions. Thank you very much.


Governor Jeb Bush: Thank you, Mayor. It is a joy to be here, to endorse your candidacy, and to provide whatever support I can for that cause. Governor’s lead. It’s amazing to see what goes on in Washington these days, with the gridlock, where people kind of feel, correctly, that nothing can get done, but I can guarantee you that with your leadership here in North Carolina, you’ll hit the ground running, and develop, build on a good business climate, and make it a great one.

And build on an education an education system that should have no tolerance for failure, and sadly in our country we have way to much of it, and thank goodness there are reform minded governors across the country that are prepared to take on the status quo to improve things, and I know you’re one of those and I look forward to doing whatever I can to help you get elected, and as Governor, you count on me to provide whatever support that you need. God bless you and good luck.

Pat McCrory: Thank you very much.






In 2012, NC campaigns heat up earlier than usual

The final weeks of statewide general elections in North Carolina are usually marked by perceived shadowy third-party groups spending big money to soak the airwaves with television commercials and campaigns suing or threatening to sue over an ad that strikes a nerve.

That all got a head start in 2012.

The governor's race didn't let up after the May 8 primary christened Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and Republican Pat McCrory as nominees. National governors' groups already have been recognized for more than $1.4 million in TV ads designed to negatively portray the opposing candidate.

McCrory's campaign and political committees favoring Dalton filed competing lawsuits over one commercial last week. McCrory, the former Charlotte mayor, called the ad "garbage." Dalton, while pointing out the ad wasn't produced by his campaign, retorted the commercial "checks out by fact pretty well."

Add the millions of dollars in presidential ads already being dropped on North Carolina and loosened campaign finance restrictions nationwide, and the old political adage that Labor Day marks the beginning of the fall political season sounds old-fashioned.

Make that Memorial Day.

"In the past, there's been a little hiatus after the primaries," said Carter Wrenn, a Republican campaign consultant who worked for years with the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms' political organization. This year, he added, "they just put the pedal to the metal."

The early overall surge in television advertising in North Carolina is attributed to the state being considered competitive again in the presidential race. President Barack Obama narrowly won in North Carolina in 2008, ending a GOP winning streak dating to 1980. Holding the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte highlights Obama's interest in retaining North Carolina's 15 electoral votes.

Wrenn said North Carolina didn't become a battleground state until later in the 2008 election season. This time, he said, "we're kind of at a different status then we've ever been before."

North Carolina TV viewers already are hearing from the campaigns of Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, as well as from a new kind of political action committee. The so-called "super PAC," born following a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, can receive unlimited amounts of money from corporations and individuals.

In May, the Obama campaign launched a $25 million ad buy running in North Carolina and six other states. The GOP-leading super PAC Crossroads GPS, which is advertising against Obama in North Carolina and nine other states, quickly matched that amount. The Romney campaign also said it was spending $1.3 million in four states, including North Carolina, on a TV ad.

The Supreme Court's "Citizens United" ruling will make TVs even more congested with political commercials than they would have been, said Gene Nichol, a professor at the University of North Carolina law school.

"We're all going to become so sick of watching TV and the commercials that spew forth that people will just beg for the election to be over," said Nichol, a former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Colorado.

Eight statewide or congressional primary runoffs set for July 17 will keep politics in the news. Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue's decision not to seek re-election also has intensified the campaign to succeed her.

The Republican Governors Association spent $5.6 million in 2008 working unsuccessfully for McCrory to defeat Perdue, but it didn't start spending that year until September. This year, it got on the air a week after the primary and began to label Dalton as Perdue's "right-hand man."

Two RGA ads have tried to join Dalton and Perdue at the hip and highlight their support for raising the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent. The sales tax revenue would go to public education.

As of last week, the RGA had spent $1.3 million in North Carolina, according to campaign finance reports. More than $1 million was for TV spots, RGA spokesman Mike Schrimpf said.

"North Carolina is one of our most important pickup opportunities," Schrimpf said Friday.

On the day the RGA ran its first ad, the Democratic Governors Association gave $1 million to North Carolina Citizens for Progress. The Raleigh-based independent political group spent more than $430,000 on commercials questioning McCrory's ethics. They suggest McCrory lobbied for Charlotte-based real estate and lending business Tree.com while mayor. McCrory is now on the Tree.com board and has received fees and stock options.

McCrory pounced on N.C. Citizens for Progress last week, and his lawyers sent letters asking TV stations to stop running a commercial they say is false. McCrory has never been a registered lobbyist for Tree.com, but N.C. Citizens for Progress says the ad is factual.

The DGA and N.C. Citizens sued McCrory and his campaign committee and threatened to depose McCrory before November. McCrory's campaign began litigation against DGA and N.C. Citizens.

Bob Hall, executive director of the campaign finance group Democracy North Carolina, said organizations such as the DGA, RGA and N.C. Citizens have more leeway since the Citizens United ruling to directly support or oppose candidates in television ads. They also have a greater pool of donors compared to 2008. The two candidates have no direct way to rein in the outside groups.

Hall said the early influx of ads is an early taste for voters until Election Day: "This is the harbinger of what's to come."



Governor's race heats up with litigation over TV ad

Pat McCrory's campaign and the political committees behind a television commercial McCrory says is false filed competing legal actions that raise the ante in North Carolina's gubernatorial race.

The Democratic Governors Association and the group North Carolina Citizens for Progress filed a complaint in Wake County court asking a judge to rule the commercial about McCrory's connections to a Charlotte-based business as true and constitutionally protected.

The complaint, which names McCrory and his campaign as defendants, was filed Thursday morning, hours before the Pat McCrory Committee initiated civil action against the two groups. It has until mid-June to file its complaint, according to the paperwork.

"I think they were bluffing. We're calling their bluff," Michael Weisel, attorney for N.C. Citizens for Progress, said Friday.

McCrory and his campaign also have been threatening lawsuits against TV stations that air the ad, which started last week, and asked the Federal Communications Commission to get involved. McCrory is most angry about an accusation that he lobbied for real estate and lending business Tree.com while mayor of Charlotte and three years before he joined the company's board.

"It's a total lie and misrepresentation of the facts. It is deceiving, it's deceptive," McCrory said. "We're going to challenge these ads that are unfactual and that are character assassinations."

Weisel suggested that he would seek to question McCrory under oath in the weeks before what's expected to be a competitive election with Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

"The facts contained within the ad are absolutely accurate. We stand by them," he said. "There's a past history of perhaps making threats of lawsuits and then not actually doing so because it has its desired effect, which is to intimidate the press and your political opponents, their campaigns."

The competing litigation comes less than three weeks since Dalton and McCrory won their respective primaries. The DGA and the Republican Governors Association have spent more than $1.4 million combined on advertising since then.

The RGA began running another ad Friday, seeking to firm up Dalton's policy ties to Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, who isn't seeking re-election.

Perdue is the vice chairwoman of the DGA and is listed as a likely defendant in the McCrory's campaign lawsuit.

McCrory said he's never been a registered lobbyist for Tree.com. The 2006 letter McCrory wrote as mayor and cited in the ad asked the state commerce secretary to boost state economic incentives to discourage LendingTree, a Tree.com business, from going to South Carolina.

N.C. Citizens for Progress produced the ad but the Democratic Governors Association paid for it. Campaign finance reports show N.C. Citizens have spent more than $430,000 on its ad campaign. The commercial has been airing on Triangle, Triad and Down East television stations.

The group has made some changes to the attack ad, and the latest version clarifies the timeline of events. They said it makes the ad stronger, but the lawsuit still goes on.

McCrory's campaign said Friday the legal matters would be handled by the lawyers and that McCrory is focused on the economy and who is best prepared to be governor.

"We're not going to be sidetracked with a back and forth with a third-party group," campaign spokesman Brian Nick said.

Dalton's campaign lit into McCrory, saying his public pledge Thursday to run fair campaign ads this election rang hollow as the RGA ran another ad accusing Dalton of voting repeatedly for higher taxes while in the state Senate. The RGA has spent more $1 million on running a pair of anti-Dalton ads this month, RGA spokesman Mike Schrimpf said.

"For McCrory to stand before the media and call for a clean campaign on the same day that his political hatchet men launch yet another misleading attack is a new low," Dalton spokesman Ford Dalton said.

Nick said the RGA ads are based on voting records, not attacking someone's character.

Campaign rules prevent third-party groups from coordinating activities with candidate committees.

As the McCrory and Dalton campaigns blast away at each other, Libertarian candidate Barbara Howe planned to quietly launch her gubernatorial campaign on Saturday. The Granville County homemaker has run for governor twice before.


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Sources: ABC News, AIP, Facebook, McClatchy Newspapers, Newsobserver, Pat McCrory.com, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

North Carolina Ranks High In Corruption By Watch Dog Group: C- Grade

North Carolina: The story behind the score

When an influential North Carolina lawmaker named Stephen LaRoque helped sponsor and pass a 2011 bill loosening regulations on billboards, he was the co-owner of five billboards and president of a firm that owned four others.

But when LaRoque asked the North Carolina Ethics Commission to review his key legislative role, it found no conflict, citing what it called a “safe harbor” stemming from the fact that his law would benefit everyone owning billboards.

The case reflected what many analysts say is the prevailing state of North Carolina’s ethics regulations: A lengthy set of rules has been enacted to help keep public officials honest, but enforcement has sometimes not been strict. They also complain that the extensive rules haven’t adequately curbed the influence of monied interests on state policymaking.

North Carolina –a state of 9.7 million residents that will host the Democratic National Convention in September — ranks 18tth with a grade of C- and a score of 71 percent from the State Integrity Investigation, a collaborative project of the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity, and Public Radio International.

No state received an A, but North Carolina ranked lower than many others on measures of its public access to information, executive accountability, state budget processes, and its procurement. It bested all other states on its lobbying disclosure rules.

Many of its ethics requirements stem from legislation enacted in 2006, following a major scandal in which a powerful lawmaker bribed a rank-and-file legislator. In exchange for his vote the legislator received campaign donations and a government job for his son. A smaller package of changes was enacted in 2010, boosting disclosure requirements and imposing stiffer penalties for illegal fundraising.

The ethics legislation was “a breakthrough, a quantum jump in the way all kinds of things are regulated,” said Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina, a non-partisan group that promotes government accountability. “We improved our regulation of the whole system.”

There have been some notable accomplishments, signaling the determination of some officials to punish ethics violators: In 2007 the two politicians involved in the bribe went to prison, in 2008 a legislator was expelled for violating ethics rules, and in 2010 a former governor pleaded guilty to a felony campaign law violation.

But campaign financing loopholes remain, enforcement is dispersed among several state agencies and commissions, and critics say the Ethics Commission – the principal body charged with policing conflict of interest standards —lacks sufficient staff and authority to punish violators.

“For the most part, they lack teeth,” said Frank Perry, a former Ethics Commission staff member who now directs investigations for the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, a North Carolina watchdog group. “They could be a serious force in preventing and exposing and attacking corruption, and sadly we don’t have any proof that they’re doing it.”

The Commission – with four members appointed by the governor and four by the legislature — oversees the filing of financial disclosure reports, issues advisory opinions to officials, and launches a few investigations every year in response to complaints.

But its actions are mostly confidential, and the most severe punishment it can issue is a private admonishment. The Commission also can refer cases to the Governor, legislative leaders, or other elected officials for further action, but it never has done so. The Commission received more than 300 complaints between 2006 and 2010, and investigated fewer than twenty.

Commission Executive Director Perry Newson said most complaints are dismissed because they lack adequate factual support; in some cases, complainants refuse to reveal their identities and sign sworn statements, as the law requires.

But Chris Fitzsimon of NC Policy Watch, the group that first called attention to LaRoque’s financial interests, says the commission “seems to be unwilling to issue firm rulings that might not be in the interest of public officials.”

In LaRoque’s case, his group noted, two state officials with ties to billboards withdrew from a mandated review of the law’s implementation, citing their own conflicts of interest. Of the ethics commission decision to approve LaRoque’s role, Fitzsimon said, “That’s a very narrow interpretation of ethics laws.”

A different state government agency – the Board of Elections — administers campaign finance laws, while the Judicial Standards Commission governs judges’ behavior; legislative ethics committees investigate allegations against members of the General Assembly; the Secretary of State regulates lobbyists; and an elected State Auditor serves as a general government watchdog.

Recent efforts by state leaders to combine agencies and clarify their duties have provoked turf battles and partisan debates, partly because some of the regulatory boards are controlled by Democrats and others by Republicans.

But persistent confusion over enforcement authority was highlighted in January 2012, when a judge acquitted a lobbyist for a steel importer and other firms of charges that he had failed to register properly with the Secretary of State. The judge said the law is ambiguous and that the Secretary lacked authority to impose a $30,000 fine.

Scandal provokes reforms

The lobbying reforms, for which North Carolina scored the best, grew out of a 2002 encounter in the men’s room at an International House of Pancakes in Salibury.

Present were two state legislators: Democratic Rep. Jim Black, who was desperate for power, and Republican Rep. Michael Decker, who was desperate for money.

Black needed one more legislator’s vote to be elected a third time as Speaker of the House. In the IHOP bathroom, as Decker later admitted in federal court, he agreed to provide it in exchange for $50,000 in campaign donations and a job for his son.

The deal was part of a pattern of corruption involving Black, investigators eventually concluded. The former speaker pleaded guilty to accepting money from industry groups in exchange for legislation and admitted to the State Board of Elections that he collected blank checks from donors. By 2007, both he and Decker were in federal prison.

Other North Carolina politicians, meanwhile, spent campaign money on children’s clothing, home repairs, and merchandise from Victoria’s Secret. Lobbyists not only raised funds for politicians’ campaigns, but invited them to sports events and golf outings, and picked up the checks for legislators who ate at expensive restaurants near the capitol.

“One lobbyist told me that if he took three legislators out to dinner, three others legislators would send their checks over to him,” said Jane Pinsky of the North Carolina Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform. “There were legislators who thought it was their prerogative to be wined and dined.”

State legislators responded to the disclosures of these acts by prohibiting the personal use of campaign funds, banning gifts from lobbyists, and establishing the ethics commission.

The ethics law also restricted contributions and gifts from lobbyists to elected officials.

While Pinsky said the revised law still has a few loopholes that allow lobbyists to entertain lawmakers, there’s no longer a culture of lavish hand-outs.

“Lobbyists and legislators work really hard to make sure they don’t cross the line,” she said. “I don’t think that everyone even saw the line before.”

Loopholes and gaps remain

The law has a few holes in it. Lobbyists no longer can buy meals for individual legislators, but still can sponsor receptions for large groups of lawmakers. Benefactors also can treat public officials to trips or outings that are classified as “educational meetings.”

Though lobbyists no longer personally can contribute to political campaigns, the political action committees or interest groups that employ lobbyists are free to donate when the legislature is out of session or on recess. Political parties and caucus committees also have taken a more active role in funneling money to individual candidates, allowing politicians to bypass some of the fundraising restrictions.

“Every time I think we’ve done something smart, they do something at least as smart if not smarter,” Pinsky said. “There’s a level of corruption that has to do with the campaign finance system and the way money dominates politics…that has not gone away,” said Hall of Democracy North Carolina.

Public officials still engage in “pay to play” – in which major donors are rewarded with favorable legislation, state contracts, or appointments to powerful government boards and commissions.

“They put in an inordinate amount of money and have special status,” Hall said of big campaign contributors, noting that relatively small industries, such as video poker operators, have gained influence in state government by showering politicians with donations.

He recently documented how contributions from the commercial finance industry helped Republicans win control in 2010 of both houses of the legislature for the first time since the late 1800’s. Months later, GOP leaders tried to fast-track a bill allowing the industry to charge consumers higher interest rates.

“There was over $100,000 in small donations from commercial lending outfits going to targeted Republican challengers who became the majority,” Hall said. “It looks like a pay to play."

The funds were part of a large infusion of money in 2010 from wealthy conservatives, often to advocacy groups and think tanks, which prompted the New Yorker magazine to profile North Carolina politics in October 2011 under the headline, “State for Sale.”

Leaders of both parties still reward their contributors with appointments to powerful government boards and commissions, such as the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, the Wildlife Commission, and the Board of Transportation. The transportation board “acts like an ATM machine for the governor and other state politicians,” Hall wrote in a 2008 report.

“I think the reforms that we put in place, the reporting that we put in place, and the penalties that we put in place are working pretty well,” said Democratic Rep. Joe Hackney, who sponsored the 2006 ethics bill, then succeeded Jim Black as House Speaker in 2007. “We’ve demonstrated that we will take action.”

Hackney notes that during his tenure as Speaker, the House of Representatives expelled a member for violating ethics rules – the first time in more than a hundred years a North Carolina legislator was forced from office.

A legislative ethics committee concluded that Rep. Thomas Wright – a top lieutenant of Jim Black – failed to report $180,000 in campaign contributions and mishandled a similar amount of money in loans and charitable contributions. Wright is now imprisoned for fraud and obstruction of justice.

Since then, another North Carolina House member resigned amid an investigation of questionable campaign spending, the State Board of Elections assessed almost a million dollars in fines and penalties against politicians who violated campaign finance laws, and in 2010 former governor Mike Easley pleaded guilty to a felony for failing to report a contribution.


Report: Most states do poor job in guarding against Corruption

Most American states are doing a subpar job in protecting against corruption and assuring accountability, according a study released Monday.

The joint report -- from the Global Integrity nonprofit advocacy group, Public Radio International and Center for Public Integrity investigative news organization -- used data on a host of measures to score all 50 states.

No state received an A grade, while five got Bs and 19 were given Cs.

The majority got grades that would be considered not passing in American schools, including 18 Ds and eight with failing grades.

"What's behind the dismal grades? Across the board, state ethics, open records and disclosure laws lack one key feature: teeth," said an overview of the report written by Caitlin Ginley from the Center for Public Integrity.

The report assessed 330 "Corruption Risk Indicators" across 14 aspects of government such as ethics enforcement, lobbying disclosure, auditing practices and executive, legislative and judicial accountability.

The top-ranked state, after an analysis of these measures, was New Jersey.

It got a score of 87, equivalent to a B+. It was followed closely by Connecticut.

The only three other states earned above-average scores of B- or better: Washington, California and Nebraska.

On the other end of the spectrum was Georgia, which ranked at the bottom of the report's rankings when it came to transparency and accountability.

Citing one reason for Georgia's failing grade, the report claimed "more than 650 government employees accepted gifts from vendors doing business with the state in 2007 and 2008" despite this being a clear violation of state ethics laws -- adding that the state hadn't issued a related penalty since 1999.

The Peach State wasn't alone in scoring an F. It was joined by South Dakota, Wyoming, Virginia, Maine, South Carolina, North Dakota and Michigan.

The report's overview notes that low grades in some sparsely populated Western or Plains states may be attributable to "libertarian roots, a small-town, neighborly approach and the honest belief that 'everybody knows everybody' (that) has overridden any perceived need for strong protections in law."

But overall, the study concludes that many failings are preventable, whether by giving more power to ethics boards, bolstering penalties, increasing openness and transparency, or taking stronger measures to decrease the influence of money in politics.

This is despite some public steps in recent years aimed ostensibly at fighting corruption.

"State officials make lofty promises when it comes to ethics in government.

They tout transparency of legislative processes, accessibility of records and the openness of public meetings. But these efforts often fall short of providing any real transparency or legitimate hope of rooting out corruption," wrote Ginley.
The report offers a number of examples.

One is former West Virginia Gov. Arch Moore, in office for three terms in the 1970s and 1980s, who went to a local dealership and took a car on a "test drive" and ended up keeping it for four years, while the dealership earned state contracts.

Then, the report references a North Carolina legislator who owned five billboards and sponsored a bill to loosen billboard construction regulations, with an ethics commission finding no violations. And it also faults a Tennessee ethics commission that hasn't issued a penalty in its six years in existence and that doesn't make complaints available to the public.

Scandals and a history of political corruption can be prime drivers of effective reforms, according to the report, which points to the positive measures taken in New Jersey, Illinois and Louisiana.

It also credits widespread improvements in transparency, in which legislation and "some government records are easier to retrieve than ever." But Ed Bender of the National Institute on Money in State Politics says in the report that such information often isn't presented in an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand format.

Ginley, in the report's overview, also claims the study found that "lobbyists find ways" around even retooled laws and that "across the board, enforcement is weak."

"When it comes to money, influence and power in state government, interest groups and big-money donors will find ways around just about any limit," she wrote.


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Sources: CBS News, CNN, State Integrity.org, Youtube, Google Maps

Pat McCrory vs Anthony Foxx: Foxx Should Seek Congressional Office Instead

POLL: How would you rate Bev Perdue's term as N.C. governor?
Excellent: 5%
Good: 12%
Fair: 17%
Poor: 67%
Total Votes: 2,042
SOURCE: Charlotte Observer




As it relates to Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx (D) campaigning to become North Carolina's First BLACK Governor, I don't believe he could pull it off right now. He should instead finish his term as Charlotte Mayor & then seek Congressional Office.

Now Before you bash me or tell me I'm being negative, please allow me to explain why I believe this Political theory may be beneficial to Anthony Foxx. Bev Perdue's GOP Challenger former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory served as Charlotte's Mayor for 14 Years.

He ran against Bev Perdue in 2008 but only lost due to Pres. Obama's Outstanding Nationwide Campaign. As Charlotte's Former Mayor, Pat McCrory did a lot to help Black-Owned Businesses emerge in Charlotte, thus he created a lot of BLACK Charlotte Supporters.

Pat McCrory is NOT a Tea Party Republican.

Instead he's a Moderate & he's NOT Hateful or Mean to BLACK people. After losing to Bev Perdue in 2008, Pat McCrory spent the next 3 years preparing for a rematch.

This Man (Pat) has money in the bank & a HUGE amount of Supporters across the state of North Carolina.

While serving as North Carolina Governor, Bev Perdue Wasted I do mean WASTED Billions in Stimulus Money, Fired Thousands of Teacher, did NOT let those Teachers receive Unemployment Benefits, Used Former NC Revenue Chief Ken Lay Then Threw him under the bus, Stepped on BLACK Voters who helped to Elect her & cut Medicare/ Medicaid for Low Income Seniors but gave Millions in Tax Payer money to North Carolina's Wealthy Coastal Residents.

In addition several of Perdue's 2008 Campaign staff members were Indicted for Campaign Finance Crimes. There was NO WAY Bev Perdue would have been re-elected!

No Way!

In fact She would have hurt Pres. Obama in North Carolina.



She's an Alleged Crook & a Racist! That is why she dropped out! Notice how she dropped out.

She made this announcement late in the Campaign Season knowing it would be difficult for another Democrat to run in her place. I'm telling you Bev Perdue is DIRTY!

North Carolina is still a VERY Racist State! There is NO Way Anthony Foxx (a BLACK Man) would be able to raise the Money or garner enough State Wide Support in 9 Months to run Successfully against Pat McCrory!

If he had more time then Yes. But NOT in 9 Months!

Thus Anthony Foxx should remain as Charlotte Mayor & then run for Congress in 2 years. i.e., Mel Watt's Seat. Mel Watt (D) is TIRED & NO Longer Effective anyway.

He does NOT Care about his BLACK North Carolina Constituents unless they are in his Fraternity or Sister Sorority. So word to Anthony Foxx just keep serving as Charlotte Mayor & then go to Congress.

He could do more for North Carolina on the Federal Level anyway, then on the State level because the State Of N.C. is still a mess for BLACK Citizens!
Peace!



Could it be Charlotte mayor vs. Charlotte ex-mayor in N.C. governor's race?

Could two Charlotte mayors face off for N.C. governor?

That possibility emerged Thursday when Democrat Anthony Foxx said he's considering a race that suddenly opened up with Gov. Bev Perdue's decision not to seek re-election.

Foxx's predecessor, Republican Pat McCrory, plans to launch his own long-anticipated campaign Tuesday, but in a landscape dramatically different from the one he expected.

"He's got a completely different race today than he had last night," said Republican strategist Carter Wrenn. "The world just changed."

Perdue's surprise decision - less than three weeks before candidate filing opens - sent Democrats scrambling. Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton of Rutherfordton was the first to announce his candidacy. State Rep. Bill Faison of Chapel Hill expects to announce soon.

Among those leaving the door cracked was Foxx.

"I remain focused on Charlotte and the substantial work ahead," he said in a statement. "I will spend the coming weeks talking with my family and friends about how I could best serve our city and state, and I ask the public and media for some patience as I work through those conversations."

In his own statement, McCrory said, "My message has been and will continue to be that we must fix our broken government and broken economy and put our North Carolina resources back to work."

Neither Foxx nor McCrory could be reached.

Both would join a long line of Charlotte mayors who have sought statewide office. Each of the last five mayors - back to then-Democrat Eddie Knox in 1984 - have run and lost.

The last was McCrory. Charlotte's only seven-term mayor fell to Perdue in 2008.

McCrory vs. a fresh face

Since then he has prepared for an expected rematch. He has traveled the state in support of other Republicans and promoted GOP causes. And campaign reports due today will show him with around $2 million in the bank.

He has consistently led Perdue in polls. Now that she's out, supporters say the outlook is even brighter.

"We're seeing that literally today with Pat's phone ringing off the hook with people who were on the fence or had not yet gotten involved and wanted to be helpful on the fundraising side," said McCrory strategist Brian Nick.

As an incumbent, he said, Perdue essentially froze out donors who might otherwise have given to McCrory. "Now, he added, "that ice has thawed."

In addition to his war chest, McCrory has another advantage: name recognition. A survey last fall showed him leading Dalton, Faison and even three-term Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper in hypothetical matchups.

But that may not matter, said Wrenn. "I expect it'll make it a tougher race for (McCrory)," said Wrenn, who ran former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot's 2000 campaign for governor.

"Bev carried a lot of baggage and a lot of negatives ...So a fresh candidate may help the Democrats and make life a little more complicated for Pat. He's still in pretty strong shape, but a fresh face might be harder to beat than Perdue."

Tom Jensen, director of Raleigh's Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, said surveys suggest McCrory's strongest Democratic challenger would be Charlotte's Erskine Bowles, a former White House chief of staff and president of the University of North Carolina system.

"Democrats have a better chance no matter who the candidate is, but especially if Erskine can be coaxed into the race," he said. "It just changes the whole calculus."

Bowles could not be reached.

Charlottean vs. Charlottean?

Foxx's entry would change it even more.

After two terms on Charlotte's City Council, he became the city's youngest mayor in 2009 at age 38. During his first term, he developed a working relationship with President Barack Obama, was a frequent guest at the White House and played a key role in landing this year's Democratic National Convention.

Though untested statewide, he would bring a strong base. Charlotte is home to almost one in 10 N.C. Democrats.

Foxx is also a proven fundraiser. During two mayoral bids, he raised more than $1.3 million from a national fundraising network.

Their time leading Charlotte could create disputes over who is most responsible for various accomplishments.

Foxx would have served three years. McCrory was Charlotte mayor for 14 years.

During Foxx's last campaign, Republican opponent Scott Stone charged that some of Foxx's touted accomplishments - such as bringing 14,000 new jobs to the city - were in part due to McCrory's earlier efforts.

Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College, said a divisive primary could hurt Democrats against McCrory.

"Ideally they would want someone picked (in the primary) so they can start making amends, start solidifying the base and get ready to go into the summer and the fall," he said.

Andrew Taylor, a political scientist at N.C. State, said Foxx - like most other would-be Democratic candidates - would have to work to become known statewide. If he did run, and did win, it could set up a race between two Charlotteans.

"There is this rather absurd argument that you can't elect someone from the Charlotte area as governor," Taylor said. "What we think of as our economic capital to a certain extent would all of a sudden have more political clout than it's had for a while."



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Obama Leaving Martha's Vineyard, Returning To D.C., IRENE Approaches!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama: All signs show Irene will be 'historic' storm

As Hurricane Irene started lashing the Carolinas with rain Friday, President Barack Obama warned coastal residents to prepare for the worst, saying all indications point to Irene being a "historic" storm.

"Don't wait, don't delay," the president said from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where many were already leaving ahead of Irene.

Obama and his family had planned to leave the island on Saturday, but the White House on Friday said it had been moved up to this evening.

Irene not only is packing 105 mph winds, it is also massive: hurricane force winds extend 90 miles from the center, and tropical force winds extend 290 miles. Up to 15 inches of rain could be dumped across the East Coast by the time she barrels through.

With Irene bearing down, hundreds of thousands of people headed inland, made last-minute preparations and monitored its every subtle movement.

Irene had the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage all along a densely populated arc that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and beyond. At least 65 million people are in its projected track.

"One of my greatest nightmares was having a major hurricane go up the whole Northeast coast," said Max Mayfield, a former National Hurricane Center director. "This is going to be a real challenge ... There's going to be millions of people affected."

Rain from Irene's outer bands began falling along the North and South Carolina coast early Friday. Swells and 6- to 9-foot waves were reported along the Outer Banks. Thousands had already lost power as the fringes of the storm began raking the shore and North Carolina was told to expect storm surges up to 11 feet.

The hurricane warning was extended into the Chesapeake Bay as far as Drum Point, and existing warnings remained in effect from North Carolina to New Jersey. A hurricane watch was in effect even farther north and included Long Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Mass.

By late Friday morning, Irene remained a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph — 10 mph less than overnight.

Little change in strength was expected by the time the heart of the storm reaches the North Carolina coast on Saturday and the storm is no longer expected to regain Category 3 status, the National Hurricane Center said.

North Carolina and mid-Atlantic region

In the Tar Heel State, traffic was steady as people left the Outer Banks. Tourists were ordered to leave the barrier islands Thursday and many residents were following as ordered Friday.

At a gas station in Nags Head, Pete Reynolds said he wanted to make sure he had enough fuel for the long trip. The retired 68-year-old teacher spent part of Thursday getting his house ready for the hurricane. Now, he and his wife, Susan, were heading to the New Jersey area to stay with their son's family.

"We felt like we would be OK and we could ride out the storm," said Reynolds, who lives in Nags Head. "But when they announced mandatory evacuations, I knew it was serious."

Speaking Friday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue said the state has mobilized officials and resources — including Highway Patrol troopers, the Red Cross and National Guardsmen — to deal with the storm's immediate aftermath.

"We're as ready as we can be at this time," she said.

As thousands fled beach towns, some farmers began pulling up their crops.

North Carolina farmer Wilson Daughtry has lost count of how many times his crops have been wiped out by storms that regularly blow up from the tropics.

"That's the price of living in paradise," he said of a fertile farm belt that's weathered an unusually hot and dry summer. Any deluge from Irene's rain bands could wipe out many crops just when they are ready for harvesting.

What's at stake in North Carolina? Latest figures show coastal North Carolina's fields earned nearly $6.3 billion in farm income in 2009 alone from its tobacco, corn and other crops.

The beach community of Ocean City, Md., was taking no chances, ordering thousands of people to leave.

"This is not a time to get out the camera and sit on the beach and take pictures of the waves," said Gov. Martin O'Malley.

In Washington, Irene postponed hopes of dedicating a 30-foot sculpture to the late Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall on Sunday. While a direct strike on the nation's capital appeared slim, organizers said the forecasts of wind and heavy rain made it too dangerous to summon a throng they initially expected to number up to 250,000 strong.

New York City

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers were told Thursday to pack a bag and be prepared to move elsewhere.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered nursing homes and five hospitals in low-lying areas evacuated beginning Friday and said he would order 270,000 other people moved by Saturday if the storm stays on its current path.

"For the general public, it's a good idea to move Friday," Bloomberg said.

Evacuating hundreds of thousands of people would be particularly difficult in New York, where there are about 1.6 million people in Manhattan, many without cars. There are about 6.8 million in the city's other four boroughs.

Bloomberg advised residents on the southern tip of Manhattan and on Brooklyn's Coney Island to start moving items upstairs and to be ready to leave immediately. Apartment building managers emailed residents, telling them to close windows and expect power outages. Flyers were posted in building lobbies.

"If you have a car and you live in a low-lying area, my suggestion is to park on top of a hill, not in the valley," Bloomberg said. "It's those kinds of things. Take some precautions now, so that if it gets to that you'll have less to do."

Forecasters said passing near Manhattan could lead to a nightmare scenario: shattered glass falling from skyscrapers, flooded subways and seawater coursing through the streets.

Even if the winds aren't strong enough to damage buildings in a metropolis made largely of brick, concrete and steel, a lot of New York's subway system and other infrastructure is underground and subject to flooding in the event of an unusually strong storm surge or heavy rains, authorities noted.

New York City's two airports also are close to the water and could be inundated, as could densely packed neighborhoods, if the storm pushes ocean water into the city's waterways, officials said. The city had a brush with a tropical storm, Hanna, in 2008 that dumped 3 inches of rain in Manhattan.

In the last 200 years, New York has seen only a few significant hurricanes. In September of 1821, a hurricane raised tides by 13 feet in an hour and flooded all of Manhattan south of Canal Street, the southernmost tip of the city. The area now includes Wall Street and the World Trade Center memorial.

New Jersey

Aiming to speed up evacuations in coastal May County, Gov. Chris Christie Christie on Friday suspended tolls on all parts of the Garden State Parkway south of the Raritan River and the Atlantic City Expressway.

One of the popular casinos in Atlantic City had already closed Friday, and several others planned to shut down later in the day.

Virginia

Few people were left along the coast of Virginia Beach, where officials ordered the mandatory evacuation of the city's Sandbridge section. Similar orders were issued for Accomack and portions of Norfolk, Hampton and Newport News.

Connecticut

Gov. Daniel P. Malloy declared a state of emergency and warned there could be prolonged power outages if Irene dumps up to a foot of rain on already saturated ground as some fear. He said emergency responders must be ready in event of any evacuations from heavily developed urban areas.

"We are a much more urban state than we were in 1938," he said, referring to the year that the so-called "Long Island Express" hurricane killed 600 people and caused major damage with 17-foot storm surges and high winds.

At Mystic Seaport, a popular "living history" museum that depicts 19th century New England seacoast life, staff members were hauling parts of the collections to higher ground. The museum will be closed on Saturday and Sunday as staffers load up sandbags.

"Our primary responsibility at this time is to protect our collection," said Mystic Seaport president Steve White. "So much of what we have here is irreplaceable and we need some time to make sure it will survive any kind of storm intact."

Boston

While some residents flocked to the supermarket for bottled water and nonperishable food, others rushed to the local hardware store.

"Our number of customers has tripled in the last day or two as people actually said 'wow, this thing is going to happen,'" said Jack Gurnon, owner of Charles Street Supply, a hardware store in Boston's wealthy Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Tape for windows, flashlights and batteries were flying off shelves, but Gurnon said people were worried about flooding and have been scooping up sump pumps, too.

Florida

While avoiding a direct hit, the state did see the first U.S. injuries from Irene when eight people were washed off a jetty in West Palm Beach on Thursday by a large wave churned up by the storm. All survived.


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Sources: AP, CNN, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Obama Warns Citizens Of Irene's Wrath & Offers FEMA Assistance (Audio Speech)

President Obama: Hurricane Irene Likely 'Historic,' Federal Government Prepared

President Obama today painted a grim picture of the menace posed by Hurricane Irene, warning Americans to "take this storm seriously" as he offered reassurances that his administration has.

"I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, take precautions now," Obama said in an address from Martha's Vineyard.

"The federal government has spent the better part of last week working … to see to it that we're prepared," he added. "All indications point to this being a historic hurricane."

His message and the ongoing mobilization of his administration underscore the lingering lessons from Hurricane Katrina, and an awareness of the impact the monster 2005 storm had on the presidency of George W. Bush.

The Obama administration has pre-deployed federal disaster response teams up and down the East Coast, personally reached out to dozens of state and local leaders, preemptively declared an emergency in North Carolina -- and launched a public relations blitz to let Americans know.

"The federal government is leaning forward, ahead of the storm," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters in Washington, D.C., this morning. "The president has directed us to ensure that all needed resources are available and that we should coordinate closely with our local partners."

Hurricane Preparedness Tips and Resources to Help Keep Your Family Safe

The news conference followed a slew of press releases detailing the administration's efforts, which included calls from Napolitano to seven governors and five mayors, and the early dispatching of FEMA national assistance teams to states in the storm's path.

"You're seeing FEMA ringing their early alarm bells louder and sooner than they did during Katrina," said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, author of "The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast."

"FEMA is painting a worst-case portrait. They're leaving nothing to chance," Brinkley said. "And that's a lesson learned during Katrina."


With Irene just hours from making its first U.S. landfall on the Carolina coast, Obama paused his family vacation to make his first public remarks on the storm before his scheduled return to Washington tomorrow.

From there, he will likely take a leading role behind the scenes as the storm passes overhead, said Mark Merritt, a former FEMA official who is leading the long-term post-Katrina recovery effort in Louisiana.

"He has got to empower his staff, his cabinet secretaries, to do whatever it takes, especially in the preparedness and response phase. But he also needs to be the nation's cheerleader," Merritt said.

"Most importantly, he has to manage expectations," he added. "This is going to be a catastrophic event, and this is going to be a catastrophic event that's going to stretch over hundreds of miles."

Brinkley said Obama will need to quickly play an even bigger role after the storm.

"The lesson from Katrina would be, as soon as the tail winds die down, go to the disaster zone," he said. "People want to see the president of the United States with his heels on the ground, touching flood waters, offering words of reassurance and bringing the American people along with him."


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Sources: AP, ABC News, Youtube, Google Maps

North Carolina HOAs Gone Rogue! Lawmakers Refuse To Act! (Developer Political Donations)

HOA forecloses on family; neighbors lose, attorneys profit

Not all the foreclosures emptying homes across the Carolinas originate from banks and lenders. Increasingly, the institution doing the foreclosing is made up of neighbors who run the homeowners association–known as the HOA.

Consider one family’s story:

Michelle Roberts’ parents helped her and her husband buy their first home in Gaston County in 2003. Even though she and her husband Darin paid the mortgage, her mom and dad signed the note. Their names are on the deed. That means her parents are on the hook now that the home is in foreclosure and the courts have ordered her family to pack up and leave this week.

“We're going to have to move back in with mom and dad for a while,” Michelle said, sitting among boxes in her living room. “We have no choice.”

This is not one more bank foreclosure–one more mortgage gone bad. No, the Roberts are losing their home to their neighbors–their HOA.

“We just wanted them to work with us,” said Michelle. “We didn't neglect paying them on purpose. They neglected to notify us.”

The Mountain View Community Association off of Spencer Mountain Road near Ranlo, North Carolina and its management company, Hawthorne Management of Charlotte, did not send a bill to the Roberts for years.

“Not one word for six years,” said Michelle, “Not one word.”

The HOA lost track of the Roberts lot and two others when the builder transferred the property to their family. Then in May of 2009 the HOA sent Michelle’s parents a statement asking for almost six years worth of dues at once–$945.

“I don’t know how we would pay that, and I don’t think it’s fair,” said Michelle’s husband Darin Roberts.

At first the Roberts say they called a neighbor who served on the board of the HOA.

“She said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll work it out. It’s not that big of a deal,’” said Darin.

That was before the lien notices and threatening letters began arriving from the HOA’s law firm.

“We were blindsided,” said Michelle.

So the Roberts tried repeatedly to work out a payment plan.

“They wanted a $444-a-month payment and refused to accept anything less than that,” said Michelle.

“I had my daughter selling brownies on the weekend,” Darin said. “I borrowed from my sister. I did overtime. I’m a middle class family dude that tries to pay his bills and feed his family.”

The Roberts made payments totaling $888 last May–which sounds like they’d paid off the bulk of their original HOA debt.

“You would think wouldn’t you?” said Michelle. “You would think.”

But no.

By that point, the HOA’s attorneys were involved. And they charged far more than the original debt in fees and court costs to try to collect it all. Court records show the Roberts whole payment went to legal fees–not to the HOA.

In fact, the paralegal working for the law firm e-mailed the Roberts that, “Your account will be charged $45 for every payment plan request” even if the lawyers refused to accept the terms.

“It’s just burying us deeper and deeper,” said Michelle. “Trying to fix the problem is just making it worse. Every time they touch it, every time they pick up the phone, we’re getting billed again.”

The Roberts gave up. The HOA and its law firm foreclosed.

“Now it just seems like the HOA’s can do whatever they want anytime they want,” Darin said.

And that original bill of less than a thousand dollars? T he attorneys added almost $6,000 in court costs and legal fees.

“The people that are benefiting are the attorneys,” said Michelle. “They’re getting five times what the original bill was.”

The people who are not benefit ting from this HOA foreclosure? The neighbors. Because the foreclosure means the HOA–the neighbors–now own the Roberts home.

“I don't know what good that is,” said Michelle. “People can't sell their homes who legitimately want to sell their homes now.”

Foreclosures can drive down property values for the neighbors since would-be buyers look to comparable nearby properties – known as “comps” – to gage the price they should pay. And foreclosed homes often sell at fire-sale prices, dragging down the neighborhood average.

“The HOA will get their $975,” said Michelle. “But they’ll also have an empty house along with the others they’ve done this to.”

The I-Team searched through Gaston County Register of Deeds records and found six more foreclosures in the last year and a half in the same Mountain View neighborhood from the same Hawthorne Management company and the same law firm: Sellers, Hinshaw. (Click here to read an e-mail from Sellers, Hinshaw)

“We try to work with people,” attorney Tim Sellers told the I-Team in an earlier interview.

Sellers refused to speak on camera about Mountain View and the Roberts.

“The vast majority of the ones we deal with if they’re not in compliance we work to get ‘em in compliance,” he said.

Sellers sent the I-Team a five page time line (click here to read) detailing two years of back-and-forth with the Roberts concluding, “Collection action was authorized only when the Association received no response from the owners or after the owners defaulted on the written agreement for installment payments.”

The Roberts say they made a good faith effort to try to pay an old debt during trying times and lost their home in the process.

Sitting on her couch before loading it on the truck, Michelle summed it up: “We’re like every other family. We’re struggling. We’ve had to take three pay cuts in the banking industry just to keep a job. My business was cut in half. My father has a rare and aggressive cancer.”

Michelle’s father, Dennis Hiatt, said he may go bankrupt. Between breaths from an oxygen tank he says: “It may be legal what they’re doing but it’s just not right.”




NASCAR driver loses four year legal fight with HOA


Todd Bodine is accustomed to the sound of winning.

The NASCAR driver has won the sport’s truck series twice, most recently last year. But earlier this month, if you were to pass by the Bodines’ well-kept home in the Harris Village neighborhood of Mooresville, you would have heard the sound of Todd Bodine losing, as he and a crew of helpers tore down his prize pool house and tiki hut board by board and piece by piece, the result of an epic four-year battle with his homeowners association, or HOA.

A select committee of North Carolina lawmakers considering reforms of the HOA statutes heard that 53% of owner-occupied homes in the state are governed by HOA’s. But few of those homeowners sue their HOA and appeal all the way to the state Supreme Court, only to lose and have to tear down a structure, plus pay opposing attorneys’ fees and fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Bodines did.

“I think I’ve been done wrong,” Bodine said, sitting in shorts by his pool, the remnants of his poolside bar covered with a tarp. “And it’s incredible how unjust it is.”

The disagreement started in July of 2007 when the HOA board president who the Bodines had entertained over beers as they built their pool abruptly told them the pool house was not approved. “The president never said ‘it's OK for you to start building,’” said Keith Black, the Greensboro attorney who represented the Harris Village HOA.

Todd Bodine insists the HOA president had told him verbally to go ahead and build. “Everything was always, fine, OK, looks good,” said Bodine.

The issue came to a head at an emergency meeting in the Bodines’ driveway. Bodine was upset. “It was on then. I got in his face,” Bodine said. He and his wife went inside their home while the board members talked things over. The board members signed a “Request for Architectural Approval” checked “approved” pending the approval of the Town of Mooresville Codes Department, which the Bodines quickly secured.

But the dispute continued. The board’s attorney contends that the document was conditional on the Bodines submitting final drawings with dimensions and that the board never realized how large the structure would be. The HOA had issued interpretations of the covenants limiting the size of “accessory buildings” including tool sheds and utility buildings to 320 square feet. But the document was never recorded as part of the covenants.”They ignored the phone calls, the e-mail and built the thing,” said Black.

So when the Bodines returned home after several weeks on the road racing, they faced threatening letters and the prospect of fines from the HOA. “They were fining us $100 a day which is absurd,” said Bodine. The Bodines filed suit.

Bodine insists the HOA targeted him, knowing he could afford the fines. “I was gouged pretty hard because of who I am,” Bodine said. “I believe a lot of it was because of my celebrity as a NASCAR driver.”

But Black, the HOA’s attorney, says the lawsuit had nothing to do with Bodine’s status, further saying the HOA tried to settle. “They said, ‘No. We're not gonna do it. You're wrong. Kiss our rear end. We'll see you in court,’” said Black.

If it’s true that you can’t fight city hall, Todd and Janet Bodine found you really can’t fight the HOA. They lost at every level. It started when the trial judge gave a directed verdict to the HOA so the jurors who sat through days of testimony never even got to deliberate. “We were all dumbfounded,” said Bodine. Then the Bodines lost on appeal. And finally the state Supreme Court refused to even hear the case.

In the whole four years no one said the Bodines’ pool house hurt Harris Village. “Hell it was nice looking,” said Black. “That wasn't the issue. Nobody said it's ugly and you have to take it down.”

Instead the HOA stood on principle and said if they let the Bodines build a pool house without the permission of the HOA board – then what next? “They open the door for anybody and everybody else to say, ‘Well I want to paint my house purple and have pink toilet seats all over the front yard,’” said Black.

The Bodines say other Harris Village homeowners have broken the architectural guidelines of the HOA, so they believe the fight got personal. “I think it was a small group of people out for vengeance,” said Bodine. “They saw their cash cow and they were going for it.”

So now the Bodines are on the hook for their own attorney’s fees, the HOA’s attorneys’ fees and almost $40,000 in accrued fines. The HOA put a lien on their home for the unpaid fines. Bodine was fed up. “I told ‘em, ‘Take it. Take the house,” he said.

Having exhausted their appeals in the courts, the Bodines would like the state legislature to consider reigning in the powers of HOA’s, a group of almost 18,000 neighborhood governments in North Carolina run by neighbors. “A lot of time their power is just way too strong,” said Bodine.

Black and other attorneys representing the HOA’s say that neighbors have legal remedies built into the law and if they don’t like the way the HOA is run they can always throw out the board by electing someone else. “Anytime somebody loses all of a sudden they want it to be changed,” said Black.

But the Bodines are hardly the only homeowners to run afoul of a group of neighbors bent on tearing down their property. And the state legislature is considering several bills to reform HOA’s. None of them will help the Bodines who this month tore their pool house to the ground.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Google Maps